Recipe: Three Cheese Tortellini and Sweet Italian Sausage in a Simple Tomato Sauce

So, I decided to keep dinner simple last night (plus, I wanted to make a fool-proof dish for my dad, to make up for the strange, sweet pasta dish from the other night). Three cheese tortellini, which can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (either near the deli, or sometimes over near dairy, with the random selections of packaged lunch meats and cheeses), makes this meal a little more exciting that just a simple sausage-and-tomato pasta dish, and they're easy to prepare (you cook them just like you would regular pasta).

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 lb. three-cheese tortellini (other varieties can be substituted)
• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of a medium pan
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3 links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, meat pulled apart into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1, 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1, 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Dried Italian seasoning, to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Add olive oil and butter to a medium pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage bits and cook until just cooked through and lightly browned on the outside. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one minute, then add the diced tomatoes, sauce, paste, and seasonings. Cook over low heat. While the sausage and tomato sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions (approx. 7-10 minutes). Drain the finished pasta and return to the pot. Add the sausage and tomato mixture to the pasta and gently toss to combine. Serve with grated Italian cheese (Pecorino-Romano's saltiness is a nice touch in this dish), as desired.

This dish is simple, can be made quickly, and is quite filling. Adding sausage to the tortellini and sauce mixture adds a little texture and extra flavor, and crushed red pepper flakes add a little spiciness that kicks the dish up a bit. If you want a little more heat, use hot Italian sausage instead of the sweet Italian sausage. This is the perfect dish to serve with a glass of spicy, woody red wine, and it's great the next day.

Recipe: Sloppy Joes and Rough Cut, Beer-Battered French Fries

My dad mentioned the other night that he'd been craving sloppy joes, something we used to eat a lot when I was a kid but haven't had recently. I offered to find a recipe for them, and decided to pair them with some homemade, battered fries (I've been chomping at the bit to try making french fries with my Breville deep fryer). Now, despite my dislike of Rachael Ray, her husky voice, and her silly catchphrases (EVOO. Ugh.), it was her recipe for Super Sloppy Joes that I decided to work off of, and I found my beer-battered french fried recipe on Man vs. Kitchen. I didn't change much with either recipe, except to mess about with seasonings a little bit, and the food turned out great. Meaty, falling-out-of-the-bun sloppy joes + crispy-fluffy French fries = good ol' fashioned American food that's perfect on a warm day. It was a great meal last night, and evidently (according to my dad, who was on his own for dinner tonight), the meal as leftovers was just as good.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 20 minutes for the meat, and up to an hour for the fries (they must be fried in small batches)
Difficulty: Easy (frying without a deep fryer can be tricky though—look for instructions on how to do this online)
Special Equipment: Deep fryer

Ingredients
For the french fries

• 5-7 small to medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into french fry sticks (it's okay if the fries are all slightly different sizes, as long as they're still fairly similar in width; keep peeled potatoes submerged in water to keep them from turning brown)
• Milk (enough to fill a pot until just above the cut potatoes)
• 2&1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1-3 tsp. ground red cayenne pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cold bottle of beer (I used Yuengling Lager; you can use your favorite beer, but I suggest not using any light beers or really cheap beers, like Natural Light and Budweiser)
• Vegetable oil for frying (canola oil or peanut oil would also be good)

For the sloppy joes

• 1&1/2 lb. ground beef sirloin (93% lean, or something very close to that, is best)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 medium onion, finely diced (I basically minced mine—bigger chunks of onion just don't taste good in sloppy joes and burgers, and they mess up the texture)
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• A small pinch of ground red cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• Olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of a pan)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Sandwich rolls
• Condiments of your choice, if desire (cheddar cheese slices, lettuce, sliced green bell peppers, sliced tomatoes, and sliced red onions are all good choices)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a slightly deep, large pan over medium heat. Crumble the ground beef a little bit and toss it into the pan. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, break up the meat and let it cook until it starts to lose its pink color. Add in the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and stir into the meat to combine, then cook until the meat is lightly browned. Add in the onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce and paste, cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer while you prepare the french fries (as long as the heat is low, the mixture can cook for quite some time—longer cooking lets the flavors really blend). 

