Italian Cheese Noodle Casserole

Yield
8 servings (1 square each)

Ingredients
PAM Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
12 ounces dry wide egg noodles, uncooked
1/2 pound ground sirloin beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (29 oz each) Hunt's Tomato Puree
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 cups cottage cheese
3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (3 cups = 12 oz)

Preparation
Hands On: 15 minutes
Total: 55 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Cook noodles according to package directions.

2. Cook beef and onions in large skillet over medium-high heat until crumbled and no longer pink, about 5 minutes, while the noodles are cooking. Stir in puree, basil, garlic powder and oregano. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain noodles. Layer 1/2 each in prepared baking dish: meat sauce, cooked noodles, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering.

3. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to rest 5 minutes before cutting into 8 squares to serve.

Italian cooking@home
by cooking mania

Italian style Shrimp with Spaghetti

Yield
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
8 ounces dried spaghetti
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 3 oz.)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound (40 to 50 per lb.) frozen shelled deveined shrimp, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Shredded romano or parmesan cheese

Preparation
1. In a 4- to 5-quart pan over high heat, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender to bite, about 10 minutes. Drain and return to pan.

2. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat, stir shallots and garlic in olive oil until shallots are limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, wine, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

3. Rinse and drain shrimp; add to sauce. Stir often just until opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Stir sauce into cooked pasta. Divide mixture equally among four bowls. Sprinkle with parsley; add salt, pepper, and cheese to taste.

Nutritional Information
Calories:447 (11% from fat)
Protein:33g
Fat:5.5g (sat 0.9)
Carbohydrate:59g
Fiber:4.3g
Sodium:675mg
Cholesterol:173mg

Italian cooking@home
by cooking mania

Introduction

Italian cuisine can differ greatly from region to region. Often people not totally familiar with the range of foods in Italy assume everything is spaghetti and pizza when that is not the case. Italy is well known for its wines, risotto (rice dishes), cured hams, pasta, cheeses, breads, and numerous other culinary delights.

Here you can learn how to cook Italian food at home by yourself from many popular Italian recipes. Let's do it and enjoy the great foods now!

Italian cooking@home
by cooking mania