Tag: parmesan

Egg & Sausage Carbonara

Categories Recipes1 Comment on Egg & Sausage Carbonara

This Egg & Sausage Carbonara is a long-time family favorite!  Originally inspired by Rachael Ray’s 1998 version of her Spaghetti Carbonara: Pasta with Bacon and Eggs (found in the First printing of 30-Minute Meals), this easy pasta dish was made by my mom often when we were young, and still now when we all visit home.  Doubling the ingredients can make it a perfect choice for feeding a crowd, and for the vegetarians, it’s an easy swap to use your favorite veggie sausages instead!

Servings: About 4

Ingredients:

4 Mild Or Spicy Italian Chicken Sausages Of Choice, such as Bilinski’s

(Traditional Italian sausage can be used if preferred over chicken)

1 Pound Spaghetti

4 Minced Garlic Cloves

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Plus Extra For The Sausages

4 Eggs

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, To Taste

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Black Pepper And Sea Salt, To Taste

Directions:

Slice the sausages into 1/2 inch pieces, and cook them with olive oil over medium heat until browned and crispy.  They can then be removed from the pan and set aside

Boil water for the pasta

Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, evenly pour in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and heat up the garlic on low heat (sprinkling in some red pepper flakes to taste)

Just before draining the finished pasta, take out about 3 spoonfuls of the boiling water and add it into your egg mixture

Drain and rinse the cooked pasta and add it to the skillet of garlic and olive olive, turning the heat up to medium

Coat the pasta evenly, then add in your cooked sausage pieces

Pour in the scrambled eggs, and toss it all together for about 1 minute, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking

Remove from heat, and mix in the parmesan and a generous amount of black pepper

Serve with extra cheese, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste

Enjoy!

Ingredient recommendations linked!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Categories Dinner, Recipes1 Comment on Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan is one of my all-time favorite meals!  Like so many great dishes, there are endless unique ways to prepare it.  Every restaurant and individual has their own twist, and I personally appreciate the variety!  Sometimes you’ll find yourself with fried layers of paper thin eggplant, and other times thick breaded eggplant circles in a single layer.  (There is a local Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that serves theirs up as two large hunks of breaded eggplant with a thick layer of ricotta cheese between the two, all covered in marinara and mozzarella.)

This particular Eggplant Parm is a layered and baked variety that not only tastes amazing but can also easily be made without too much mess or hassle.  It’s perfect as either a weeknight meal, from which you could easily have leftovers, or as a guaranteed crowd pleaser for potlucks and gatherings.  This recipe makes about 6 – 8 medium servings. 

Ingredients:

2 Large Eggplants

4 Eggs

3 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs

4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Jars Marinara Sauce Of Choice

2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese – Torn From Slices (about 8 slices, more if you prefer)

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°

Place two large baking sheets in the oven

Shred the parmesan cheese

Tear the mozzarella slices into small pieces

Combine the two cheeses in a bowl and set aside

Cut the eggplants into circles roughly ½ an inch thick

Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly scramble them with a fork

Place the bread crumbs in either a bowl or on a plate (You can start with some instead of all if you wish, adding more as you run low)

In assembly line style, dip each eggplant circle into the eggs, then into the breadcrumbs

Remove the baking sheets from the oven

Evenly drizzle half of the olive oil onto the baking sheets (1 tbsp per sheet) then place the breaded eggplant circles on in a single layer

Bake for 15 minutes

Remove the sheets from the oven, drizzle the second half of the olive oil (the other 2 tbsps) on top of the eggplant, flip them all over, and then put back into the oven for another 10 minutes (or until they’re turning golden)

Once the eggplant has been removed from the oven, turn the oven temperature up to 475°

In a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, layer the eggplant circles, marinara sauce, then cheeses.  Repeat these layers until the pan is full, ending on a cheese layer

Put the pan back into the oven and bake until the cheese melts and begins to turn golden brown (around 15 minutes)

Let cool slightly for a couple of minutes as it will be extremely hot

Enjoy!

[Leftovers can easily be stored in the refrigerator by simply covering up the cooking dish and storing it in there as is.]

Ingredient recommendations linked!