Family Lasagna

If you've made our Sunday gravy and traditional Italian meatballs, then roll up your sleeves, because you are ready to tackle old-fashioned, Old World lasagna.

Fear not — if you mastered the tomato sauce and meatballs, you're practically Italian already!

I call this "family lasagna" for two reasons: It's more than enough to feed a crowd of relatives (or friends) and you can put everyone to work helping you make it. The process might seem a bit much, but I remember having lots of fun as a kid, sitting around the kitchen table with my parents, my siblings and sometimes my grandparents, chopping meatballs and sausage and mixing up the ricotta cheese filling before building the lasagna.

Yes, there are many short cuts, like using no-boil lasagna noodles or cooking ground beef with some Italian seasonings instead of making meatballs. But trust me. I've made lasagna the quick way numerous times. The final result just can't compare to the real thing.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Family Meat Lasagna

20 wavy lasagna noodles (usually 1 and 1/2 boxes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 (15 ounce) containers of ricotta cheese
5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
6 cups or more of homemade tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked meatballs, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked Italian sausage links, chopped (mild, sweet or hot)

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, adding 1 tablespoon olive oil to water to prevent sticking. After draining noodles, place them on parchment paper.

While lasagna noodles are cooking, mix together ricotta, parmesan cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.

Set up a lasagna prep station, with all ingredients in easy reach.

Cover bottom of a deep 13 x 9 inch casserole dish with 1 cup tomato sauce. Layer 5 lasagna noodles on top, slightly overlapping them.

Top noodles with 1 cup ricotta mixture, 1/2 cup chopped meatballs and 1/2 cup chopped sausage. Top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella and 1 scant cup tomato sauce.

Layer another 5 noodles on top of first meat and cheese layer. Repeat the cheese, meat, mozzarella and tomato sauce layering two more times. Top final noodle layer with tomato sauce, ensuring that corners are covered with sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese on top.

Cover lasagna with foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 15 minutes more. Lasagna is done when it is bubbly.

Depending on your oven, it can take as long as 90 minutes to cook. You can also bump up the temperature to 400 degrees — just check the lasagna more frequently.

Remove from oven and let lasagna sit for about 15 minutes. Then slice and serve.

**Note on make-ahead preparation: You can prepare the lasagna the night before. Just refrigerate and bake within 24 hours.

**Note on freezing lasagna: If you plan to freeze an entire lasagna, it's best to freeze before cooking. Thaw, then cook as directed above.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Lately, I've been loving making chicken noodle soup. And it is super easy now that I also am in love with my pressure cooker. Here's what I do: make my roasted chicken and then throw all the little leftover pieces of meat into the pressure cooker. In a matter of minutes, I have the next day's lunch or dinner in hand.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: Sometimes when I am feeling extra thrifty, I make this soup with homemade broth.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Cut up cooked chicken, about 1-2 cups

3 large carrots, peeled and diced ½” inch thick
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked noodles

32 oz. chicken broth
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the cooked chicken, veggies, thyme, noodles and broth to the pressure cooker. Cover and cook on high pressure for six minutes.

Note about the chicken: Again, you can use all white or all dark meat or any combo. You can usually find enough meat from the “scraps” of a homemade roasted chicken or a store-bought rotisserie bird.

When time is up on the pressure cooker, do a quick release and remove the lid when it is safe to do so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon

Spring is here, and the weather in Charlotte has been gorgeous. With the temperature rising, I haven't been in the mood to roast my vegetables. This may come as a shock to those of you who've been reading this blog for a long time and know how much I adore roasted veggies. From asparagus to radicchio, I have roasted it.

But now my taste buds are craving something lighter and fresher. So I set out to find a way to cook green beans that was as simple and delicious as roasting.

Well, you guys, I think I found my new warm weather go-to: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon
Serves: 4

1 tablespoon butter
1 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
Salt

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add green beans and cook until they get brown spots, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water and cover skillet. Allow beans to cook until they're bright green and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Uncover skillet and continue to cook until beans are crisp-tender and liquid has evaporated, another minute or two. Turn off the heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon pepper, and salt to taste.

Popcorn Marshmallow Bars

Lately it seems my boys never stop eating.

They are hungriest right after school. I've been struggling to find semi-healthy snacks they want to eat — that also make them feel full.

They love rice krispie treats these days, so I started thinking about ways to bulk up the current snack du jour. If you can mix cereal with melted marshmallows, why not popcorn?

The salty-sweet results are pretty delicious. Drizzle a little chocolate on top and the kids will think it's extra-special. In fact, my 9-year-old asked for some in his lunch box and told me, "Mom, if you make these every week, you'll never have to buy snacks again!"

Score one for Mom.

Mangia! Mangia!

Andrea

Popcorn Marshmallow Bars

20 ounces mini marshmallows

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

20 cups air-popped popcorn 

1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

**A note on the popcorn. If you don't want to pop your own corn, grab a bag of air popped popcorn at the grocery store. If it's lightly salted, omit the kosher salt.

Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with enough parchment paper so that paper hangs over edges of pan. Lightly coat parchment with cooking spray.

In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine marshmallows, butter and salt. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth.

