Italian Sausage Casserole

As I thought about what I should make for dinner on Valentine's Day this year, I realized that my blog would be celebrating it's 1 year anniversary!  My first posts were about the meals I made a year ago on Valentines Day.  One of the easiest ways to make a Valentine's themed main dish is to make a pasta dish with a red sauce, making sure the sauce shines through a heart-shaped hole in the mozzarella cheese.

This year I decided to try a new recipe from my February/March 2013 issue of Simple and Delicious.  My guys are always up for any dish that has pepperoni and pasta.  This dish got all 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

To begin, I began cooking the penne according to the package directions and preheated my oven to 350ºF.  Then, in a Dutch oven I combined the Italian sausage, chopped onions and bell peppers, and sliced mushrooms.  I cooked this mixture over medium heat until the sausage was browned and the vegetables were tender, breaking up the sausage as it cooked.  I then drained off the fat.

I added the pepperoni and continued to cook on medium until the pepperoni was heated through.

Then, I added the spaghetti sauce mix, stirring to thoroughly combine.

To that, I added the tomato paste, making sure it was fully incorporated.

Next, I added the water, garlic salt and olive oil, again, stirring to combine.  In the future, I would add the garlic salt at the same time as the spaghetti mix.  It just makes sense to me to add all the dry ingredients at the same time and by adding it directly to the meat, the heat of the pan will sear them to the meat.

Finally, once the penne was fully cooked, I drained it and added it to the sauce.  I mixed it until all of the pasta was covered in the sauce.

I then transferred the mixture to my baking dishes.  In this case, I was feeding my oldest son before he left for class, so I used one small casserole dish for him and a larger one for the rest of the family.  Pictured here is the small one I put together for him.  The entire recipe should fit in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  I placed a metal (important that it's metal as it will go into the oven!) heart-shaped cookie cutter in the center of the casserole.

Next, I added the shredded mozzarella cheese, making sure it touched the outside of the cookie cutter.  This ensures a perfectly shaped heart once the cookie cutter is removed.

Of course, in my larger casserole dish I had to use a larger cookie cutter.

I put the casserole in the oven and baked it at 350ºF for 25 minutes.  When I removed it from the oven, I took a sharp paring knife and cut around the outside of the cookie cutter and, using a paper towel to protect my fingers from the heat, I removed the cookie cutter.  I paired this dish with a Savory Biscuit Bubble Bread (see post below) that I baked in a heart-shaped pan.  It's just a simple way to show my family that I love them on Valentine's Day!  Enjoy!

Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

1 (14.5 oz) package uncooked penne

1 pkg. (1 lb.) Italian sausage

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pkg. (3 ½ oz.) sliced pepperoni

3 ½ cups water

2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste

2 envelopes thick and zesty spaghetti sauce mix

¼ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon garlic salt

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded part-skin mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Cook penne according to package directions.  Meanwhile, cook the sausage, mushrooms, pepper and onion in a Dutch oven over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender; drain.  Add pepperoni and cook until heated through.  Stir in water, tomato paste, spaghetti sauce mix, oil and garlic salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4 – 5 minutes or until heated through.  Drain pasta; sir into sausage mixture.  Transfer to a greased 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake uncovered, at 350ºF for 25 – 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Savory Biscuit Bubble Bread (Heart Shaped)

Every year on Valentine's Day I like to make a meal that incorporates hearts in some way.  This year, I made a Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Pasta (posted above) with a heart-shaped cut out in the middle of the dish to let the red pasta sauce show through the melted mozzarella cheese on top.  Of course, that wasn't enough for me, so I decided to try this new bread recipe to accompany the casserole and baked it in a heart-shaped springform pan and served it on a heart-shaped plate.  

This bread is pretty simple to assemble and a tasty addition to any meal.  I found the recipe in one of the Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe books, which are sold near the check-out register at the market.  The Bake-Off books are filled with the best recipes from that event, which is held once a year.  This recipe got all 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I began by preheating my oven to 350ºF.   Then I generously greased my heart-shaped springform pan.  The recipe calls for a 12-cup fluted tube pan, so any bundt pan would work well.  Then, in a large bowl, I combined the Parmesan cheese, green bell pepper, and bacon, which I had prepared previously.  If you don't have regular bacon on hand, or don't have time to cook it for this recipe, you can use the precooked bacon, chopping it before adding it to the bowl.  The recipe also calls for some chopped onion, but I didn't have any that day and didn't have time to make a trip to the market.

