Vegetable Lasagna Rolls

Let's be honest... Making homemade lasagna isn't something you just whip up. I have found this recipe slightly easier to assemble than the traditional layer version, but it takes half the time to bake. I also like that it is how much easier to serve because you have preset servings before the lasagna even bakes. The sauteed squash is so meaty that you won't miss the ground beef or sausage, but you could easily substitute slices of Italian sausage for the squash, or alternate between the two.

4 medium zucchini or yellow squash

cooking spray

salt to taste
1 30 oz. carton ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (separated)

1/2 t. salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Homemade pasta noodles or 1 lb. box of lasagna noodles
4 cups Roasted Tomato Sauce or other homemade or store-bought marinara

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, coated in cooking spray or a light layer of oil. Add enough squash to cover the bottom of the pan and season it with a few pinches of salt.You may have to cook a few batches depending on how big your saute pan is. Toss to cook squash on both sides just until tender and lightly browned. You don't want it to be translucent or it will be mushy and not hold up in the lasagna.

Mix ricotta with egg, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, salt and basil. Set aside.

Heat a large pot of salted water of high heat to cook lasagna noodles. I recommend cooking your noodles even if you make fresh pasta.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat tomato sauce over medium heat just to warm through. If your sauce is runny, bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook it down until it thickens. Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Make your rolls by laying your cooked lasagna noodles flat. Spread about 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture on the noodle, leaving an inch of space on each end and a 1/2 inch on each side. Top the ricotta with your cooked squash and roll the noodle. Place the roll seam-side down in your baking dish. Repeat until you're out of noodles, cheese and squash. You may need to use a second baking dish.

Top your rolls with the tomato sauce, being sure no noodle surface goes uncovered. Top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Guacamole

What goes better with margaritas than some guac and chips? If you've ever ordered guacamole at a restaurant that makes it at your table, you already know the basics. There are two reasons why they prepare it that way. First, avocados start to turn brown the longer they are exposed to air, so it really is best as fresh as possible. Also, by preparing it at the table, they can add whatever you like to it! Here's a basic recipe and some suggestions for how to spice it up.

I recommend 1 avocado for 2 people to have as a snack with chips or an accoutrement with dinner. So double this recipe as needed for your crowd, but don't make more than you think you'll need as it doesn't keep well.

1 ripe avocado (flesh gives a little when squeezed, but not firm or soft)

1 T. freshly-squeezed lime juice (1/2 a lime)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 t. coarse salt

Cut avocado in half and plunge the knife blade into the pit and twist to release the pit from the flesh. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl and add lime juice, garlic and salt.

Mash the avocado with a fork and mix all ingredients together. Taste and add more salt, garlic or lime juice as desired.

Add any of the following herbs and veggies for some extra spice and pazazz.

• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Chopped red onion
• Chopped jalapeño peppers
• Diced tomatoes
• Chopped chives

Mix these into the guacamole or just use them to garnish the top and let them get mixed in as people scoop with their chips.

Italian Turkey Meatloaf

This healthy, veggie-stuffed meatloaf has an Italian accent. You could serve pasta on the side instead of mashed potatoes and think you're having spaghetti and meatballs!

2 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz. mushrooms, diced

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs

1 T. Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1 lb. ground turkey

3/4 c. plain breadcrumbs

1 cup Roasted Tomato Sauce (or any chunky marinara sauce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften. Add onion and red pepper and saute another 5 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Season with salt and set aside to cool.

Whisk eggs, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt and pepper together. Add turkey, breadcrumbs and sauteed veggies. With your hands, gently mix just until combined. Press into a loaf pan and top with 1/2 cup marinara sauce. (Warm the other 1/2 cup of sauce and reserve for serving.) 

Bake for 45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle reads 185 degrees.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs is the quintessential Italian dinner for a reason... it's just so darn good! I use ground turkey in my meatballs. Not only is it healthier, but it will give you the most tender meatball. I cook them in my homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce, but you can use a good jarred sauce or your own homemade tomato sauce.

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

1 lb. ground turkey

3 T. vegetable oil

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 quart Roasted Tomato Sauce (or marinara)

1 lb. linguine noodles

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add onion, garic, parsley, salt, pepper, oregano, bread crumbs, egg and turkey.  Mix with your hands just until evenly combined. Do not over mix or your meatballs will get tough. Form into golf-ball size or larger. You can make these in advance and refrigerate them for up to a day, but set them out 30-60 minutes before you cook them to get the chill off.

Set a large pot of salted water over high heat to prepare for your noodles. Heat vegetable oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet that you can put a lid on. Add meatballs and turn every few minutes to brown on all sides. My trick is that when the meatball loosens from the bottom of the pan, they're ready to be rotated. 

Once meatballs are browned on all sides, remove to a clean plate. If you have more grease in the pan than what you want in your sauce, pour off any excess, but do not scrape the pan clean. Pour wine into the pan and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add tomato sauce and mix to combine. 

Add noodles to your boiling water and cook to desired tenderness. While pasta is cooking, taste your sauce and add anything you think it needs (salt, crushed red pepper, dried oregano, etc.). If the sauce is more runny than you want, this is the time to cook it down a little or add a some tomato paste. Once the sauce is to your liking, add the meatballs back in, put the lid on and simmer for 3-5 minutes to heat the meatballs and ensure they're fully cooked through.

