Sausage and Pepper Lasagna

I love sausage AND peppers so to me this recipe is a dream. I think I will make it for dinner tomorrow. Perhaps I will edit this post and include a picture of its deliciousness.

Sausage and Pepper Lasagna

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium-size sweet green pepper, cored, seeded and diced

1 small onion, diced

cloves garlic, sliced

5 links sweet Italian sausage (about 1 1/3 pounds), casings removed

1 can (28-oz.) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes in puree

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. Sugar

2 ¼ tsp. Dried Italian seasoning

1 container (15-oz.) ricotta cheese

1 large egg

Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp. Ground black pepper

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups (8-oz.) shredded mozzarella

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 13x9x2 – inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, then green pepper, onion and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink, 5 minutes, breaking apart with a spoon. Add crushed tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and 2 tsp. of the Italian seasoning. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes.

3. In a medium-size bowl, blend together ricotta and egg. Stir in remaining ¼ tsp Italian seasoning, 2 Tbsp of the grated Parmesan cheese and the black pepper.

4. Begin layering: Place 1 cup sauce on bottom of prepared dish. Top with 3 noodles (do not overlap). Top with ¾ cup of the ricotta and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Ladle on 1 cup of the sauce, then 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce. Top sauce with 3 more noodles, then top with remaining ricotta. Spread with 1 cup sauce, then final 3 noodles, then top with remaining sauce, remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 2 Tbsp Parmesan.

5. Cover dish with nonstick foil; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover dish; bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes until top is browned. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Soy Smoothies

So, this isn't a dinner recipe, but I don't have to cook tonight, because we're going to Cleadus' 30th birthday party and we're eating BBQ! I love not having to cook. Happy Birthday Cleadus! Anyway, for lunch today, Will and I had Soy Smoothies. They are easy to make, and super nutritious. Will calls them 'milkshakes,' and I don't correct him because he thinks he's eating a special treat.

-Frozen Fruit (An all berry mix is good, but I prefer a mix that also includes other fruit. An all berry mix isn't usually sweet enough. )
-Ripe banana, or pear
-Vanilla soy milk

Blend together to the consistency desired. If you like thicker shakes, more fruit and less milk. Thinner shakes, more milk, less fruit. You get the picture.

Summer Garden Pasta

I made this pasta recently after picking up some fresh basil from the farmers market. It tasted like summer. I even got Will to eat it, which can be tricky. It's a recipe from Ina Garten's 'at home' cookbook.

4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large basil leaves, julienned
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb dried angel hair pasta
1 & 1/2 C grated Parmesan

Combine tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper, salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temp for 4 hours. When ready to eat, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and add to the bowl with tomatoes. Toss well, adding extra basil and Parmesan.

*Just a note, if you want kids to eat this, go easy on the garlic and red pepper. I didn't and Will complained that the garlic made his tongue hot. It was a little garlicky!

*One more thing- I added cubed fresh mozzarella instead of Parmesan cheese. I also added toasted pine nuts. It's yummy, but kind of expensive, so definitely a "once in awhile" variation.