Remove from heat. Stir in popcorn and combine until all of the popcorn is coated in marshmallow mixture. (Depending on the size of your pot, it may be easier to mix popcorn and melted marshmallow in a giant bowl.)

Transfer popcorn mixture to pan. Press down using spatula or parchment paper coated in cooking spray.

Microwave chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir. Repeat as needed until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Drizzle over popcorn in pan. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens, between 10 and 20 minutes.

Remove pan from refrigerator. Holding edges of parchment paper, lift popcorn mixture from pan and place on cutting board. Cut into bars. 

DIY Taco Seasoning

There's no better day for a taco than Cinco de Mayo!

At my house, we need no excuses to eat tacos for dinner. My DIY taco seasoning is quick to prepare and my kids have fun experimenting with all kinds of ways to top the meat in their taco shells.

One day, after promising tacos for dinner, I went to pull the fixings from the taco shelf in my pantry (yes, I do devote an entire shelf to this cuisine) and found no seasoning packets. So I went looking for fixes in the spice cabinet. After lots of experimenting, I've settled on this make-your-own concoction.

We think it tastes way better than the pre-mixed envelopes of spices. Bonus: No additives.

Of course I've used this seasoning on ground beef, turkey and chicken and diced leftover roasted chicken and turkey. Works every time!

Ole!
Andrea

DIY Taco Seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (red) pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl. This recipe makes enough for a few taco dinners, so store what you don't use in an airtight container.

Stir 2 tablespoons of DIY taco seasoning into 1 pound of cooked and drained meat, along with 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water. (Note: If you want to avoid the cornstarch, just leave it out and reduce the water.)

Heat through over medium heat.

Now you're ready to dish up some tasty soft or hard tacos along with your favorite toppings. Enjoy your fiesta!

Tomato-Avocado Quinoa Salad

When Erin introduced Andrea and me as the new "bringers of hot dinner," she mentioned that I like to experiment with vegan cuisine. True. One of my favorite new cookbooks is Angela Liddon's The Oh She Glows Cookbook.

But sometimes I don't like how much work goes into cooking vegan. That's why I like this easy, yummy tomato-avocado quinoa salad and why it is a weekly must-make, must-eat Chez George. My husband, younger daughter and I love to have this for lunch or dinner. (Let that sink in. My husband and six year-old eat quinoa!) It's an easy lunch to pack for work. And it's healthy and filling as quinoa is an ancient grain and complete protein. It's also gluten free.

You'll find other quinoa recipes here at Hot Dinner Happy Home. There's Greek Quinoa Salad. There's Warm Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Mushrooms. There's Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans. Check out our vegetarian section for more.

XOXO,
Amy

Tomato-Avocado Quinoa Salad
Quinoa
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado
Cracked pepper
Salt
Olive oil

Cook quinoa according to the package directions. We always cook a full bag at a time, because between Jeff, Penny and I it doesn't take long to eat it up.

Slice cherry tomatoes in half

Cut up avocado.

Depending on how hungry you are, put a cup or two of quinoa into a bowl. The quinoa can be warm, room temp or cold. Jeff prefers it cold. I like it all ways. Top with tomatoes, avocado, cracked pepper, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Eat and feel awesome about the healthy choice you made to fuel your body.

Fan Friday

We love it when you guys make our recipes. And we really love it when you tell us what you think after you've made them!

Today, in honor of you—the fabulous fans of Hot Dinner Happy Home—and your stellar culinary skills. we're sharing pictures and comments from HDHH readers. These are their favorite recipes, but what about you? What's your favorite Hot Dinner recipe? Share your kitchen creations with us, and we might feature them on the next fan Friday! Find us on Facebook, email us at hotdinnerhappyhome@gmail.com, tweet us (Amy, Andrea, Erin), or give us a shout-out on Instagram.

xoxo,
The Ladies

Mo made Shepherd's Pie II.

As you can see in her picture, she whipped up four shepherd's pies at once. Impressive! We asked her about bulk cooking, and here's what she shared, "I made four pies in the picture and froze at least 3. I cover in foil then put in a plastic produce bag with twistie. Then when I want to serve I put in the oven at 400 degrees for about 2 hours, or thaw for most of the day and then put in the oven til hot and bubbly. Still delicious! I can't get enough of it!" (Mo, we're impressed by your planning ahead. And by your recycling of plastic produce bags! Great idea.)

Dave made Turkey, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili.

Here's what he had to say, "This was a really, really good chili recipe and I have made dozens of versions before. When I posted this on Facebook, one of my friends, who lives in Oregon, dissed it as impossible to be chili because it has sweet potatoes and other non-traditional ingredients. But I totally disagree, a really interesting recipe. Of course, I messed with it since I used both black beans and kidney beans, and doubled up on the tomatoes and some of the spices." (Dave, we're glad you made this dish your own. And thanks for defending this non-traditional chili!)

Cindy made Carmelitas.

She also baked Brown Sugar Oatmeal Coffee Cake.

She says, "The carmelitas turned out perfect. One of the best recipes I've found for these addicting bars. The oatmeal coffee cake was a big hit with my family and friends. The oatmeal, brown sugar and not too sweet outcome made it delightful. This blog and variety of recipes is fantastic. The blog is so pleasing to the eye and stomach and the recipes I've tried make my family smile." (Thanks, Cindy! You're making us blush.)