11/6/2009



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Peanut Butter Oreo Pie

Guys, I failed at posting last week. I totally planned to, and then I just…forgot. I have been very engrossed in/distracted by my other blog, and I have been neglecting this one. I’m so sorry! I’ll be better, I promise. On that note, please enjoy today’s extra-yummy recipe.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have noticed this the other day:

I was talking about this pie. I saw it on the Pioneer Woman Cooks and it looked too delicious not to make. It’s right up my alley! I love peanut butter, and I love dipping Oreos in peanut butter (though I don’t usually like plain Oreos…). Also, it required so few ingredients and looked so simple that I couldn’t resist.

A forewarning—this is probably the messiest recipe I’ve ever made. This is because I don’t have a food processor and had to use a blender to crush my Oreos. It worked for the most part, but it took soooo long and Oreos got EVERYWHERE no matter what I did. So, if you’re a neat freak without a food processor, probably don’t make this recipe. Also, peanut butter recipes are always messy no matter what.

Also—this is a rich pie. There’s no problem with using “light” and “low-fat” versions of the ingredients. I only had low-fat cream cheese and margarine instead of butter, but if I had them, I would have used low-fat peanut butter and Cool Whip Free too. It’s perfectly fine, and I promise your pie will be just fine either way.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:
25 Oreos
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Crush the Oreos until they’re fine crumbs. Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Filling:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 8-ounce package softened cream cheese
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 8-ounce package Cool Whip, thawed

Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the thawed Cool Whip and beat mixture until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Pour filling into crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula. Chill for at least an hour before serving (I’d recommend at least two or three…I waited an hour and a half and it wasn’t set yet).

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Here’s what you’ll need. So few ingredients, I love it! The only thing not pictured is margarine, of which you’ll need half a stick.

This is where the trouble started. Notice the nice, clean table top.

Now notice all the Oreo crumbs (though I cropped this photo so most of the mess was hidden). And notice my lumpy crust. If you do use a blender (or smash them with a rolling pin or whatever) you’re going to have lumps in your crust. Don’t freak out—it really doesn’t make any difference at all in the final product. I promise. This is after the margarine has been mixed in and everything’s been pressed down. Not super pretty, but who cares? Then it goes in the oven to set.

Peanut butter and cream cheese. It helps if both your cream cheese and your peanut butter are super soft. It was hot and muggy yesterday here in Savannah, so I had no problem with that. Now beat the heck out of it!

Now add your powdered sugar and beat the heck out of that, too.

Lastly, add the whole tub of Cool Whip and incorporate it fully so it’s nice and creamy.

If your crust is cool at this point, go ahead and put the filling in the pie. If not, stick the filling in the fridge until your crust is cool. This is important!

This is a thing of beauty. Now, chill it for quite some time in the fridge. At least a few hours for it to set. Otherwise it will be a mess to cut. Actually, it most likely will anyway. This picture is from the next day, and I still couldn’t get a perfect slice:

Again, though, who cares? It’s still ridiculously delicious and it wouldn’t matter if it was just a big pile of mush in a bowl, I would still eat it with gusto.

Guys, make this. I am totally serious. It is so delicious. And it takes no time at all! So hop to!

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28/5/2009



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Breaded Chicken Parmesan

I’ve been cooking dinner for my friend Andy once a week in exchange for him driving me places, and this past week he requested chicken parmesan. I didn’t really use a recipe for this—I just kind of made it up as I went along, but it turned out to be delicious. Thus, the measurements below are approximate, so feel free to experiment with them as you go through the recipe.

Breaded Chicken Parmesan

3 medium boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Marinara sauce (to taste)
Sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese (to taste)
Shredded or grated parmesan cheese (to taste)
Pasta of your choice (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Pour your bread crumbs onto a plate or a shallow dish. Dip your chicken breasts in your beaten egg and then dredge each breast thoroughly in the bread crumbs.

3. Place your breaded chicken in a glass baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Take out your chicken, cover in mozzarella slices, marinara, and shredded parmesan, then put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

5. This is a good time to make your pasta, so get to it!

6. Serve chicken over pasta and enjoy!

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Your cast of characters:

Beat your eggs thoroughly. You could also use another coating, such as dijon mustard—the egg’s purpose is just so the bread crumbs stick.

Make sure you coat the chicken thoroughly. Don’t try to shake the excess off.

Time to go into the oven!

And here’s what they’ll look like after 20 minutes in the oven. They’re starting to get crispy at the edges.

Slice your mozzarella cheese and arrange the slices on top of your chicken, or if you’re using shredded cheese, just go ahead and sprinkle it right on top.

