Cavolfiore Variation of Italian Tomato Sauce

So far, Lasagne has been my favorite Moosewood recipe. I make it often and it is always a hit! I love the Italian Tomato Sauce recipe and thought this time around I would try the Cavolfiore Variation. This simply means I added cauliflower to the sauce!

I seriously love this sauce. It is fun to make and makes the whole house smell so lovely. I cheated a little and added some other veggies to the sauce: mushrooms, spinach, and zucchini.

Marinara Variation of Italian Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

I made the Moosewood Marinara Variation of Italian Tomato Sauce for a delicious spaghetti casserole dinner. This casserole dish has been in my family forever. I learned to make it from watching my mom make it and I don't even use a recipe! I eyeball everything.  My attempt to write the recipe out at the end of this entry comes with a caution: the measurements are very adjustable!

For the marinara sauce, I made the basic Italian Tomato Sauce and added fresh vegetables. The recipe called for celery, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, and fresh basil. Unfortunately, I did not have the first three ingredients, so I used zucchini, fresh basil, and minced broccoli. The minced broccoli was awesome! It had a texture similar to ground beef and made the sauce very hearty.

Spaghetti Casserole
This is an extremely delicious recipe! As a child, I often requested it for my special birthday dinner.  I make it in a 13"x9" glass pan. It tastes great right out of the oven and reheats beautifully.  The ingredients lists are broken up into layers.

Pasta Layer:
1/2 a pack of Angel Hair Pasta (You can use regular spaghetti noodles if you prefer.)

Marinara Layer:
1/2 a batch of The New Moosewood Cookbook's Marinara Variation of Italian Tomato Sauce (If you prefer another recipe or have a favorite jarred kind of sauce, this can easily be substituted. But remember: homemade is best!)

Cheese Sauce Layer:
1/2 stick of butter
1-2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add the flour and mix thoroughly. If it is thin, add another tablespoon of flour until the butter and flour become a paste. Cook for 20-30 seconds over high heat.

2. Working quickly, pour in milk and stir continuously for several minutes, over high heat. The sauce will thicken like a pudding. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in cheese and continue stirring as it melts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assembling the casserole:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Lay in the bottom of your pan.
2.  Spread the marinara sauce over the layer of noodles, covering evenly.
3. Pour the hot cheese sauce over the tomato sauce.
4. Sprinkle with extra shredded cheese and parmesan cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until the edges of the casserole bubble.

Serve hot, preferably after a long night of class, with fresh veggies and a glass of water!

Lasagne with Italian Tomato Sauce

Oh my goodness... Lasagne with Italian Tomato Sauce... you were above and beyond my expectations. When I first read though this recipe... I thought the lasagne sounded bland and uninteresting. It is layers of tomato sauce, lasagne noodles, mozzarella, and ricotta. Pretty basic. But what shined as the star component and brought the dish together was the amazing red sauce.

We started the sauce by cooking onion, red and yellow bell peppers, and herbs. Once this was cooked down, we added canned tomatoes, honey, minced garlic, and parsley. After letting this simmer for over an hour, we were ready to assemble the lasagne. We baked it for about an hour and it came out beautifully!

I also roasted some elephant garlic to have with our dinner. Once it is roasted, the garlic is dark, almost purple, and incredibly soft. We spread the roasted garlic on French bread with a little butter. I could eat roasted elephant garlic plain... it is so delicious! I have included the recipe at the end of this post.

Another beautiful dinner!

Roasted Elephant Garlic

You Will Need:
Elephant Garlic (look in the produce section, typically found with garlic, shallots, and onion)
Olive Oil
Knife
Foil
A small, oven safe ramekin

1. Set the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel off the outermost layer of skin from the garlic. Leave some of the peel on.
3. Cut about a quarter of an inch off the top of the garlic.
3. Place whole garlic head in oven safe ramekin. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Wrap the ramekin in foil and place in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. The garlic will the soft when done. Remove and let cool for a few minutes.
5. Marvel at how delicious your whole house smells. Pretend you are in Italy.
6. Ease the garlic out of the skin with a fork and eat!