Tortellini Italiano

I made this dish after watching a cooking show and modified it. That’s one of the things I love about cooking is being creative.

Ingredients

Tortellini
Grilled chicken
Grape tomatoes
Onion
Garlic (3-4 cloves)
Parsley or Basil (fresh)
Salt & Pepper
Oil
Parmesan cheese
Fresh mozzarella

Video


Helpful hints: Substitute different types of pasta for the tortellini. Try it with or without meat. Use shrimp or different types of seafood instead of chicken.

© Nadine Zawacki 2011

Baked Ziti

When you go to a restaurant and order baked ziti, it usually comes with just sauce and mozzarella cheese. My mom-in-law used rotini pasta instead of the traditional ziti shaped pasta. She liked the way the cheese “hugged” the rotini shaped pasta. You can use different types of pasta and I have but my favorite is the rotini. She also added ricotta cheese. It’s one of my family’s favorite and I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

Rotini (1 box)
Ricotta cheese (2 lb)
Mozzarella cheese (@ 3 cups)
Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley
Egg (1)
Sauce
Meatballs & sausage (cut up)

Video:


You can view my sauce recipe by clicking here.
You can view my meatball & sausage recipe by clicking here.

Helpful hints:

You don’t need to use meatballs & sausage; you can use ground beef & pork to simplify your dish. If you make this dish the day before then it will take longer to cook (45 minutes to 1 hour). You can check it by putting a knife in the center of the dish. If the knife comes out warm then your dish is done.

© Nadine Zawacki 2011

Spaghetti Pie

This recipe comes from Tom’s family (on his mom's side of the family). I'd like to thank Uncle Al Gaspari for sharing the recipe. It’s good warm or cold. Tom actually likes it best cold. It’s real simple and makes a nice side to any meat dish.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Perciatelli (by Ronzoni)
9 eggs
Salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan and parsley
Butter

Video:

This type of spaghetti looks like a straw and Ronzoni is the only brand that I’ve found that makes it.

Preheat the oven to 375 and cook for 45 minutes until the top is golden brown.

© Nadine Zawacki 2011