Add your sauce, covering everything well, and then sprinkle some parmesan on top.

Pasta is an excellent part of a satisfying Italian meal, so I highly recommend it. I used spaghetti, but you can really use any pasta you like.

Mmm, cheesy. Perfect.

Delicious. This was a big hit. Almost everyone loves chicken parmesan, right? And it’s so easy too! Enjoy!

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22/5/2009



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Pasta Carbonara

I found this recipe via the Pioneer Woman while browsing for a quick, easy pasta recipe that wouldn’t require an hour-long trip to the store. This recipe did the trick. It’s quite tasty—though next time I make it I would reduce the amount of bacon by about half. It was just too much for me to handle! But overall, this was really yummy and really easy to make. The below recipe makes four servings—I halved it, so don’t get confused by the amounts in the pictures!

Pasta Carbonara

1 lb. pasta (I used spaghetti, but you could also use linguini or any pasta, really)
4 eggs
1 lb. bacon or pancetta (I used turkey bacon because it’s all I had on hand, but I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe)
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
8-12 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine (or substitute another cup of stock, which I did)
1/2 stick butter
1 handful of parsley
1-2 tablespoons black pepper

Slice up your bacon into 1-inch-wide pieces. Cook on your stovetop until nicely browned and crisp. Meanwhile, cook your pasta until al dente. Then, chop your onion (a rough dice is fine) and slice your garlic into thin slices.

When the bacon is done cooking, scoop it out with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a paper towel or plate. Reserve the bacon grease. Throw the diced onions in over medium-high heat for a couple minutes, then throw in your garlic and cook for another couple minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon, or drain it—either way, just get rid of the grease.

Put your empty pan back on high heat until it starts to smoke a little, then pour in your white wine, or 1 cup of your stock. Whisk thoroughly until the pan is deglazed. Then add 1 cup of stock. Return the bacon, onion, and garlic to the pan. Let simmer over medium heat.

Crack your eggs into a large bowl. Add most of the Parmesan cheese and rough chop the parsley, adding that as well. Leave a little Parmesan and parsley out for garnish. Mix it all together with a fork.

Add your still very hot cooked pasta (this is important—the pasta will essentially cook the egg, so it’s imperative that the pasta is super hot) to the egg mixture, then add the bacon/onion/garlic mixture. Then add 1/2 stick of butter and mix everything together. Sprinkle black pepper (to taste) on top. Garnish with parmesan and parsley.

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Remember before you look at the pictures: I halved the recipe! I also don’t have pictures of every single step—sorry!

Don’t ask me why there are three eggs there…I have no idea. There should be two. The third egg is useless.

Cooking the lovely faux-bacon. This didn’t work super well because turkey bacon has so much less fat than real bacon, and therefore kind of messed with everything else. But it was probably a lot healthier! Use real bacon if you have it.

Deglazing the pan.

I can never find Italian flat-leaf parsley, and I always have such trouble chopping regular parsley into small pieces. I think I need better knives. The large pieces of parsley didn’t bother me at all in this recipe, though.

This is the point where you take your tongs and mix it all together. The butter will melt really quickly and the cheese will melt and it will all become instantly delicious.

Mmm, so good. Again, I’d suggest cutting out some of the bacon—unless you’re a big fan of bacon. Otherwise, this pasta was really delicious, filling, and a quick dinner fix that impresses. Enjoy!

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14/5/2009



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Triple Chocolate Brownies

I realized the other day when my friend Andy was bugging me to make brownies that I’ve never posted a real brownie recipe on here…which is strange, because I love brownies. There are so many brownie recipes out there that yield such different results, so I don’t have one on file that I automatically rely on.

I found this recipe via the Food Network (where else?) from Nigella Lawson, one of my favorite FN chefs. She really knows how to make sweets simple and delicious. I was really pleased with this recipe because it’s pretty easy, but it yields some fantastic results. It’s a classic, rich, moist, decadent brownie in no time at all. These brownies were a huge crowd-pleaser!

Triple Chocolate Brownies

  • 3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 12 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate buttons, chips, or morsels
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate buttons, chips or morsels
  • Approximately 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
  • Special equipment: Baking tin (approximately 11 1/4 inches by 9 inches by 2 inches), sides and base lined with baking parchment.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a large heavy based pan over a low heat.

In a bowl or large measuring jug, beat the eggs together with the superfine sugar and vanilla extract.

