Easy Italian Dishes that taste like they take HOURS to make!

I love Italian food - I really love easy, family friendly Italian food - here are a few of my absolute favorites!

Spaghetti Pie

12 oz spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
3 T melted butter
3 beaten eggs
2 T dried basil
1/2 t garlic powder
3/4 c Parmesan cheese
16 oz carton cottage or ricotta cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine butter, eggs, 1/4 c parmesan and spices.  Toss with noodles to coat.  Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Mix rest of parmesan with cottage cheese and spread over noodle "crust".  Cover with spaghetti sauce and top with shredded mozzarella.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sausage Tortellini Soup 

1 lb sausage ( I just use breakfast style but you could use spicy if desired)
2 – 3 (14 ½ oz) cans Italian Style Diced Tomatoes (I like the petite diced w/Garlic and Olive Oil)
1 – 2 c beef broth
½ of a 16 oz bag of frozen spinach
½ of a 42 oz bag of frozen cheese tortellini
1 can garbanzo and/or kidney beans, drained
1 T dried basil
2 T sugar

Brown sausage in large saucepan (larger than 5 qts). Pour in tomatoes and broth. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer until tortellini is tender. You can top with grated mozzarella or parmesan if you desire. If you desire a more broth-y soup, just add additional beef broth.

This recipe fills my “big” crockpot and easily feeds my family with nummy leftovers to spare!

Jenn's Spinach Sausage Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles (regular kind but do not cook)

1 lb sausage
8 oz frozen spinach, thawed
2 cans petite diced with garlic and olive oil tomatoes (if not available used crushed tomatoes plus 1 T Italian seasoning + 1/2 t garlic powder)
1 can diced Italian style tomatoes
1 T dried basil
2 T sugar
24 oz container cottage cheese
1 egg. beaten
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown sausage. When browned, stir in spinach, petite tomatoes and basil. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Mix cottage cheese, egg and parmesan cheese together.
Pour Italian style diced tomatoes on the bottom of a sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Place 4 noodles on top of tomatoes, then cover with 1/2 of sausage mixture and 1/2 of cheese. Then top with 4 more noodles. Then cover with all of cottage cheese mixture. Then cover that with 4 more noodles and the rest of the sausage mixture. Pour 1/2 cup of water over the lasagna. Then cover with rest of cheese.

Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray and place it - sprayed side down - on the top of the lasagna and seal the edges. Bake at 375 for 60 - 70 minutes or until noodles are tender.

I usually end up having to put a cookie sheet under it in the oven so if it "overflows", it doesn't burn on my oven!