Spinach Tortellini Casserole

The tortellini kick continues...

This time in casserole form.

I use the variety of tortellini found in the refrigerated section near the deli at many grocery stores.  

I employed the tri-colored little gems in this recipe because I thought it looked pretty.

It would be oh-so-easy to double this recipe (to serve 8 people).  

Bechamel sauce is a fancy name for a simple white sauce.  Kind of like Alfredo sauce.  It's very easy to make.  Just be sure to use a whisk.

Add sauteed mushrooms and spinach.

And some Bechamel sauce.

Place it in a baking dish,

and top with buttered breadcrumbs.

Bake for about 30 minutes, and enjoy!


Spinach Tortellini Casserole
Serves 4 
1 (10 ounce) package cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons onion powder
1.25 cups sliced mushrooms (I used Baby Bella mushrooms)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 large handfuls fresh spinach

Breadcrumb Topping
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), or another variety of unseasoned breadcrumbs

Bechamel Sauce
2.5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Remove them from the water (with a slotted spoon) as soon as they float to the surface.  You'll be baking them later; if they cook too long now they really begin to fall apart.

In a medium skillet, melt 1/4 cup of butter.  Mix in the onion powder and the mushrooms.  Saute (over medium-high heat) until mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add in the fresh spinach and saute until it's wilted.  Season to taste with the pepper.  Remove skillet from heat and set aside. 

To prepare the Bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan.  When it's completely melted and bubbling, sprinkle in the flour.  Whisk slowly to fully mix the two ingredients together until smooth.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture becomes very light brown in color.  (You have to stir almost constantly to avoid having it burn.)  This will take 6-7 minutes.   While the butter/flour mixture is cooking, heat the milk in a separate saucepan until it's scalded (when it's steamy but just this side of boiling).  Add hot milk to the flour mixture slowly, whisking constantly.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened, whisking constantly.   Add salt, stir well, and remove from heat.  

In a large bowl, gently mix together the tortellini, spinach/mushroom mixture, and the Bechamel sauce.  Transfer mixture to a 8x8 baking dish that has been greased with baking spray or butter.

Combine the melted butter and the panko.  Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.  

Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more, until the breadcrumbs are browned. 

Bechamel Sauce recipe adapted from here.

Chicken and Spinach Casserole

Another inspiration from Martha.

But instead of using a larger casserole dish, I split the recipe between 4 six-ounce and 2 four-ounce ramekins.  Kids love to eat out of kid-sized serving dishes!

(But it will also work perfectly in a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.)

Probably to your highest level of annoyance, I love to photograph each step in the preparation process.  But I didn't get started on preparing this dish until late in the afternoon when the winter light was beginning to fade.  Therefore, please excuse the overabundance of photos of the finished product; I toted the tray out to the snowy deck to photograph it in the presence of Mr. Sniffer (who resides there in his warm and cozy hutch).  

Chicken and Spinach Casserole
Serves 4-6

2 cups torn bread (I used about 3 thick slices of a crusty French bread)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cups packed flat-leaf spinach, washed
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (I baked 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs and then sent them through the grater of my food processor for super-fine shred)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine bread with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt. Set aside. In a medium pot, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add spinach; season with salt. Cook, stirring, until wilted, 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander, let cool, then squeeze out water. Coarsely chop.

Wipe pot clean and heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over medium. Add onion, garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 8 minutes.

Add wine to pot and cook until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in half-and-half. Add lemon juice and bring mixture to a boil over high

Remove from heat and stir in chopped spinach and chicken; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish* and top with bread pieces. Bake until bread is golden brown and mixture is bubbling, 10 to 12 minutes.

*Or use the ramekins like I did. Reduce baking time to 8-10 minutes.

 Recipe from here.

Blue Chip Mexican Casserole

Last month I had a little outpatient procedure performed.  The doctor gave me all sorts of "chill out" medicine and I was quite the happy camper!  

One of my wise friends, however, realized that I was in no condition to prepare dinner for my family.  So she made this awesome casserole for us. My husband begged for calmly requested that I get the recipe.  Thanks, Stacy, for taking care of my family!

This is a super-simple supper item that will feed a hungry crowd.

You can make a large amount (9 x 13-inch baking dish) or make two 8 x 8 baking dishes and freeze one for later. 

You can also customize the spiciness by varying the "heat" of the salsa...mild to extra hot.

I used organic blue corn chips instead of the traditional type...because I heart them.

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Start with a Mexican flag of colors in your skillet:

onion, red bell pepper and 1/4 cup sliced green onions.  

Saute for 7-8 minutes.

After they've softened, kick out the "flag" veggies and 

brown some ground beef (or bison or turkey).

Add back in the vegetables,

two cups of salsa, and a drained can of black beans.

Stir in the cilantro. 

Mmmmmmm....ever tried these?