Allow the chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture and beat well. Fold in the flour and salt. Then stir in the white chocolate buttons or chips, and the semisweet chocolate buttons or chips. Beat to combine then scrape and pour the brownie mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 25 minutes. You can see when the brownies are ready because the top dries to a slightly paler brown speckle, while the middle remains dark, dense and gooey. Even with such a big batch you do need to keep checking on it: the difference between gooey brownies and dry ones is only a few minutes. Remember, too, that they will continue to cook as they cool.

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar to serve.

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Your cast of characters:

Start melting your chocolate. Use very low heat and stir often. You can start the other steps while doing this. When it’s smooth and pretty lump-free, take it off the heat.

Eggs, sugar, and vanilla, beaten together thoroughly.

Definitely make sure your chocolate is cooled at least a little before adding it to the egg mixture or it will cook your eggs, and you don’t want that.

Add your flour and salt and fold it all together. Then stir in your chips and you’re good to go.

Pour it in your baking dish and bake for approximately 25 minutes. I used a different sized baking dish than what is mentioned, so I needed about 35-40 minutes.

Cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve. Yum!

These are really fantastic. They’re super moist and rich, and pretty darn easy to make. If you like, add some walnuts or other nuts. I definitely would have added walnuts if I didn’t have some very picky boys (who refuse to eat brownies with nuts in them) waiting to devour these. This will definitely be my go-to brownie recipe from now on! Unless, of course, I magically find a better one. Any recommendations?

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08/5/2009



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Lasagna

Again, I failed to post last week. I have a good excuse, I promise. I was moving. It’s all very exciting. Our new place has beautiful new appliances and a much awesomer and more manageable kitchen than the last one, and the whole situation is much better. I vowed that I would make this week’s post extra-awesome due to my failure to post anything last week, so I guarantee that this is one of the best real food (i.e., not baked goods) recipes I have posted to date.

Lasagna! Everyone loves it, right? Actually, I don’t. I’m really not a huge fan of most lasagnas because I’m very picky about what I want in a lasagna. I honestly only made this because I promised my friend Andy (a big lasagna fan) that I’d make it for him. A lasagna has to be heavily cheese-based for me to enjoy it. I’m a cheese fiend. Especially when it comes to Italian cheeses like parmesan, mozarella, and ricotta—all of which this recipe uses in full force. So if you like a good, cheesy lasagna—and yes, there is beef in there too—you’ve come to the right place.

I generally look to the Food Network when I’m looking for a good recipe, and I found one via the Neelys on FoodNetwork.com. It was pretty simple (important for a first-time lasagna-maker) and didn’t use a ton of expensive ingredients (important for a cash-poor college student). However, there were some elements of which I was not a fan. They used cottage cheese instead of ricotta (WHAT?! No thank you!) and cheddar cheese (again, WHAT?!). So, I made some modifications and pressed on. It came out wonderfully and I am now officially a lasagna lover. Well, a lover of this lasagna anyway.

I’m trying this new thing where I post the recipe in full first, then the step-by-step pictures. I figure it will make the recipes easier to print out without all the filler text and photos I add in. Bear with me.

Lasagna
Based on the Neelys’ “Mama’s Lasagna” recipe and modified

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for pan
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey (I’m sure you could also use sausage for more kick)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 (8-ounce) jar tomato sauce
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (8-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese (low-fat is totally fine, that’s what I used)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded mozzarella
  • 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain pan of fat and add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, then mix in ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt.

Spread a little of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay half the noodles in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping by 1/2-inch. Spread half the egg and ricotta cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and shredded Parmesan evenly over the ricotta cheese mixture. Pour half the meat sauce on top. Repeat layering in same order. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmesan on top. Bake in center of oven 30 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbling around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Your cast of characters:

Your meat mixture should look about like this before you drain it:

Mmm, saucy!

Your ricotta/parmesan/egg/parsley mixture. This is totally the best part of the lasagna. In my humble opinion, anyway.

I didn’t take a photo of every step of the assembly, but it’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s fun building a lasagna, no? This is layer 4. It goes sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, shredded cheeses. Repeat.

And this is what it should look like before it goes in the oven.

…aaand after it comes out. Perfect!

Definitely let it sit for those 10 minutes, they are crucial. I used that time to heat up some frozen garlic bread. If you’re feeling ambitious, a Caesar salad would be a nice addition.

Not a great picture (I was in a hurry to eat), but you get the idea. This lasagna is awesome. It’s super cheesy but not overwhelmingly so, and all the other flavors are readily apparent as well. It’s a great first-timer’s lasagna, so if you’ve never made it before (like me), don’t be intimidated. This recipe is super simple and totally worth it. You’ll have yummy leftovers for days!

Enjoy!

