28 October 2019 Easy One Pot Cheesy Baked Pasta

Easy One Pot Cheesy Baked Pasta

October 28, 2019 By

I love one pot/pan dishes. I especially love them when they’re as simple and delicious as this easy, cheesy pasta dish.

I had a lot of basil left from my summer crop, so I added a giant handful to my already basil-packed marinara sauce that I took out of the freezer for this purpose. I used Rigatoni by my favorite pasta company, Delverde, but ziti, penne or other pasta would be just fine.   

This is a perfect dish for on a busy #MeatlessMonday

Ingredients:

  • ½ pound rigatoni pasta (I use Delverde brand)
  • 2 cups Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce (or other marinara sauce), warmed
  • ¾ cup diced fresh Mozzarella
  • 3 ounces freshly-grated Parmesan, I use Sartori Tuscan Reserve Shaved Blend
  • ½ pound sliced fresh Mozzarella

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In an oven-safe pot/pan, cook the pasta 1 minute less than what’s indicated on the packaging. Drain and reserve.
  3. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a simmer in the pan the pasta was cooked in. Add the pasta to the marinara sauce and toss to coat.
  4. Add the diced Mozzarella to the pasta and stir to distribute evenly.
  5. Sprinkle the parmesan over the pasta then top with the sliced Mozzarella.
  6. Place the dish on a baking sheet to prevent oven drips and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the broil to high in the oven and broil for 5 minutes, or until the sliced Mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

Yields 2 generous entrée-size servings.

Filed Under: Cheese, Entrees, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
17 March 2014 Meatless Bolognese Sauce

Meatless Bolognese Sauce

March 17, 2014 By

Portobello

Portobello

I’m not 100% sure my grandma would approve of me using her meat sauce recipe to create a meatless version, but it’s deeply-flavored and satisfying with pasta, gnocchi and in a lasagna. Perfect for #MeatlessMonday.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 8 large Portobello mushrooms, small diced
  • 1 ounce dried porcini, ground to a powder
  • ½ Tbsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
  • ½ Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt & pepper
  • ¼ tsp. cloves
  • 1 tbs. sugar
  • 1-20 ounce can tomato juice
  • 1 small can of tomato paste
  • 1-28 ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, chopped

Grinding Porcini

Grinding Porcini

Directions:

  1. Sauté onion and celery in oil for 5 minutes in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. 
  2. Add garlic and sauté another minute. 
  3. Add the Portobello and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the porcini powder, the spices and sugar and cook 1 minute. 
  4. Add tomato juice, paste, and Italian-style tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Re-season with salt and pepper if needed.

Makes 8 servings.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Italian, Mushrooms, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
22 July 2013 Veggie Heaven – Meatless in Denville

Veggie Heaven – Meatless in Denville

July 22, 2013 By

Veggie Heaven

Veggie Heaven Dining Room

If you’ve read me in the past, you might be slightly amused to see me dining at a vegetarian restaurant. I’m known for my porkie penchant and my beefy boldness and venturing into foreign land was a bit intimidating for a non-vegetarian like me. The menu is extensive and offers some dishes whose names will sound familiar: General Tso (veggie chicken or crispy tofu) and Moo Shu Veggie Chicken.

Veggie Heaven

Tom Yum Soup

After several visits by the friendly waitress prompting me to order, I quickly requested a Ton Yum soup to get my order started and continued perusing the entrées. This isn’t the soup with layers of tart and spicy flavors found at Thai restaurants, but a cup of soup with cabbage pieces and lackluster flavors. A small bowl of pickled cabbage is served complimentary and it had the right level of tartness one would expect.

I love tofu and veggie stir fry so I was tempted to take the easy road and order something along those lines, but instead, I selected the Black Mushroom Supreme ($12.95 off the regular menu). Black mushrooms are stuffed with a minced adamame and “chicken” filling and served over wilted mustard greens and adorned with giant, candied walnuts. The dish was satisfying and the mushrooms offered a meatiness that I appreciated and was taken aback by. The sesame sauce the dish is served with is overly sweet and could have used a dose of acidity or heat to balance it out. Pretty great plate of food nonetheless.

veggie heaven

Black Mushrooms

Some of the dishes I’d like to try on future visits are the Shredded Heaven ($12.95), tofu skins wrapped with shredded snow peas, bean sprouts, carrots and black mushrooms served with peanut sauce, or the Spicy Girl ($14.95), vegetarian chicken strips, green and red peppers, onion, fresh asparagus and garlic in a Hunan sauce.

Veggie Heaven also offers an extensive sushi, sashimi and rolls selection including some usual suspects and some creative options like the Fireball Roll ($7.95), spicy tuna, avocado outside with the chef’s spicy Thai sauce. There are eight noodle soups to sample too.

Lunch specials are available Monday through Friday from 11:30AM until 3:30PM and on the weekends from 12PM until 3:30PM. The dishes are nearly half price during those lunch hours and each entrée is served with an egg roll, a choice of soup and rice.

Delivery is available to Denville, Boonton, Rockaway, Mountain Lakes and certain surrounding areas.  ($20 minimum, $2 delivery charge will apply for orders under $30). There are Veggie Heaven locations in Teaneck and Upper Montclair also.

If you enjoy Asian food and are looking for a healthy and tasty alternative to the run of the road options in Morris County, give Veggie Heaven a try.

57 Bloomfield Avenue, Denville, NJ 07834. Tel: (973) 586-7800.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Cuisine Type, Restaurant Reviews, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,