Italian Dishes

Spaghetti Bake

1 ½ lb. diet lean ground beef
1 onion
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 lg. can cut up tomatoes (25 oz.)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
1 can/bottled sliced mushrooms (4 oz.)
1 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. seasoning salt
1-2 tsp. oregano
8 oz. spaghetti, broken & cooked
2 C. grated mozzarella cheese
About ¼ C Parmesan cheese

Brown meat. Drain off any fat. Sauté garlic & onion with meat. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, sugar, seasoning salt, & oregano. Simmer about 15 min.

Meanwhile, break spaghetti into a large pan of salted, boiling water & cook until tender. Drain. Combine with the meat mixture . Place half in a 9x13 baking dish. Layer mozzarella on top. Then repeat the rest of the meat mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Bake, covered with foil @ 350 for 30-45 min or until hot & bubbly. (can make ahead of time & refrigerate. This usually takes longer to heat up in oven.)

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Chicken Parmesan

6 chicken boneless skinless breasts
½ C bread crumbs
½ C Parmesan cheese
1 egg beaten
¼-1/3 C olive oil

Combine bread crumbs & Parmesan cheese. Dip chicken in egg then crumbs. Brown in oil
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tsp oregano

Combine spaghetti sauce, garlic, oregano. Pour into bottom of baking dish. Place chicken on sauce. Bake covered @ 350 for 40 min.
Top each piece of chicken with slice of mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered 5-10 min more.

Serve over cooked spaghetti pasta. Sprinkle with 2 T parsley.

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Pasta with Asparagus

½ Lb Pasta cooked and drained
4 Garlic cloves, Minced
¼ C Olive Oil
1 Lb fresh asparagus, cut into 1 ½ '' pieces
1 tsp salt
¼ c shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta, meanwhile in a skillet cook minced garlic in butter oil for 2-3 min. Add asparagus & salt. sauté until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 8-10 min. Put pasta on a large bowl. Pour asparagus over hot pasta. Top with shredded cheese and serve.
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Pizza Rolls

Mix Together & microwave 1 Min:
1 C Scalded Milk
2 T Margarine Melted
2 T Sugar
¾ tsp Salt
3-3 ½ C Flour
1 T Yeast
Add Sugar to milk and Margarine. Dissolve yeast in ½ C warm water. 1 C flour- Mix till smooth. Add yeast - flour (knead)
Roll out like pie, cover with spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce. (light) Put on toppings. Roll like Cinnamon rolls & slice, then put into 9x13 pan.
Bake 350- 20 -30 min
Last 10 min put sauce & cheese on top.
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Olive Garden Fettuccine

1 pt cream
1 cube butter
2 T cream cheese
½-¾ C Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
Fettuccine

Cook pasta. Meanwhile combine other ingredients cook until thick & smooth.

Lasagna

½ Lb lasagna noodles (9 noodles)

1 ½ pounds ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp pepper

1 (1 pound, 12 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (3 oz) package spaghetti sauce mix

1 T sugar

2 C ricotta or cottage cheese

2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package. Pour off water. Place each noodle carefully on waxed paper to prevent sticking together. Brown ground beef. Add minced garlic & pepper to ground beef. Cook & stir for about 2 min. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, & spaghetti sauce. Simmer about 15 min Remove from heat. Set aside 1 cup meat sauce & ½ cup grated cheese for later.

Grease 9x13 pan. Layer 1 cup meat sauce mixture on bottom of pan. Layer 3 noodles over meat sauce mixture to cover. Layer ½ cup cottage cheese, followed by ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese, over that. Repeat layers a total of 3 times, ending with the reserved 1 cup meat sauce & ½ cup reserved grated mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 350 for 30 min. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 min before serving. Makes 10-12 servings.

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Artichoke Dip

1 (16oz) can (not marinated) artichokes
1 small can diced green chilies
1 C non fat mayonnaise
1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not from a can)
1 C spinach optional
Drain & cut up artichokes. Stir all ingredients together. Bake @ 325 for 25-30 min, or microwave until hot. Serve with Fritos chips or bread.
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Other Italian Dish Ideas

- Pasta & Meat Balls

- Manicotti

- Spaghetti

- Chicken Caesar salad and Breadsticks

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