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23/4/2009



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Peanut Butter Brownies

This is another recipe from the wonderful Smitten Kitchen. This was one of those recipes where, when I first saw it, I thought, “Why are these not in my oven RIGHT NOW?!” If you’ve ever read this blog before, you know that I am kind of obsessed with the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Naturally, I had to make these.

Peanut Butter Brownies

For brownies
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)

For ganache
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Make brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan, then line bottom of pan with parchment paper and butter parchment.

Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Beat in whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour until just combined.

Mix in chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing top. (It will be thick, almost like cookie batter.)

Bake until brownies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. NOTE: Make sure to watch these. I put mine in for 40 minutes and ran upstairs to get some things done before the brownies were finished cooking. When the timer went off, they were way too close to being burned for my taste—still fine, but just darker than I’d like. If your oven isn’t the greatest (like mine), don’t leave them unattended for the last 10-15 minutes or so.


Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make ganache: Put chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) in a heatproof bowl.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips and let mixture stand for one minute.

Gently whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms.

Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

I apologize for not having photos of this process, but it all happens rather quickly. It’s ridiculously easy though, so don’t worry.

I waited 15 minutes and my ganache wasn’t set yet (it’s pretty hot and humid here today, so that probably had something to do with it) but I had to slice them and dig in anyway.


Oh man, these were tasty! I wish the peanut butter flavor was more apparent, though. That’s one thing I would have changed if I had known ahead of time. Also, this isn’t exactly a Weight Watchers recipe, so feel free to substitute margarine instead of butter and low-fat peanut butter instead of full-fat, like I did. Every little bit helps, right? There’s no subsitute for heavy cream though, so just grin and bear it. Just don’t drink a gallon of it, though. :)

These are basically slightly peanut-buttery blonde brownies with ganache topping, and they’re fantastic. If you prefer a stronger peanut butter flavor (like me), feel free to experiment and play around with it! They’ll be delicious, I promise.

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3:44



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I'm still here...

Hi everyone. I apologize profusely for the lack-of-post last week. I had a pretty crazy-busy week and I can safely say I didn’t cook once, unless putting a Lean Pocket in the microwave counts as cooking. Shame on me!

I will be posting tonight (Thursday) as usual though, and you can look forward to some Peanut Butter Brownies, and if you love peanut butter as much as I do, I’m sure you’ll love them. I hope you’ve all had a fantastic week!

-Amy

P.S. Also, I have a design up for voting on Threadless right now, and I’d really, really appreciate it if you’d rate it. You do have to register for the site, but it’s quick and they won’t spam you. If you like it, give it a 5! :) Today’s the last day to vote, so get a move on! Thank you!!!

As always, you can reach me here via a comment, via Twitter (@amybites), or via e-mail (amybitesblog@gmail.com) if you have any questions, comments, etc.

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09/4/2009



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Thai Chicken

This recipe is from She Simmers via The Crepes of Wrath. I’ve been really busy with school and overall just burnt out lately, so cooking is more of a nuisance than a treat for me. Therefore, I’ve been eating poorly and surviving on Lean Pockets and cereal, which is not good at all. When I read this recipe, I realized I had all the ingredients already and it was so simple that I pretty much had no excuse not to make it. So I did—and it was good!

Khao Na Gai or Thai Chicken in Brown Sauce Over Rice

2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup water
ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked rice, for serving

1. Mix all the ingredients, except the chicken and vegetable oil, together in a bowl. Begin to cook your rice according to instructions.


This is everything but the water. Looks tasty, right? Haha. It will be, I promise!



All mixed up and ready to go!

2. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick pan or wok. Saute the chicken until almost cooked through.

Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet and stir. Continue to cook until the chicken is completely cooked and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time.

3. Pour the warm chicken and its sauce over steamed rice.



This is a really hearty, savory dish with a nice garlicky kick. It’s super filling, too! I wouldn’t suggest going out and buying all the ingredients (if you don’t already have them) unless you intend to do a lot of Asian-inspired cuisine, but if you love Oriental dishes, go for it! This dish was super easy to make and really satisfying. Enjoy!

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02/4/2009



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Chocolate and Peanut Butter Spreads

I’ve had a busy week. It’s been nonstop homework for the past seven days, and today I just wanted to make something quick, tasty, and sweet to start off my weekend. It’s also been raining nonstop all day and for me, rainy days are perfect days for baking. I was browsing The Pioneer Woman Cooks a long while back and bookmarked this recipe, but didn’t remember it until now. And ohhh man, I’m glad I did.

These “cookies”—which are probably more accurately described as cookie bars—are just stupid easy. You probably couldn’t mess them up if you tried. Probably the best thing about this recipe is it requires one bowl. You don’t even need a mixer! How amazing is that?! Also, they’re just plain yummy.