You'll need to crush almost the whole bag (about 3 cups worth).  

It's a fun thing to do.  Trust me.

Top with the beef/bean mixture which, 

by the way, would also be an awesome filling for burritos.

Spread with sour cream and then top with 

fresh tomatoes and the remaining green onions.

And of course cheese.  Lots and lots of cheese.

Bake until it's hot and bubbly.

Remember:  you can either make this casserole into a 9 x 13 inch crowd-server, or you can divide it into two 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dishes and freeze one for later.  

Here's the printable recipe.

Blue Chip Mexican Casserole
Serves 8-10

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 pound lean ground beef (substitute bison or turkey)
2 cups salsa (from mild to hot)
1/2 cup green onion (about 4 green onions), green part only, sliced (divided into 1/4 cup increments)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (about a handful of leaves)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained (substitute ranch-style pinto beans or chili beans)
3 cups blue corn tortilla chips, crushed (substitute regular corn chips, if desired)
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (substitute or make a mixture of Colby Jack or Pepper Jack)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the onions, red bell pepper, and 1/4 cup of the green onions.  Saute over medium-high heat until softened, about 7-8 minutes. 

Remove onion mixture to a small bowl and set aside.  Add ground beef to skillet and cook until fully browned.  Stir in the salsa, add back in the onion mixture, mix well, and allow to simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until liquid is fully absorbed.  Add beans and cilantro.  

Spray one 9 x 13 baking dish (or two 8 x 8 baking dishes) with cooking spray.  Spread crushed chips in baking dish(es).  Spoon beef mixture over chips.  Dollop the sour cream over the beef mixture and then spread the sour cream evenly across the top.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of green onions and the fresh tomato over the sour cream.  Top with Cheddar cheese.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Recipe adapted from here.

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Vegan Lasagna Rolls with Tofu "Ricotta"

In May I was contacted by Much and House Public Relations to see if I would participate in a blog tour for a new vegan cookbook by LA-based celebrity chef Ann Gentry.

(I just had a mini-nightmare about diagramming that sentence.)

Um.  Sure I will!

The firm sent a copy of Ann's cookbook, "Vegan Family Meals:  Real Food for Everyone".   A sucker for great recipes and gorgeous photography, I was instantly smitten.

A few weeks later I attended the IACP meeting in Austin.

A woman sat down next to me during the roundtable discussion on "Ethics in New Media."  

"I KNOW her," I thought as she began applying her hand creme.  "Where have I seen her before?"

*Ding, ding* said the connection-maker in my brain.  "That's the cookbook author!" 

I introduced myself.  She was very sweet and gracious as I prattled on about how I "knew" her.  Then, during our roundtable, she expressed genuine disgust as I shared my story with the group about how I found one of my (uncredited) photos in a magazine.

That made me like her even more. 

It's swell to have a human connection with a cookbook I'm reviewing.  And the next time I'm in LA, I'll definitely be making a bee-line to her restaurant, Real Food Daily, for a delicious meal.

Take heed:  if you have any desire to jump into the vegan world or if you are a non-vegan cooking for vegan friends or family members, you should buy this book.  It is brimming with helpful hints, definitions, and instructions.

Because, seriously.  Do you know what nama shoyu is?  Neither did I, until I learned about it on page 67.

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For the blog tour, I decided to prepare Ann's Lasagna Rolls. Instead of the layers of noodles, cheese, and tomato sauce that we are all used to, Ann mixes it up a bit by topping individual noodles with veggies and her vegan version of ricotta cheese.  Then she rolls each of the 12 noodles and tops them with a lovely homemade tomato sauce.    

In total, this recipe contains 14 cloves of garlic.  Since garlic has natural antibiotic properties, you can bet all 14 of them will be gearing up to fight off something --anything-- that might be secretly stalking your family.  

And I'll say two more things before I begin the recipe:  #1 - I did not get paid to review this cookbook.  While I did receive the book for free, if I thought it was something unworthy of a recommendation to my readers, I would have politely returned it.  And #2:  this recipe takes a while to make.  But if you are already living a vegan lifestyle, you are used to spending time in the kitchen making things "your way."  And even if you DON'T regularly eat vegan, I do encourage you to try this recipe.  It will open the culinary door to the super-healthy and incredibly delicious world of vegan food.

Let's get started with the sauteed veggie mixture:

Saute the onions, fresh basil, and garlic for about 10 minutes in olive oil. 

Then add the carrots, zucchini, and broccoli.  Saute for 12 additional minutes.

Now the real fun begins. 

I made a trip to the health food store.

And proudly made my first purchase of tahini and miso. 

When I opened the miso container, I was greeted with this fact.

After the junk I battled this spring,

you can bet I'll be eating miso soup often!

This is what we need to make the "ricotta" mixture.

Place the ingredients in a food processor,

and give it a whirl.

