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Home › Articles › What's for dinner? › What's For Dinner?

What's For Dinner?

A Classic Italian Meal

By Allison Huller McAlister

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This month's featured meal will have you believing that you're dining in a fine Italian restaurant. First on the menu we have a deliciously indulgent lasagna. I suggest serving warm slices of garlic bread alongside, as well as the next item on our menu, Italian Salad. Finally, for dessert, a white chocolate cheesecake that's scrumptious yet so easy to make. I know you'll be going back for seconds!

Put on your apron and let's get cooking! I hope you enjoy this recipe testing adventure!

Classic Lasagna
I first tried this lasagna recipe for a special Father's Day dinner about two years ago. I'd been looking to replace my current recipe for quite some time, and when I came across this one, I just knew it'd be good.

One bone of contention regarding lasagna in our house is the use of cottage cheese or ricotta. My husband is partial to cottage cheese while I prefer ricotta. This lasagna has both! And not only does it contain ground beef, it has sausage in it too. And not just mozzarella cheese but provolone as well. Two different meats and five kinds of cheese are in this baby. Just reading the list of ingredients makes my mouth water!

It should come as no surprise then that this one was out of this world! All three of us immensely enjoyed this Italian classic. If you like Italian food, I guarantee you'll think you're eating lasagna in a fine Italian restaurant when you dig into this meal.

Ease of Preparation: 2 stars
Kid Appeal: 4 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound (12 ounces) bulk pork sausage
1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms
3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
3 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
3 cups (24 ounces) small-curd cottage cheese
1 carton (8 ounces) ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
6 slices Provolone cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef and sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add the next eight ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, parsley, cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Layer with three noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, three noodles, 2 cups meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with the remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full). Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Makes 12 servings.

Italian Salad
I prepared this salad to serve alongside the lasagna once when we had company over for dinner. It was a hit! I highly recommend this salad as an accompaniment to any Italian pasta dish because the flavors complement each other so well. The combination of lettuce, salami, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese is superb.

Ease of Preparation: 4 stars
Kid Appeal: 3 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Ingredients:
1 package (16 ounces) ready-to-serve salad
2-3 ounces sliced salami, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
1 cup croutons, preferably seasoned (like garlic and herb flavored)
1 can (2 ounces) sliced black olives

In a large salad bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat. Top with croutons and black olives. Serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

White Chocolate Cheesecake
I like dessert recipes that are quick and easy to prepare but still taste like you put a lot of time and effort into it. This is one of those recipes. You get the smooth creamy texture of a cheesecake without all the work. We really enjoyed this pie, and cheesecake tops off a delicious Italian meal very well. If you want to get a little fancy, you can even garnish the slices with chocolate curls using white baking chocolate.

Ease of Preparation: 4 stars
Kid Appeal: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups cold milk, divided
2 packages (4-serving size each) JELL-O White Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 tub (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed
1 graham cracker piecrust (6 ounces)

Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the milk in a large bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk and the pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk for 1 minute. Gently stir in the whipped topping until well blended. Spoon into piecrust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.


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