Now, the topping on these cookies is made from semi-sweet chocolate chips in the recipe. Halfway through baking, I realized I didn’t have any chocolate chips (I always have chocolate chips!). So, I improvised, and I think my solution tasted better than just straight chocolate chips (if I do say so myself).

I used about a cup of whipped chocolate frosting mixed with about 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter. I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, so it tastes heavenly! You could also use 6 oz. of chocolate chips and 2 oz. of peanut butter chips, or any combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Posted below is my modified recipe.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Spreads

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup margarine
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipped chocolate frosting
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
(OR 6 to 8 ounces chocolate chips to make the original version)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together brown sugar and margarine.


Make sure it’s nice and soft or you won’t be able to mix it with the brown sugar.

Add egg and mix together.

Add flour, salt, and vanilla, and mix together well.

Spread dough onto cookie sheet to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch.

Make it look like something vaguely rectangular. I won’t lie, this step was super fun.



It should be about that thickness, and as even as possible.



Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly brown.

For my version, mix your frosting and peanut butter together with a fork, then just spread it on evenly. Make sure you do this when it’s right out of the oven, it makes it get all soft and melty and easy to spread.

(Chocolate chip instructions: Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Return to oven for 1 minute. Remove and spread melted chips over the top.)



Cut into squares with a knife or pizza cutter and enjoy!

These are the easiest, fastest, most delicious cookies ever. They taste like a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, but in a soft, moist bar form. The crunchier edges are great too—more like an actual cookie. You probably have all the ingredients already, so go make these!

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26/3/2009



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Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Today, while eating lunch before class, I turned on the Food Network. “Everyday Italian” was on, and Giada was making this amazing-looking baked pasta dish. I only caught the tail end, but I had to know what she was making. I went to FoodNetwork.com and searched for it, and lo and behold, I found this recipe for Cheesy Baked Tortellini.

I stopped by the store after class to get the ingredients and it was so worth it. Do be aware that this isn’t a cheap recipe—good cheese is pricy, and this recipe uses quite a bit of good cheese. So maybe this is a special-occasion-type recipe. No matter what, though, it’s incredibly delicious and it’s pretty easy too. I will definitely be making this again, especially since I have a lot of leftover cheese!

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

  • Olive oil
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
  • 2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend.

Mascarpone comes in a little tub like this—it’s a really great creamy cheese, sort of like ricotta but a lot creamier and with a little sweetness. It’s also great for using in Italian cheesecake.

Pretty, right? I couldn’t find fresh thyme and I didn’t feel like buying ground thyme when I know I would barely use it, so I used oregano, which I love. Oregano is a great substitute for thyme if you aren’t a fan of it. When using dried, ground herbs instead of fresh ones, use a little less because the flavor is more concentrated. I only used about a teaspoon of oregano. Use fresh herbs if you got ‘em though!

Whisk to combine as much as you can, but don’t worry about those little chunks of mascarpone cheese. They’ll melt when you add in the hot tortellini.

Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.

In case you’re completely grocery-store-layout-inept like me, you can find these things in the refrigerated section by the milk and cheese (it’s right with the ricotta cheese). There, I just saved you 10 minutes of searching…10 minutes that I can’t get back… :( Also, these came in 9-oz. packages, but there are 16 oz. in a pound (the recipe amount)…so I just took a scant handful out of one package, put it in a Ziploc baggie, and saved it for later.

Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella (cut into thin slices) and Parmesan.

The smoked mozarrella may require a little searching. It was buried in my grocery store’s GIANT cheese island, and it was the last package of the stuff they had. It really makes the dish though, so definitely don’t substitute regular mozzarella! I loved the smoky flavor it had while still maintaining the creaminess of regular mozarrella.

Don’t be skimpy with the cheese. You paid good money for it, after all. The smoked mozzarella slices should be a little less than a quarter-inch thick, I’d say. They create a delicious, melty, smoky crust on top. Mmm.

Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Top with some grated parmesan and serve!

The great thing about this dish is that it’s versatile. You can use whatever kind of stuffed pasta you want, really. If you’re a meat fan, used some sausage-stuffed tortellini. You can use some spinach-stuffed tortellini, ravioli, whatever. You can also use your favorite tomato sauce—if you want to use a meat-based one, go for it. If you want to make your own, go for it. You can change up the herbs, the cheeses, anything—go crazy!

Let me tell you, people—this stuff was so freakin’ good. With the four college kids in our house, it was gone within minutes. Double the recipe for some great leftovers! Enjoy!

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