Holy Guacamole.  This is so good.

Grab the veggie mixture, which should be cooled by now,

and mix it with the "ricotta."

Cook your egg-free noodles according to package instructions.

I like to drape the noodles over the side of a colander for ease of use.

Spread the lucky first noodle with the ricotta/veggie mixture, 

leaving about a 1/2-inch on each end bare.

And roll it up.  

There is a beautiful demonstration of this process on page 168 of the book.  

Unlike mine, Ann's hands do not look like they have belonged to a scullery maid 

for approximately 150 years.

Grease a large baking dish and ladle in 1 cup of tomato sauce (recipe follows).

Add in the little noodle darlings as you roll them.

Top with remaining sauce and bake for about 55 minutes.

I had to hold myself back from added grated Parmesan at this point.

But I was rewarded for my constraint.

The absence of animal products was stellar.

Mmmmmm.....

To underscore the detectability of the recipe, 

Timothy did not even notice the pink plate.

 

You can purchase Ann's book here. 

To learn more about Ann and her vegan lifestyle, please visit her blog. 

Lasagna Rolls with Tofu Ricotta and Everyday Tomato Sauce

Serves 6 (Makes 12 rolls)

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (G's note:  that's 10-12 large leaves)

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 head broccoli, stems removed, and florets finely chopped

2 cups Tofu Ricotta Cheese (recipe follows)

12 eggless lasagna noodles

3 cups Everyday Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper.  Saute until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add the carrots, zucchini, and broccoli and saute until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 12 minutes.  Let cool completely.  

Mix the vegetable mixture into the tofu ricotta cheese.

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and rinse the noodles, then toss them with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.

Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil.  Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish.  Using a spatula, spread about 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture over each lasagna sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch of each end uncovered.  Roll up each sheet tightly and place it seam-side-down in the baking dish.  Pour the remaining 2 cups tomato sauce over the lasagna rolls.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil.  Bake until the sauce bubbles, about 55 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking for 15 minutes.  

Tofu Ricotta Cheese 

(Makes about 3 cups)

1 (14-ounce) container water-packed firm tofu, drained and cut into quarters

2/3 cup yellow miso

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

5 large garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

The "cheese" will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated.

Everyday Tomato Sauce

(Makes about 4 cups)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 shallots, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots, garlic, and salt and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds.  Stir in the tomatoes and the 1 cup water.  Bring to a gentle simmer, then decrease the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, to allow the flavors to blend.  Stir in the basil and oregano.  Remove from heat.

Chilaquiles

Okay, I'll admit it.

I still put chips in my sandwiches.

What can I say?  I love the crunchy-texture-salty-kick combination.

So, when I saw this recipe, a Mexican lasagna with tortilla chips standing proudly in place of lasagna noodles, I just knew.

I had to make it.

Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-la-KEE-les) is traditionally a Mexican breakfast fare.  

You can substitute the ingredients a myriad of ways.  Swap out the first eight components for your favorite salsa.  Or, "go green" and make a tomatillo sauce instead.   Use leftover chicken if you desire.  Or make it vegetarian and vegan by using black beans.

Versatility.  I like it.

Start out with these guys:  onion, garlic, bell pepper.

Saute them in olive oil for 5-6 minutes.

In a stock pot.  Did I mention that?  You're going to be making salsa here.  

 

 (Of course, you can also go easy on yourself and just buy the bottled version.) 

Puree diced tomatoes with oregano, pepper, and salt.

Add it to the onion/bell pepper mixture in the pot and bring to a boil.

Dice some cooked chicken.  About a pound.

Now the fun begins.  

In a 9 x 9" pan, layer half the chips, all of the chicken, 

half the salsa, 

and half the cheese.

Add another layer of chips, salsa, and cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until it's bubbly around the edges.

Garnish with sour cream and cilantro, if desired.  

Hola, mi amigo.  

 

Chilequiles
Serves 6-8

1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Approx. half a 14-ounce bag of tortilla chips (I used Blue Corn Chips)
1 pound cooked chicken, diced (optional)
2 cups grated Colby-Jack cheese (substitute Monterey-Jack or Chedder or Pepper Jack)
Sour cream
Cilantro

1.  In a stock pot, saute onion, green pepper, and garlic in olive oil until tender (about 6-7 minutes).  Add tomatoes, pepper, oregano, and salt to taste.  Bring to boil, turn down heat, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.

2.  In a 9 x 9" baking dish, layer half the chips, all of the chicken, half the onion/pepper/tomato sauce, and half the cheese.  Continue with the other half of chips, sauce, and finish with the cheese.

3.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, until bubbly around the edges.  Top each serving with sour cream and cilantro.

Side dish suggestions:  refried beans, green salad, and warm flour tortillas.

Slightly adapted from:  The Peach Tree Tea Room Cookbook

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