Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

Some days when the wind is cold and bitting with no sun in sight I know making a hearty pasta dish is just perfect comfort food for dinner. All the ingredients for my Baked Penne I purchased at Trader Joe's except I made my own Pomodoro sauce. Trader Joe's has a tasty prepared Pomodoro sauce which will cut down the time to make an easy home cooked meal. Put the casserole together the night before and  bake for dinner the next day. Delicious, easy and a quick home cooked meal! 1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions 8 ounces part skim Ricotta cheese 8 ounces Burrata mozzarella, two balls chopped 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 2 teaspoon dry oregano   Pomodoro Sauce* or Trader Joe's Rustico  8 ounce cooked chicken sausage, slice 1/4 inch thick Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine ricotta, 1/2 burrata, parmesan cheese, oregano in medium size bowl. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside. Place 1/4 cup of Pomo...

Roasting sausage in a healthy alternative to frying without losing the wonderful taste of the spices in the sausage. For a hearty healthy one dish meal I place fiber filled white beans in a baking dish, then add sausage topping with simmered tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olives, capers, herbs and anchovies. The anchovies are optional but these little fishes added a little zing to the tomato sauce.  Roasted Sausage  and White Beans with Tomatoes 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 shallot, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 can(14.5 oz.) Hunts diced Tomatoes, not salt added 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon fresh basil, thinly chopped 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives 2 tablespoon capers, chopped 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional) 1 can(15.5 oz.) Goya Prime Premium White beans, rinsed  1 pound Chicken sausage links Preheat oven to 400F. In a sauce pan heat olive oil then add shallot and garli...

When fall is in the air and winter is approaching I start making large batches of soup to freeze for cold nights when nothing is as warming as a hot bowl of soup.  My soups are complete meals meant to be enjoyed with a luscious fresh salad and crisp baked bread. Nothing smells as good as hot fragrant soup simmering on the stove!  Vegetable Soup with Chicken Sausage and Orzo Ingredients 2 medium carrots, chopped 2 fennel ribs, chopped 2 shallots, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 (32-oz) containers organic vegetable broth 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 cup french string beans, cut into 2 in. pieces 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 5 cooked chicken sausages, cut into bit size pieces*  1 cup orzo Toasted Baguette**   Preparation 1. Sauté carrots and next 4 ingredients in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high he...