Drain pasta and divide among 4 bowls. Top with tomato sauce, 3-4 meatballs, and Parmesan cheese.

BEV NOTE: Chianti, but any semi-dry red wine will be good. I pick my wine out before dinner and add that to the sauce.

Pesto pasta

I love to make my own pesto in the summer when my basil plants are growing faster than I can use them. I put some away in the freezer for winter to be reminded of the fresh flavors of summer. Adding some vegetables to the mix makes this a great stand-alone meal.

1 cup homemade Pesto or store-bought
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

2 T. olive oil

5 sprigs fresh thyme

1 t. coarse salt, plus more for seasoning

freshly ground pepper

1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces (fresh or frozen)

1 lb. spaghetti or linguine noodles

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange tomatoes (cut-sides up) in a baking dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with thyme sprigs and roast for 15 minutes, or until tender but still holding their form. Remove thyme sprigs and set aside. 

While the tomatoes are roasting, bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil and add potatoes. reduce heat slightly and boil potatoes for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. 

In a small saucepan, add 1/2 inch of water, green beans and a sprinkle of salt. Boil the water and steam the green beans until slightly tender (time depends on if you're using fresh or frozen). Drain excess water and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of pasta water when you drain it. Return pasta to the pot you cooked it in and add roasted tomatoes and their juices, potatoes, green beans and pesto. Stir, gradually adding enough pasta water to help the pesto coat the pasta and vegetables. Serve hot.

BEV NOTE: Pairs well with a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

Roasted Tomato Sauce

The peak of summer, when our garden tomatoes are ripening so fast they're falling off the vine, is like Christmas to me! I have to admit that I don't love the taste of a raw tomato... it's got to be salted, sauced, or heated to some degree to make me crave it. This recipe for roasted tomato sauce does all three, and I can't get enough. The only trick is finding a summer day that's cool enough to want to turn on the oven! Once you've got the sauce made, you can use it in a thousand quick dinners throughout the week (like my no-bake lasagna recipe below), or freeze it to save for a winter day when the delicious taste of a vine-ripe tomato is still several months away.

Ingredients

2 lbs. Roma and grape tomatoes, cored*
8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

*These smaller varieties of tomatoes lend themselves to this recipe because you don't peel or seed the tomatoes here. They have thin skins, small seeds and are naturally sweeter than the larger varieties. I only core the romas. Grape tomatoes are too small to worry about a core.


Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in an oven-safe skillet, large enough so the tomatoes are not overlapping too much. You want them in a single layer so they can roast evenly. Toss to coat the tomatoes with the oil and spices.

Roast for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and stir so any blackened areas are facing down. Return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes. Keep your eye on them so they don't char, but get lightly blackened on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to warm or room temperature.

After the first 30 minutes of roasting.

After the second 20-30 minutes of roasting.

Add tomato mixture to food processor, in batches if necessary, and pulse until chunky thick.

Before serving, reheat and add any other desired seasonings or spices to accommodate the recipe you're using it in. For my no-bake lasagna, I use it as is!

No-Bake Lasagna
Serves 4

Lasagna isn't a typical summer dish, but when you don't have to bake it, it's a quick dish to whip up on those days you wouldn't think of turning on the oven!

Ingredients
Roasted tomato sauce
1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked and cut into squares
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb. sautéed vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, mushrooms)
4 stalks fresh basil

Instructions

Reheat tomato sauce over low heat. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions, and then cut into squares. Sauté vegetables in 2 T. olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I usually use just one veggie variety, but you could mix and match, or even use meat instead.) Combine ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup parmesan (reserving the rest of the parm for a topping).

To assemble lasagna, set out four serving plates and start with a light layer of tomato sauce on each. Top with one lasagna noodle square. The filling layer is ricotta cheese, sauteed veggies, a few torn basil leaves, and a little sauce. Repeat this two more times, making three layers of noodles and filling.

Top with one final noodle, a little more sauce, a sprinkle of parmesan and a few more basil leaves. This is so hearty and delicious, you don't need a salad or a side of garlic bread. Just a glass of wine and you're set!

Black bean salsa

When you have fresh ingredients, all you need is a little bit of salt to make them taste amazing. That is the secret to this salsa. When tomatoes, onions and peppers are in season, this salsa is a great way to make use of them. Grab some chips and a few friends, and you have a winning appetizer!

Ingredients
2 of the freshest tomatoes you can find, chopped (from either your own garden, the farmer's market, or your grocery store's "local" produce section) -- this is important because the tomatoes are the star here
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup red or white onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon coarse ground salt
fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, if desired

Instructions
Combine all ingredients and season with salt and fresh herbs (if desired). Use a slotted spoon to transfer salsa to serving dish or storage container. Fresh tomatoes will create a lot of natural juices, which you want to strain out before serving. No need to make in advance because there's really no need for this salsa to marinate. But you can keep in the fridge for about a week, if you can keep from eating it for that long! Serve with tortilla chips.