Manicotti Italian Casserole!

Manicotti Italian Casserole

Submitted by Diva Donna Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 8

"Some members of my family call it manicotti, some call it Italian casserole. So I call it Manicotti Italian Casserole. This is one of my all time favorite meals to make, and it's super easy!"

Ingredients:

1 pound rigatoni pasta 1 pound ground beef 1 pound Italian sausage 1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms, drained

2 (32 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce 1 1/2 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese thinly sliced pepperoni

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Pour in rigatoni, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set pasta aside.
3.	Meanwhile, brown ground beef and italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. With a slotted spoon, remove beef and sausage to a baking dish. Stir mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, and cooked pasta into the baking dish. Sprinkle cheese and pepperoni over the top.
4.	Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Tasty Tuesday Chicken Florentine!

It's time for another recipe! I had some cream, chicken, Locatelli cheese, and spinach on hand, so I put my own spin on a classic. The guys gave it two thumbs up!

Chicken Florentine

Ingredients: 
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, butterflied, then cut into pieces and pounded flat.
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 10 oz bag of fresh spinach
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (Locatelli)
salt
pepper
garlic powder

Egg noodles cooked according to package directions. (about 1/3 of a one pound bag)

Directions:
Prepare chicken pieces as above. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then place in a bowl with a tight-fitting lid, add flour and shake it until chicken is coated with flour. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook just until it starts to change color--not browned. Remove garlic. Add butter to skillet. Place floured chicken in skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove chicken and add spinach to skillet. Saute until the spinach is wilted. Then add cream and reserved garlic and heat until bubbling. Add the chicken and grated cheese and cook about two minutes more. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add cooked noodles, toss gently, serve, and enjoy! Makes about three or four servings.