Preheat the oil for frying (if using a deep fryer, the temperature should be at 375*F). Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature. Peel and cut the potatoes, rinse them thoroughly in cold water, submerge them in milk in a large pot, and put them in the fridge. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients for the french fry batter. Whisk the two eggs together in a small bowl, then stir into the dry mixture. Slowly pour the cold beer into the mixture, stirring the batter as you go. The finished batter will be very thick and slightly lumpy. Place a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (the battered fries will rest on this and drain a bit before getting thrown in the fryer) and layer paper towels on another cookie sheet. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pot. Dunk each fry into the batter, then place on the cooling rack (you probably won't be able to fit every fry on there, so just batter them in batches). Drop a large handful of fries into the frying oil (make sure the oil is 375*F), then quickly poke around at them to keep them from sticking. Fry for about 5-7 minutes (they may need a little longer) until golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside (I used tongs to lightly squeeze the fries to check for internal softness). Put the finished fries on the paper towel-covered cookie sheet to drain them/soak up some of the oil. After a minute or two, place the finished fries in an oven-safe dish and transfer to the oven to keep them warm. Repeat the frying and draining process and add finished fries to the dish in the oven. 

Serve the sloppy joe mixture on sandwich buns or rolls (great plain or with condiments) and serve the french fries alongside. Best eaten with a cold bottle of beer to drink on the side. :D

This is such a perfect casual dish for a warm, sunny day. The meaty, salty, tomato-y flavors of the sloppy joes pair perfectly with the slightly spicy, slightly salty, slightly beer-y fries, and the textures, soft and crunchy, are perfect together.

Recipe: Traditional Red Pizza Sauce

As I shared in my basic pizza dough recipe post, my mom wanted me to help make homemade pizza for a Super Bowl party she's hosting, and I worked off of a recipe from Food.com to create a delicious red sauce. This sauce has a TON of ingredients, which all blend together to create a rich, flavorful sauce perfect for pizza, or even as a pasta sauce. It's easy to pull together and the flavors deepen when you allow the sauce to simmer for a while. Now, because I had to make up a big batch (enough to cover at least four pizzas), and was editing the original recipe as I went along, the amounts listed here are measured for a larger amount and I have not done the math to edit it to work for a single pizza—I trust you can figure this out. This sauce freezes well, and can be stored for a few months, so you can easily make this recipe as is and freeze the excess for future pizzas or for other uses (pasta, dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks or fried eggplant, etc.; we still had left over after making about five or six pizzas).

Yields: Approx. 3.5 quarts
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-60 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Blender, food processor, or immersion/stick blender

Ingredients

• 6-8 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp. butter
• Approx. 2 cups onions, chopped (I used 4 small-to-medium onions)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Approx. 45 oz. tomato sauce (I used a 29 oz. can, and then added a 15 oz. can when I realized I needed more)
• 1, 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2, 6 oz. cans tomato paste
• 6-8 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3-4 tsp. dried basil
• 3-4 tsp. dried oregano
• 3-4 tsp. dried fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 3 whole bay leaves (remove these from sauce before pureeing)
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Approx. 1 tsp. black pepper
• Approx. 2 tsp. salt
• Approx. 2 tsp. sugar

Directions

In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and slightly transparent. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste and stir to combine (the paste is thick, so be sure you stir it vigorously to break it down in the sauce). Add in the remaining ingredients (the cheese, herbs, spices, sugar, and salt) and stir to combine. Briefly bring the sauce to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for 30-60 minutes (I cooked it for 30 minutes; the longer you cook it, the more the flavors can blend). Remove the bay leaves from the sauce. 

To blend: If using an immersion/stick blender (this is what I did, because it's the easiest and creates the least amount of dishes to wash), immerse the blender into the sauce in the pot and pulse to blend, stirring as you pulse, until the bigger chunks (onion, diced tomatoes, garlic) are broken up and blended into the sauce and the sauce is smooth. If using a blender or a food processor, pour as much as the sauce as possible (without overloading) into the holder on the unit and blend/pulse until smooth. Pour the smooth sauce into a clean bowl. Repeat this process with the remaining sauce until it's all blended and smooth. Sauce can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen for a few months. 

This sauce is a little sweet, a little spicy, a little tangy, and oh-so-good. Fennel and oregano are classic pizza sauce flavors, and the combination of the remaining flavorings is just right. Allowing the sauce to simmer for a while gives it a great depth of flavor, making it the perfect addition to any pizza, pasta, or other Italian-esque dish.

