Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Ricotta, Asiago, Mozzarella & Cottage Cheese

Satisfying four-cheese stuffed shells, bursting with ricotta, Asiago, mozzarella and cottage cheese. Use your favorite brand of spaghetti sauce--meatless or not.

Ingredients

6 uncooked jumbo pasta shells

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup 4% cottage cheese

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, Asiago cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, chives and 1/2 cup spinach (save the remaining spinach for another use).

Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce into a shallow 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Drain pasta; stuff with cheese mixture. Arrange in prepared dish. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce and mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 2 servings.

Sausage, Red Onion, and Wild Mushroom Pizza

Ingredients:

1 16-ounce ball purchased fresh pizza dough

2/3 cup finely grated Piave or Parmesan cheese

2 1/4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 1/2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

7 ounces fresh wild mushrooms (such as stemmed shiitake, oyster, and chanterelle), thickly sliced

1 3/4 cups coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 7 ounces), divided

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Lightly flour 2 baking sheets. Place dough on work surface; let stand until room temperature, about 20 minutes. Divide dough in half. Press and stretch each piece out on lightly floured surface to 5-inch round. Sprinkle each with 1/3 cup Piave cheese, 3/4 teaspoon rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper; sprinkle with coarse salt. Roll each piece of dough out to 10-inch round, pressing in seasonings. Transfer dough rounds to prepared baking sheets.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Sauté until brown, breaking into 1/2-inch pieces with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl. Add onion to skillet. Sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; transfer to plate. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and remaining 3/4 teaspoon rosemary; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes. Leaving 1/2-inch plain border, top each dough round with 3/4 cup mozzarella, then onion, sausage, and mushrooms.

Bake until crust bottoms are crisp and brown, reversing sheets after 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total. Using large spatula, transfer pizzas to work surface. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons mozzarella, then parsley, if desired.

Test-kitchen tip:

Pizza-wheel cutters can drag toppings, so use a large chef's knife to cut pizzas into wedges.

Cheesy Ham & Pepperoni Stromboli

Ingredients

Yields 2 loaves

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water (110° to 115°) 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt 

4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

The quantities below are for 1 Stromboli. Double the amount if you want to make both loaves. 

1/4 lb thinly sliced ham

1/4 lb reduced fat pepperoni

Dried basil

Dried oregano

4 slices provolone cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, salt and 2 cups flour; fitted with the paddle attachment, beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. Switching to the dough hook attachment, knead dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll one portion into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle. (I froze the second portion for a later date.) Arrange ham slices lengthwise down half of rectangle. Place pepperoni on top. Sprinkle with a little bit of basil and oregano. Arrange provolone slices over the top and then add the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a little more basil and oregano. Fold plain half of dough over filling and seal ends well. Brush with oil; sprinkle with oregano.

Bake on a baking sheet at 400°F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; cut into 1-inch slices.

Italian Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

1 heaping cup panko bread crumbs

1 TB dried Italian seasoning

2 TB finely grated hard Italian cheese, like Parmesan

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp finely ground pepper

1 1/3 lb ground chicken

1 egg

1 TB fresh, finely chopped basil or oregano (optional)

1/2 tsp coarse salt 

1 TB olive oil

4 burger buns, preferably Kaiser or a soft Ciabatta

4 large slices tomato

4 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly

1/2 cup arugula

8-12 large basil leaves

Mayonnaise 

Directions:

First, make your seasoned breading. Mix the panko, dried seasoning, grated cheese, salt, and pepper. Set aside on a large plate.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the chicken, egg, salt, and oregano, if using. Add about 1/4 cup of the bread crumb mixture, mixing gently, and careful not to overwork. Patties should hold together at this point; if you need a little more panko for it to hold it together, add about 1 TB at a time, using no more than an additional 2 TB. Shape it into 4 patties roughly 4" in diameter, and dredge it in the panko mixture, pressing the panko into the chicken patties. You may have some panko left over.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the patties. Cook until medium golden brown on the bottom, and chicken appears cooked halfway up, about 4-5 minutes. Flip, and continue cooking until the other side is the same color, another 3 minutes or so more. (Now's a good time to put the buns in the toaster.) When bottoms of chicken patties are light golden brown, with about 1 minute to go, add a thin layer of cheese on the top, and let cheese melt.

To serve, spread a little mayo on each side of your kaiser bun. Lay a few pieces of arugula, basil, and tomato slice on the bottom bun. Top with the patty and serve.