There were some girls over at one of my favorite cooking forums (the Nest’s What’s Cooking board) talking about recipes for lentil soup, which is where I got this one. It’s one of Giada DeLaurentiis’ recipes (and you can’t go wrong with Giada), and it’s thick, hearty and full of flavor. I think it would be perfect for a nice chilly Fall day or cold Winter night! I had never had lentils before and was definitely pleased with their taste/texture. I think they added a lot to this soup! I will definitely be making this again…soon!
Lentil Soup with Beef
-Giada DeLaurentiis
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 (14-ounce) cans beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups (about 11 ounces) lentils, rinsed
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add the lentils. Cover and continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
(This makes A LOT of soup, so plan for company that night!)
I know, I know – this is a terrible picture! But it was late, there was limited natural light left in my dining room, and we were hungry, dangit! I was in a hurry! So anyway, this is the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for lasagna. I’ve actually never (I know…its sad) made a homemade lasagna before and this one looked pretty good -I’m a big fan of all of her recipes, so I thought I’d give it a go. My sister made it for her family, too (she’s also a big fan of P-Dub). So here it was – my first time to ever make lasagna! I personally didn’t really like it. Probably for a number of reasons that would be completely my fault. First, I used 2 pounds of ground turkey instead of the 1 pound sausage and 1 pound beef that she calls for; secondly I dumped in a ton of dried oregano before realizing she didn’t actually call for oregano, but dried basil…oops (I really don’t care for oregano that much); thirdly, I didn’t let it set long enough after cooking before serving, so when I tried to serve it, it ran all over the place (good thing it was just me and hubby!). So there you have it – 3 mistakes that could’ve easily led to my disliking this recipe; then again, it could just be that I’m really picky about lasagna (my mom has the best!) and set my standards too high. My sister didn’t love it either, but she said her hubby thought it was the best lasagna he’s ever eaten. I guess its just a matter of opinion! At least I can say I’ve made my own lasagna before!
And there’s my crappy picture of the lasagna running all over the place…its terrible, I know. Don’t judge! Anyhow, if you’d like the recipe, click here.
And now I leave you with a random picture of my husband (cute, isn’t he?) eating watermelon….don’t ask why – I just thought it was cute!
I don’t have a lot to say about this dish except that it’s delicious!! I’m all about cooking things that don’t take a lot of time to make and require minimal work! I’m a big fan of www.allrecipes.com/, which is where I found this Ziti recipe, and it was definitely tasty! It had never really occurred to me to use sour cream in baked Ziti, but it actually made the dish really creamy and gooey (and who doesn’t love that?!). This one’s definitely a keeper…
Baked Ziti
Adapted from allrecipes.com
1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta
1 pound lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped (I omitted this and used onion powder)
2 (28 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
I also added a clove of minced garlic for a little extra flavor
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large skillet, brown beef over medium heat. Add onions; saute until tender. Drain off fat and add spaghetti sauce; simmer for about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish, place about half of the pasta; top with a layer of provolone and mozzarella cheese slices. Spread on a layer of half the spaghetti sauce mixture and sour cream.
Cover with remaining pasta, cheese and sauce; sprinkle a layer of Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese and sauce are bubbly; serve.
