Baked Penne

A few years ago my friend Joann (shameless plug: she's the author of Laney: The Brookehaven Vampires) made this pasta dish for a 4th of July neighborhood street party. We had all congregated outside with tables and pop-ups and had even dragged the BBQ around the side of the house to the street. If I remember correctly, this dish came out after a lot of the barbecue food had been eaten; we were stuffed with hot dogs and chips and dips. Did I mention it was probably over 100 degrees? And the pasta is a baked dish? But that didn't stop me, oh no. I ate two bowls of pasta until I was ready to explode. And then promptly asked for the recipe.

This is a great dish for company, although I make it often for just the three of us. A 9x13 pan of pasta + only 3 people = LEFTOVERS! And you can't eat this Baked Penne just once. You crave it once you've eaten it. It taunts you from the refrigerator.

The ingredients might look like a curious combination for a baked pasta dish. Cottage cheese? Sour cream? It's a good thing I didn't see that list before I ate it or my picky self probably wouldn't have tried it. And boy, would I have been missing out! Something that will probably stand out to you in the ingredient list is the six cloves of garlic. Yes, six. You can smell it cooking from outside. But they make it taste just awesome. (Of course, if you're not a huge garlic fan you can reduce the number of cloves. But, my dad is one of those people who says he doesn't like garlic. He's eaten this pasta and never said a word. I'm just sayin'.)

It's the perfect dish: a handful of ingredients and you can put it together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Baked Penne

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Ingredients:

*I use low-fat ingredients when possible. Joann uses regular. Both taste great!*

1 box of whole-wheat penne pasta (usually they are about 13.25 oz up to 16 oz per box)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cottage cheese

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (I recommend you buy the block of cheese and shred it yourself instead of using pre-shredded. It melts better.)

6 cloves of garlic, pressed in a garlic press

1 jar of pasta sauce (Both Joann and I prefer Newman's Own Sockaroni, but you can use any flavor or even your own homemade. You need 13-16 ounces.)

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions less 1-2 minutes. Your pasta should be a little al dente because it will continue cooking in the oven.

3. While the pasta is cooking, mix the sour cream, cottage cheese, garlic, sauce, and about 3 cups of mozzarella in a large bowl.

4. When pasta is done cooking, drain well. Add to sauce mixture and stir to combine. Pour into your baking dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes and let stand for 10-15 minutes before eating.

You can make the dish ahead of time and store, covered, in the refrigerator overnight. Let it come to room temperature before baking, otherwise it will take longer to cook.

Source: my friend, Joann

Printed from Crazy for Crust

Super Bowl Snacks II (Green Bay Grilled Cheese)

In honor of all things fair and equal, I figured I should come up with a Super Bowl snack for Green Bay.  The first thing that came to mind was, of course, those cheese-head hats they wear. Google "food traditions" and "Green Bay" and you quickly discover they like a few things a lot in Wisconsin: beer, brats, and cheese. I immediately thought of a grilled cheese sandwich. They're easy, delicious, versatile, and they make great party food.

Now, my daughter would prefer just cheese and bread, but I wanted to mix it up a little. While making sausages with peppers and onions for dinner the other night it popped into my head: grilled cheese with peppers and onions. Salty from the cheese, sweet from the peppers and onions. I also decided to add pesto as the sauce for the bread. I love using pesto on sandwiches. And, of course, the star of the show: sharp cheddar cheese.

This would make a great meal (we had it for dinner) or a great finger food for a party. And the great thing about grilled cheese sandwiches is you can make them however you want. These are a great vegetarian addition to a carnivore-laden Super Bowl party spread. Don't like peppers? That's okay, leave them out (plain grilled onions would be awesome too). Use sun-dried tomato pesto instead of regular. Add sliced turkey (obviously no longer vegetarian, but hey, you could make two kinds). Or, in honor of Green Bay, add sliced grilled brats (that were soaked in a beer bath, of course). I'm getting a vision for my next party: a grilled cheese bar. So many possibilities!

Go Packers!

Green Bay Grilled Cheese

Wisconsin is known for its cheese – and the Green Bay Packers are known for their cheese-heads. Make this gussied up classic to celebrate Green Bay in the Superbowl.

Printer-Friendly Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 red peppers, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon Pepper

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (low-fat is fine)

1 tablespoon pesto (or thereabouts, if you like more, use more; if you like less, use less)

10-12 slices really good sliced sourdough, depending on size (or your favorite bread)

Butter, for coating sandwiches

1.       Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add peppers and onion and cook about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Remove cover, reduce heat to low and let liquid evaporate and veggies brown.  Remove from heat. (This step can be done the day ahead. Refrigerate peppers and onions until ready to use.)

2.       Preheat griddle or frying pan. Slice cheese and set aside. Spread each slice of bread with a thin coat of pesto. Assemble sandwiches with cheese and peppers. Spread tops of sandwiches with butter. Place butter side down on griddle. Cook until golden. Repeat on remaining side.

You can also do this in a panini maker or sandwich press. Just butter both sides and press until they are golden brown.

3.       Cool slightly, slice before serving. This will make 4-6 good sized sandwiches, or you can slice them thin and serve as an appetizer.

Yield: 4-6 large sandwiches or about 12 small finger sandwiches, depending on bread size.

Recipe by Dorothy @ CrazyforCrust