Italian-style turkey mini-meatballs

We tried this recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/skinny-italian-meatballs-turkey-1-p/ We made the following modifications: (1) we first sautéed 1 medium onion (chopped) in olive oil, then added the crushed garlic cloves and sautéed for a minute before adding the crushed tomatoes and herbs; (2) we replaced half (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes with 29 oz chopped canned tomatoes that… Continue reading Italian-style turkey mini-meatballs

Italian-style penne with meat sauce

We tried this recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/penne_pasta_with_meat_sauce/ Our modifications: first, we used 28 oz crushed tomato in lieu of chunky tomato sauce, which we added immediately to the cooked garlic-onion mixture and let simmer for while we browned the ground beef separately and cooked the pasta. We also doubled the amount of garlic. Second, we used fresh… Continue reading Italian-style penne with meat sauce

Italian bucatini with chicken sausage and bell peppers

We tried this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/bucatini-with-sausage-and-peppers-56389445 We used spicy chicken sausage instead of sweet turkey. At first, we found the sauce a bit too thin, but we later realized that this is intentional so that the bucatini can soak up the sauce. We also recommend preparing the sauce in a Dutch oven, since the cooked pasta… Continue reading Italian bucatini with chicken sausage and bell peppers

Italian-style scalloped tomatoes

We followed this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/18941-sarah-leah-chase-s-scalloped-tomatoes, but we used ciabatta bread (about ¼ loaf) instead of a baguette. After baking at 350 for 35 mins, we broiled it on high (about 8 inches from the flames) for a few mins. The recipe calls for bacon fat or olive oil, so it can be vegetarian if you… Continue reading Italian-style scalloped tomatoes

Italian-style pasta with roasted eggplant and crispy garlic

We tried this recipe from Aida Mollenkamp: http://saltandwind.com/recipes/38-late-summer-roasted-eggplant-pasta-recipe. Our modifications: to avoid having unused ingredients, we increased the spaghetti to 1 lb (16 oz), tomato purée to 20 oz, balsamic vinegar to 1 ½ Tbsp, and sugar (we used white sugar) to 1 ½ tsp. We also used a mix of fresh thyme and fresh… Continue reading Italian-style pasta with roasted eggplant and crispy garlic