Arancini Pork Casserole

This is a less healthy variant of https://www.skinnytaste.com/sicilian-rice-ball-casserole/ 

Ingredients:
1 Qt Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce

1/2 Medium Red Onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 Cauliflower

2 Cups uncooked Jasmati Rice

1 Qt Homemade Low Salt Vegetable Broth

3/4 lbs Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese grated

1/2 cup Progresso Italian Style Breadcrumbs

5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1 lb Ground Pork

* Olive Oil

* Cooking Spray

* Salt

* Black pepper

* Garlic Powder

* Dry Basil

Tools:

13x9 Oven safe casserole dish

Small oven safe dish (for roasting cauliflower)

Large skillet for pork

2 qt saucepan 

Preparation: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small oven save dish, add olive oil, cauliflower, salt and pepper. Put in the oven and roast until it has started to brown. 

In a 2 qt saucepan bring vegetable broth with salt to a boil. Add 2 cups of jasmati rice, cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. 

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Dice onion and mince garlic, add to skillet with salt & pepper. While cooking, flatten out pork and season with salt, pepper, garlic and basil and fold into the ends over. Once the onion/garlic mix has become fragrant and starts to become translucent, spread to the outside of the skillet and add pork breaking up as it browns on one side. Once cooked through and broken up into small pieces (think taco meat) add enough sauce to mix through but not cover the pork. Cover with a lid leaving partially open and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, mix together Parmesan cheese, egg, egg white, and cooked rice with about 1 pint of sauce. Mix thoroughly until well incorporated and set aside. 

Prepare oven safe casserole dish by spraying all sides and adding 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, spreading around until all sides of the dish are coated in breadcrumb. Add a 1/2" layer of the rice mixture, cover with pork combined with chopped cauliflower.  Add 1/4 lb of grated mozzarella then cover with another 1/2" layer of rice mixture. 

Top with remaining 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and remaining mozzarella cheese. 

Bake in oven for 30 - 45 minutes until breadcrumbs have toasted and cheese has melted with a good crust. 

Serving: 

Remove from oven and serve in squares as you would lasagna. 

Eggplant Parmesan Bread

This started because a local bakery made something like this and the combination just made complete sense. 

Ingredients:
Dough: 
1 Tsp Active Dry Yeast (1 package contents)
3/4 Cup of warm water (should be between 100 - 105 degrees F)
2 1/2 Cups of White Flour
1/2 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 Tsp of Sugar


Eggplant:
1 Whole baby eggplant (Roughly 5 - 6")
1 cup white flour
1 pint of egg beaters (separate 2 - 3 Tbsp and mix with water for egg wash)
2 cup of italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
3 cups of Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce (divided - 1, 2)

12 oz of Mozzarella Cheese
8 oz Ricotta Cheese
* Parmesan Cheese (unmeasured)
* Olive Oil (unmeasured)
* Corn meal (unmeasured)

Preparation: 
In a stand mixer, mix together yeast and water until bubbles form (indicating the yeast is active).  Once well blended, add in flour, 1 Tbsp of oil, salt and sugar. Mix together with a dough hook until a solid ball forms. (if its too sticky add additional white flour, if not sticky enough add water). Once The dough ball has formed and is not sticky, let the ball rise in a large covered bowl in a warm dry place for about 1 hour.

Peel the eggplant and slice 1/8 lengthwise.  You will need 3 shallow dishes: in one shallow dish, distribute flour evenly, in the second, empty entire carton of egg beaters, and in the third mix together both breadcrumbs.  Dip the eggplant slices in the flour, then egg, then pat well in the breadcrumbs to ensure complete coating. 

Heat broiler on high. Using a stoneware pan, drizzle with olive oil and place down one layer of the breaded eggplant.  Drizzle more on the exposed side of the eggplant and place in the broiler until crispy. Depending on your oven, this may vary in time, the best gauge is to look every 2 - 3 minutes and flip when they have just started to brown and before they burn. When done, remove from pan and let rest/oil drip on paper towels. Wipe down the oil from the stoneware pan but do not allow to completely cool. 

In a 2 quart saucepan, heat up pasta sauce and shred the Mozzarella cheese. 

