In my quest to find perfect one-pan dinners, I stumbled across this recipe at Daily Candy. I haven’t tried many of Tyler’s recipes, but this one seemed simple enough to tackle. Essentially, you brown some ground beef in an oven-proof pan. Then add in some veggies that have been chopped in a food processor (canned tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic). Stir in some chicken stock, fresh spinach and ricotta cheese. Cover in a layer of broken lasagna noodles. Top that with some mozzeralla, and pop it in a 400 degree heated oven for about 15 minutes. It’s important to let the pan sit about ten minutes before you dig in. Mine, as you can see, was not the prettiest thing. It had a bit too much liquid in it, and I think if I make again I might drain the tomatoes slightly or reduce the amount of chicken broth added. Despite its unattractive looks, the lasagna was quite tasty. And with only one layer of noodles and cheese, it’s lighter than you’d expect. I will definitely make it again — and work on its appearance.

More one-pan dishes:
One-pan pasta with garlic

Melissa Clark’s Roast Chicken with Chickpeas

Click through for my take on Tyler Florence’s One-Pan Lasagna, or click here for his original recipe.
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Pizza is one of those things I never make at home. When you live in New York or New Jersey, the best pizza in the country is just a walk, ride or phone call away. But this article by Melissa Clark in the Times the other week had me looking at pizza dough in a new light. Instead of baking a traditional pie, she piled on cheese, veggies and such, folded it over and produced something I haven’t eaten since my college days: a calzone! Though Melissa had a few suggestions of what you could stuff the mega-sized dough pocket with, the one that spoke to me instantly was made with broccoli rabe (possibly my favorite vegetable) and olives.

I followed Melissa’s recipe, which is pretty straight forward. First, cook the broccoli rabe like always — sauteed in a pan with garlic and touch of oil. After that is finished, roll out the pizza dough — I used frozen, that defrosted during the day when I was at work — with a bit a flour until it forms a 12 inch round. Next, cover half of the dough with the following yummy ingredients: Ricotta cheese, some fresh garlic, cooked broccoli rabe, fresh mozzerella, red chili pepper flakes, and sliced Calamata olives. Fold over the dough and pinch the edges to close. Brush a little olive oil on it and bake at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes. The crust will be firm and golden brown. Let it cool a few minutes before you cut. When I sliced mine, a bit of excess water from the broccoli rabe ran out. Next time I’ll be sure to pat it dry with a little paper towel before putting on the dough. The taste? Crazy delicious. That was easy! Click here to see full recipe.

Do you make homemade pizzas at home? Now that I’ve tackled the calzone, I think I’m ready for a pie. This could be life changing!

More recipes featuring broccoli rabe:

One pan sausage with broccoli rabe rice

Pasta with broccoli rabe

I have a small repetoire of pasta dishes I create again and again. Most of those I love because they come close to recreating a pile of perfection I consumed in Italy on a trip long ago.

Well, I am trilled to share with you my new go-to pasta sauce: It’s called Roman Style Spaghetti, but it is basically an Amatriciana — tomato sauce with onion and pancetta (bacon). It’s so insanely simple, and it really does taste as good as the stuff I have had in Piazza Navona. My only tip would be to buy the best ingredients you can: imported tomatoes, real pancetta, and a good white wine. Here’s my take on this iVillage recipe.

Roman Style Spaghetti or Spaghetti all’Amatriciana

What you need:
1/4 cup of olive oil
a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
yellow onion, finely chopped
half a pound of pancetta, cut into small bits
1/2 a cup (or slightly more if needed) of a dry white wine
1/2 cup + of romano cheese
a generous toss of red pepper flakes
a pound of spaghetti
salt

How to make:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan until it is really hot. Toss in chopped onion and cook until translucent, about three or four minutes. Add pancetta and cook until slightly browned, about five minutes. Add white wine and allow it to bubble until the wine boils down, stirring frequently, for about ten minutes. While that is happening, boil water with salt for spaghetti, which you should cook al dente. After the onion-pancetta-wine sauce has thickened a bit, add the can of tomatoes. Flavor with red pepper flakes an salt and let it cook for at least fifteen minutes. If it cooks a little longer than that, it only gets better.

Once the pasta is cooked, return it to the pot and mix in with sauce until well coated. Don’t drown the pasta in the sauce — save what’s extra for the table. Add in the romano cheese. Serve with extra sauce, cheese and red pepper. If you have leftovers, you’re very lucky. It tastes better the next day.

A few of my other favorite pasta recipes:

It’s been a while since we cooked up a bubbling dish of cheesey yumminess. The last time I healthed it up a bit by using whole wheat noodles and cauliflower. I’ve always wanted to try this Jamie Oliver recipe — his “killer” — but the tomatoes have held me back. In my world, there’s tomato sauce or there’s macaroni and cheese, and never the twain shall meet. I finally brushed aside my restrictions and gave this a try. The results, I must say, were pretty killer!

What makes this dish so good is the extra dashes of flavor added to the base. You start with a lot of garlic — ten cloves. Also you’ll need some fresh herbs — Jamie calls for bay leaves and thyme. I didn’t have either so used some oregano and rosemary. A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a sprinkle of nutmeg complete the appeal.

I also made this recipe in a cast iron skillet and it worked out quite nicely.

Click here to get Jamie Oliver’s Killer Macaroni and Cheese recipe.

If that doesn’t float your boat, try these from our archives:

Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower

Rachael Ray’s Spicy Macaroni and Cheese