Recipe: Chunky Marinara Sauce

I had a few errands to run today, along with a test to study for, and some other little projects to work on, so I wanted to make something simple for dinner; preferably, something that was made entirely with ingredients already in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. A package of frozen veal and beef, leftover from my spaghetti and mozzarella-stuffed meatballs recipe, along with a bag of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley and plenty of cans of tomatoes helped me decide to make spaghetti and meatballs with a chunky marinara sauce. Now, the meatball recipe I've already shared (though, for tonight's dinner, I chose not to stuff them with mozzarella), but the marinara was just something quick and easy that I threw together in about 20 minutes. A lot of the ingredient amounts are really just approximations—the basic ingredients you need are onion, tomato, garlic, and herbs (particularly oregano), but the herbs should be measured to taste.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, or enough to lightly coat the bottom of a pan
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1, 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1, 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• Approx. 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Approx. 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Dried Italian seasoning and basil, to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant and slightly tender, but not burnt (about 5 minutes). Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, dried herbs and spices, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and let cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Stir occasionally to keep the sauce from burning or sticking to the sides. Once cooked through and flavorful, serve. 

*If you like a smooth marinara, put the warm sauce in a food processor or use a stick/immersion blender to blend to a smooth consistency. 

The crushed red pepper flakes in this sauce kick it up a notch, and the flavors of the onion and garlic add a little tang and bite to the sauce. Despite being from a can, the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce have a fresh taste that's brought out by the addition of herbs, salt, and pepper. This sauce is great over just about any kind of pasta, but it could also be used for a meatball sub or used as a dipping sauce for fried mozzarella or fried eggplant.

Recipe: Penne and Spicy Chorizo with Tomato Sauce

I spent my morning learning how to fillet round fish (much more difficult and time-consuming than filleting flat fish) and prepping ingredients for the "a la carte" classes (they run a small restaurant on campus), so I was pretty exhausted when I got home and had no intention of going out for groceries. I wanted to make something quick, simple, and delicious, which in my life usually means cooking up pasta and some mixture of ingredients in a saute pan. I had leftover chorizo (spicy Spanish-style sausage) in the freezer, waiting to be used up, and some good-looking tomatoes and onions, so I decided to toss penne pasta with a mixture of cooked chorizo, tomato, onion, and garlic in a lightly seasoned tomato sauce. The sauce is unthickened, which makes the dish feel a little lighter, and the spicy sausage and a splash of red wine in the sauce make the dish flavorful, with some subtle heat to wake up your tastebuds after a tiring day.

Serves: 4-6 
Prep. time: 10 minutes 
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes 
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) penne pasta (rigatoni or some other medium-to-large tubular pasta would work just as well)
• 3 links chorizo sausage, casings removed, crumbled/pulled apart into small pieces (most brands usually have 5-6 links per package; hot Italian sausage is a good substitute if you can't find chorizo)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced
• 1-2 onions, diced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil (or enough to lightly coat the bottom of a saute pan)
• 7.5-8 oz. tomato sauce (canned is fine—I used a plain, canned Hunt's tomato sauce; don't get a seasoned sauce)
• 3-5 tbsp. dry red wine, or to taste
• 4-6 tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonade (there's a good tutorial for this type of cut here)
• 4-6 tbsp. fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
• Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Italian cheese, if desired

Directions
Bring salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions (usually 9-12 minutes). In the meantime, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crumbled chorizo and cook until just cooked through (about 5-8 minutes). Add the tomato, onion, and garlic and cook until the onion pieces are slightly soft (about 5-7 minutes). Add the tomato sauce and red wine, along with a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and reduce to medium-low heat so that the mixture is slightly bubbling. Drain the cooked pasta and toss the chorizo and tomato sauce mixture with it. Toss in the freshly cut basil and parsley and stir to mix. Serve topped with Italian cheese and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, if desired.

This dish is quick and easy—perfect for weeknights! The chorizo is spicy, but not overwhelmingly hot, and the tomato sauce flavored lightly with dry red wine helps balance the heat. I highly recommend that you use fresh herbs rather than dry, because they are absolutely delicious in this dish—not only do they add color, but they add their natural bright and clean flavor, which helps lighten the dish and make the dish taste fresher. As I said in comments in the ingredient list, you can easily use hot Italian sausage instead of chorizo and try out different kinds of tubular pastas. You could even put this pasta mixture in an oven-safe dish, layer fresh mozzarella on top, and bake it to create a hearty, cheesy pasta dish that would be perfect with a side salad or a slice of crusty Italian bread.