Cooking:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Stretch the dough out on a flat surface into a rectangular shape that matches the stoneware pan. Once it is the appropriate size, flip one side onto the other and coat the surface that it will contact with corn meal so it can easily be transferred. Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom approximately 3/4 of an inch from the edges and only to the center line of the dough. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese onto the sauce and layer in a row of eggplant again keeping the edges 3/4 of an inch from the edges of the dough. On top of the eggplant, spread a 1/4 inch layer of ricotta cheese followed by another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheese. 

Using the egg wash that was set aside, brush the edges of the dough and fold over stretching as needed to cover the eggplant layers until sealed (similar to a calzone). Transfer to the stoneware pan (corn meal side down) and make shallow slices across the top (similar to how you would see on a loaf of french bread). Brush the surface with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese.  Put in the oven and repeat egg wash every 3 - 4 minutes until golden brown. 

Serving:
Remove from the pan and slice width wise with a large knife. Serve with remaining pasta sauce for dipping. `

Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe is based on a healthier alternative than frying the eggplant by using a stoneware pan and the broiler. 

Ingredients: 
1 Whole eggplant
1 pint of egg beaters
1 cup of whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
12 oz of Mozzarella Cheese
2 cups of Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce

* Olive Oil to be sprayed on the eggplant

Preparation:
Peel the eggplant and slice 1/8 to 1/4" thick (can do either rounds or lengthwise).  In one shallow dish, empty entire carton of egg beaters. In another dish, mix together both breadcrumbs.  Dip the eggplant slices in the egg then pat well in the breadcrumbs to ensure complete coating. 

Heat broiler on high. Using a stoneware pan, spray with olive oil and place down one layer of the breaded eggplant.  Spray the top and place in the broiler for about 3 - 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from broiler and flip over and cook for an additional 3 - 5 minutes. You can cook about 4 - 6 slices at a time. 

Spray a baking dish with a light coating of olive oil. Ensure all of the cheese is shredded and begin layering: 

Eggplant > Sauce > Cheese > Eggplant ...

Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 15  - 20 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Serving:
Serve by cutting into 4" x 4" squares. 

Lasagna with homemade noodles

Ingredients: 
1 Pasta Dough, rolled out flat:Hand Rolling Pasta Dough with or without the spinach
1 1/2 Cup of Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce1 Cup Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
8 oz Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
108g Boca Veggie Crumbles 
1 bunch Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley

* Parmesan Cheese 
* Sea Salt
* Garlic Powder
* Olive Oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

In a large stock pot bring 4 quarts of water to a boil seasoned heavily with sea salt (should taste like the ocean). Cut pasta dough sheets into lengths approximately 8 - 10 inches long (though it does depend on what you will be making the lasagna in). Boil pasta until it floats, remove and place on a wire rack to dry. 

Spray a small skillet lightly with olive oil seasoned with garlic powder. Add Veggie crumbles to the skillet and saute until browned. 

In a bowl, shred mozzarella cheese to desired size. Additionally, finely chop parsley. 

Spray the bottom of an oven ready casserole dish with some olive oil. Layer in a small amount of sauce followed by an initial layer of noodles. You can alternate the ingredients but it is recommended as follows: 

Layer 7	Noodles	Sauce	1/2 of the Mozzarella
Layer 6	Noodles	Sauce	1/3 of the Ricotta
Layer 5	Noodles	Sauce	1/2 of the Veggie Crumbles
Layer 4	Noodles	Sauce	1/3 of the Ricotta
Layer 3	Noodles	Sauce	1/2 of the Veggie Crumbles
Layer 2	Noodles	Sauce	1/2 of the Mozzarella
Layer 1	Noodles	Sauce	1/3 of the Ricotta

In each layer add as much or as little of the fresh parsley. Top with a small amount of Parmesan cheese and place in oven for approximately 30 - 45 minutes until sauce begins to boil and cheese is melted and bubbling. Place in broiler to finish for approximately 2 minutes. 

Serving
This makes 8 servings, divide the casserole into 8 equal portions. 

Nutrition Information
This is a healthy lasagna recipe since it uses the homemade pasta dough saving on the Weight Watchers Points Plus values for boxed pasta noodles.  Per serving this is approximately 7 WW Points Plus points.