mozzarella Archives - Baked Chicago

Texas Queso Sausage Dip

When I lived in Houston about 10 years ago – my first time living in the Southwest – I was surprised by how pervasive Tex – Mex cuisine was from the grocery store to the fast food restaurant or from the fine dining restaurant to the vending machines. It took me a while to understand and appreciate just how special and tasty Mexican-inspired foods can be. Part of the reason I didn’t take right away is because I’m not someone who loves spicy, spicy foods. I like bold flavors but only with mild heat. One of my favorite dishes to make – and with which I could control how much heat to add – is this Texas-inspired queso sausage dip.

Many queso dip recipes will add green chiles or other spicy chili peppers. Mine is perfect (for me) without that. And truth be told, you could switch out almost any of the ingredients in this dish with what you have on hand. Don’t have white American cheese, use Velveeta. Don’t have Mozzarella cheese, how about a Monterey Jack. When these ingredients are hot and melted together, it’s the flavor of the combination that sings rather than any single ingredient.

And nothing is more savory than warm queso sausage dip on top of a restaurant-style tortilla chip. Yum! What’s your favorite “dipper” when you make queso dip?

Texas Queso Sausage Dip

Rating: 41

Cook Time: 2 hours

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Texas Queso Sausage Dip

Ingredients

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup white American cheese, cubed

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup whole milk

1 cup white onion, minced

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup black olives, chopped

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on LOW heat for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to combine. When mixture is completely melted and hot, it is ready to serve.

http://bakedchicago.com/texas-queso-sausage-dip/

Entrees

Lasagna Primavera

Italian food is so comforting, but it can sometimes be heavy. This lasagna primavera has many of the classic Italian flavors yet it is chock full of fresh vegetables.

Lasagna is a dish that I love, but rarely make at home. The preparation can sometimes be a bit much when cooking for one. But once it’s all assembled, everything after popping it in the oven is easy-peasy. So when I do make lasagna, I make a MEGA-batch so I can freeze portions to enjoy later. Cook once, eat thrice!

This lasagna primavera showcases baby spinach, baby carrots and sugar snap peas, along side rich cheeses. There’s no meat, and you won’t miss it. On a snowy weekend [like 70% of the country is experiencing this weekend] it’s a great dinner option your entire family can enjoy – especially when paired with hot garlic bread. Yes!

And while this recipe uses fresh vegetables, you can easily substitute baby spinach for frozen spinach and sugar snap peas for frozen peas. Whatever vegetables you have will work here so it can also be a great way to clean up odds-and-ends from the fridge and freezer.

Lasagna Primavera

Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups milk

20 ounces baby spinach, chopped

10 ounces sugar snap peas, chopped

8 ounces zucchini, cut into ¼-inch slices

1/2 pound baby carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

2 cups (about 15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (12 to 16 noodles)

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium setting. Add flour and garlic; stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let the flour darken. Whisk in milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened while whisking occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes. Add spinach, peas and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

In the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spread a thin layer of vegetable sauce. Layer four of the lasagna noodles over the sauce. Then layer about half of the remaining vegetable sauce on top of noodles. Add half of the remaining noodles in a layer over the vegetable sauce. Then half of the ricotta mixture, half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan. Repeat by layering the remaining lasagna noodles, followed by remaining vegetable sauce, and the remaining ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover with aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes (or until bubbling and browned). Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe for Freeze-Ahead Lasagna Primavera.

http://bakedchicago.com/lasagna-primavera/