Recipe: Italian Chicken Strips

While trying out new recipes is a ton of fun and making complex dishes is exciting, it's always good to have a few easy weeknight recipes in your back pocket, so on those nights (like tonight, in my case) when you don't have the time or the ingredients to make a fancy dish, you can still make something delicious. I love this chicken strip dish because you more than likely have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already, and you can cheat and use jarred tomato sauce or marinara if you don't have the time or supplies to make your own. I plate my version with pasta topped with the chicken strips and a splash of marinara. Another great way to serve the chicken strips is to plate them like chicken fingers, using the marinara in place of ketchup or your usual condiment of choice, and serve potato wedges seasoned with Italian herbs (essentially, a play on french fries) as a side. These chicken strips would even be good between two slices of crusty Italian bread, topped with marinara and melted provolone (like a variation on a meatball sub).

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 2-4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips (I used two to serve 3 people and we had some left over)
• 1/2 cup seasoned, dry bread crumbs (Italian seasoning)
• 2 tsp. dry basil
• 1 tsp. dry parsley
• 1 tsp. dry Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• Margarine or butter (at least 2 tbsp.)
• Tomato or marinara sauce of your choice (I use Bertolli brand)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200*F. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, basil, parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Whisk together with a fork until well blended. Put the beaten egg in a slightly smaller bowl. Dip the chicken strips into the egg, then dip them in the bowl with the crumb mixture, coating them completely. Set the strips aside on a plate to prepare for cooking. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and add a little butter. Cook the chicken strips in batches, being sure to flip them over in the pan so they get golden brown on eat side (add more butter to the pan as you go along). Put cooked chicken strips in an oven-safe dish and put them in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining strips. In a small microwaveable pot with a lid, add the desired amount of tomato or marinara sauce and heat in the microwave until hot, about 2-4 minutes. Once the last batch of chicken is cooked and added to the dish with the other chicken, remove from the oven and serve the strips with the warm sauce.

This dish is incredibly easy and quick to make, and you probably won't have to go grocery shopping to make it because the ingredients should be readily available in your kitchen. Whether served atop pasta, alongside herb-crusted potato wedges, or in another way, these flavorful Italian-style chicken strips are sure to please.

Recipe: Bruschetta Chicken and Pasta

This dish was inspired by a simple pasta dish I used to make for dinner during my junior and senior years of college. I'd saute a chopped tomato and chopped onion with a little olive oil and garlic, toss the mixture with some small pasta shells, and top the dish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. When I first made the dish I'm sharing here, I was picturing a chicken breast topped with an onion and tomato mixture, with the chicken acting like a slice of bread would in a bruschetta appetizer, but the end result ended up being so much better. With chicken, tomato sauce, and some good thick balsamic vinegar, that simple college meal that got me through many busy weeknights was elevated to a light, flavorful dinner that's perfect on a warm summer night.

Serves: 2-4
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: About 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. angel hair pasta
• 2 chicken breasts (pound the chicken so it is a little less than an inch thick; I serve half a chicken breast per person)
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (the thicker and darker, the better—we use Gia Russa brand balsamic glaze)
• Salt and pepper
• 7-8 oz. plain tomato sauce
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Parmesan cheese, to taste
• Basil, to taste

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (about 9 minutes), then drain the water. In the meantime, brush both sides of the chicken breasts with 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar (use more if need be) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet and add the chicken, cooking until golden brown and no longer pink inside. In another skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add the garlic, tomatoes, and onion, cooking until they are slightly soft. Add the tomato sauce and add 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar to the tomato and onion mixture, stirring to combine. Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce mixture and serve alongside chicken, topping the pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and fresh or dried basil. If you want to make it even more like the bruschetta appetizer that I envisioned when I first made it, toss cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese in with the pasta or top the chicken breasts with a slice of mozzarella and pop in the oven at 350* F until cheese is bubbling and slightly golden brown (about 5 to 10 minutes—be careful not to overcook the chicken).

This dish is so simple, but it has a complex flavor that makes it better than plain old spaghetti with marinara. The onion adds sweetness to the fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce and the balsamic vinegar adds a rich flavor. This meal is absolutely delicious and even better if you have freshly grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top—it really adds to the flavor of the sauce.