I then opened the cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into 6 wedges, then added them to the bowl.  I tossed all of the ingredients until all of the pieces of biscuit were coated.

Next, I put the biscuits into my greased pan, making sure they came close to the edge, but leaving a little room because I knew they would rise.  Then I drizzled the melted butter over the top (sorry, no picture).  By the way, I learned a lesson when making this bread in a springform pan.  I should have only greased the bottom of the pan, because as the bread baked, the butter melted and ran through the seam at the edge of the pan and got all over the bottom of my oven.  What a mess!   If I had used a bundt pan, I wouldn't have had any trouble, but I don't own a heart-shaped one so I opted for the springform pan!  I placed it in the oven and baked it at 350ºF for 30 minutes.

Once out of the oven, I removed the side of the pan and inverted it onto my heart-shaped plate.  Believe me, it smelled even better than it looked!  Enjoy!

Savory Biscuit Bubble Bread

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (or precooked bacon, chopped)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 (12 oz.) can Pillsbury biscuits

½ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Generously grease 12-cup fluted tube pan.  In large bowl, combine bacon, Parmesan cheese, bell pepper and onion; mix well.  Separate dough into biscuits.  Cut each biscuit into 6 wedges; place in bowl with bacon-cheese mixture.  Toss to mix.  Arrange mixture in greased pan.  Drizzle with melted butter.  Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately invert onto serving plate; remove pan.  Serve warm.

Heart-Shaped Mexican Pizza

We typically don't go out to dinner on Valentine's Day, as the restaurants are usually crowded so the wait is long.  Each year I try to make something where I can cut something into a heart or decorate the meal with hearts.  This year, I found a recipe on Pinterest for a Mexican Pizza.  It originated at allrecipes.com and was called Jimmy's Mexican Pizza.  I doubled the recipe to have enough for my family.  The recipe is printed below.

The recipe calls for 10-inch (medium - soft taco) tortillas.  I turned a heart-shaped plate upside-down on top of each tortilla and used a sharp knife to cut them into hearts.  Two tortillas are needed for each pizza.  Instead of using a pie plate for each one, I put them on a foil-lined baking sheet.  I used the Reynolds Non-stick Aluminum Foil.

While I had the ground beef, onions, garlic, and spices cooking in a large saucepan on the stove, I spread each tortilla with the refried beans.

When the meat mixture was ready, I applied a layer on top of the beans.

Next I put another tortilla on top of that and put the baking sheet in the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  While that was in the oven, I cut my tomatoes and green onions.

Once out of the oven, I added a layer of salsa.  Our salsa of choice is Chachi's Salsa Pico de Gallo (medium heat).  

The recipe calls for Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, but I opted for the pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend.  This was added on top of the salsa.

Next I put on the chopped tomatoes and green onions.  Back into the oven for another 5 minutes to melt the cheeses.

I served each one on a cute heart-shaped plate.  Believe me, they tasted as good as they looked.  Although I usually follow a recipe exactly the first time I try it, I did omit the diced jalapeno (we got enough heat from the salsa) and I may have used more cheese, tomato and green onion than the recipe called for, because I know my family's tastes.  This is definitely something I would make again, although I probably won't always take the time to make it heart-shaped. Enjoy!

Mexican Pizza

Ingredients

·       1/2 pound ground beef

·       1 medium onion, diced

·       1 clove garlic, minced

·       1 tablespoon chili powder

·       1 teaspoon ground cumin

·       1/2 teaspoon paprika

·       1/2 teaspoon black pepper

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

·       4 (10 inch) flour tortillas

·       1/2 cup salsa

·       1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

·       1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

·       2 green onions, chopped

·       2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced

·       1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers

·       1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).   Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray.

2.     Place beef, onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat.   Cook until beef is evenly browned.   Drain off grease.  Season the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.

3.     Lay one tortilla in each pie plate, and cover with a layer of refried beans.   Spread half of the seasoned ground beef over each one, and then cover with a second tortilla.   Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

4.     Remove the plates from the oven, and let cool slightly.   Spread half of the salsa over each top tortilla.   Cover each pizza with half of the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.   Place half of the tomatoes, half of the green onions, and half of the jalapeno slices onto each one.

5.     Return the pizzas to the oven, and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.   Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before slicing each one into 4 pieces.