Easy Ravioli Lasagna

This is a great dish to make if you are having a crowd in for dinner.  It also doubles very easily.  You can also make it vegetarian as well.

I love all the cheese on top.

It really is very easy to mix up.

Start with 2 cups ricotta cheese

Add 1 egg to the cheese

Add 1 cup Parmesan or Italian cheese

Keep a little extra handy

Now you can use 2 15 oz jars of pasta sauce of your choice or you can make your own.  I like my meat sauce so I made a pot of my own.  Add a layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Or if you wanted a smaller pan it would be easy to make less or more whatever your needs are.

Add a layer of frozen ravioli.  These are four cheese ravioli

On top of the ravioli spread out the ricotta mixture.

Those off set spatula come in handy right now.

Add another layer of sauce.

Another layer of ravioli

Add more sauce.

Top with mozzarella cheese

Cover and bake in a preheated 350 oven.  Bake for 40 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes.  You want the cheese to get nice and brown and bubbly.

Enjoy.  It also is very good left over.

Easy Ravioli Lasagna Recipe

2 15 oz jars pasta sauce of your choice or you own sauce
2 1 lb bags frozen ravioli
15 oz container ricotta cheese
mozzarella cheese
8 oz parmesan or Italian cheese
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake 40 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered.

Roasting Hatch Green Chiles

You learned a little about Hatch peppers yesterday.  I promised to show you how to roast them today. This will work for roasting any kind of pepper.  The times might be a little different based on the size of the peppers. 

Roasting peppers brings out their natural flavor.  Cooking with roasted peppers takes your recipes up a notch

It doesn't take much to roast them.

Wash and dry your peppers.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Place the peppers on the sheet.  Lay them flat.

Place them in an oven on broil.  Move the rack to the highest level.  You want the rack 4 to 6 inches below the broiler. Leave them there 3-5 minutes.  You want some of the black blisters to appear.  You don't want the pepper covered in blisters.  About 60% of the pepper.

After 3-5 minutes, take them out and turn them over.

After you have turned them over place them back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes.

This is after the second time in the oven.

As soon as you take them out of the oven place them in paper bags.  Since my bags were lighter in color I double bagged them.  Placed two in each bag.

Seal them up and let them cool.  The steam from inside will make it easier to peel.

After they are cool take them out one eat a time to pull the peeling off and take out the seeds.

The skin should just peel off.  You might need to use the tip of the knife to get under some places.

Then scrap the seeds out. Place them in a container and put in the fridge.  You can roast lots and put them in the freezer for later.

Cheesy Hatch Green Chile Dip

You might not know this but it is Hatch Chile season.  Let me explain.  There is a town in New Mexico named Hatch.  As it was explained to me it is like Vidalia, Georgia with the onions, they grow the majority of these peppers. Last fall the husband spent several weeks in New Mexico and had these peppers on everything they ate.  He said several people even shipped some back.  Well last weekend he noticed Fresh Market was roasting them.  Thus, started my search for recipes.  Oh and did I mention we played New Mexico State in football last weekend?  It seemed like the perfect tie in.

This nice cheesy dip was very good and with a slight hint of heat.

Take some time and roast the peppers the day before.  There will be a post on that tomorrow.

Start with 1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayo

2 teaspoon steak sauce

fresh ground pepper

salt

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  You can use the kind in the green can but fresh is always better.

Chop your green chiles.  The recipe calls for 1 cup mild roasted Hatch chilies and 1.2 cup roasted hot chilies.  I wasn't sure if these were hot or mild so I didn't add as many as the recipe called for.  Yesterday when I roasted and peeled them I used gloves but still I got some in my eye and it burned.  So I wasn't taking any chances.

Mix everything together.

Place in a baking dish.  

Add some additional cheese on top. Place in a preheated 375 oven and bake for 25 minutes or until it is nice and bubbly.  I turned the broiler on to get the top nice and golden brown.

Nice and bubbly brown.  Serve with taco chips or sliced bread pieces.


Cheesy Hatch Green Chile Dip Recipe

1 cup chopped mild roasted Hatch chilies
1/2 cup chopped roasted hot Hatch chilies
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon steak sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
taco chips or bread.

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake 25 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

I found this new chicken casserole a few months ago and have made it several times now.  It is a really good addition to the regular rotation.  I made a couple of changes to it and I will share them with you as we go.  

Perfect comfort food.

I would suggest you keep the ingredients on hand so you can make this any time you need something for dinner.

Start with two cans of cream of soup.  The recipe calls for two cans of cream of chicken.  That is not my favorite so I used one of chicken and one of cream of mushroom.  Mix those together.

Add one pint of sour cream.  Mix that well.  I used light.

Add 1 cup milk.  I used 2%. Mix well.

Add a can of green chili peppers.  I used mild and they really didn't add flavor, so the next time I add hot and well that added too much flavor, so as Goldilocks would say the medium peppers were just right.  If you like a little heat add the medium ones.

Chop an onion.  Add to the mixture.

Cut up some corn tortillas.  Use as many or as few as you like.

Layer about half in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Chop up your cooked chicken.  The recipe calls for a whole chicken.  I like chicken breast use what you like or have.  You could probably use a rotisserie chicken if you had one.

Layer half the chicken on top of the tortillas.

Grate some cheddar cheese or you could use montery jack or you favorite cheese.

Layer some cheese on top of chicken.

Pour half the soup mixture on top of the cheese.

Cut more tortillas

Place them on top of the soup mixture.

Add more chicken

Pour the rest of the soup mixture on top.

Add more cheese

Put that on top of the soup.

Cover the casserole with foil.  Add to a preheated 350 oven.  Make sure it is covered tightly. Bake for 1 hour.

Remove the foil and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Then serve.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole Recipe

cooked chicken- whole or breast
2 cans cream of soup--chicken or mushroom or a combo
1 onion chopped
1 pint sour cream
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
1 can green chili peppers
corn tortillas cut up
1 cup milk

Follow the layers of tortillas, chicken, cheese, soup mixture, tortillas, chicken, soup and end with cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.  Remove foil and bake for additional 5-10 minutes.