vegan cheese: does anyone have a good recipe for a pasta dish? i need it for a date, my boyfriend is from a traditional italian family and wants me to make pasta! so pleaseeeeee help! any good recipe's? it needs to be delicious even to an italian! the masters of pasta. thanks :)|||here are a few of our favorite italian dishes.... all of these are great served with a small salad and garlic bread........... LASAGNA INGREDIENTS........... 1 pound sweet Italian sausage 3/4 pound lean ground beef 1/2 cup minced onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 12 lasagna noodles 16 ounces ricotta cheese 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese DIRECTIONS In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. BAKED ZITI INGREDIENTS........... 1 pound dry ziti pasta 1 onion, chopped 1 pound lean ground beef 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced 1 1/2 cups sour cream 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese DIRECTIONS Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted. SHRIMP LINGUINI INGREDIENTS............. 1 (8 ounce) package linguini pasta 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 3/4 teaspoon dried basil 2/3 cup boiling water 1/2 pound cooked shrimp DIRECTIONS Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguini, and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender. Transfer to a plate. In the same pan, melt 1/2 cup butter with the minced garlic. Stir in the cream cheese, breaking it up with a spoon as it melts. Stir in the parsley and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in boiling water until sauce is smooth. Stir in cooked shrimp and mushrooms, and heat through. Toss linguini with shrimp sauce, and serve. FETTUCCINI ALFREDO INGREDIENTS.............. 1 pound dry fettuccine pasta 3 pints heavy whipping cream 1 cup grated Romano cheese ( or grated Parmsan cheese) 4 tablespoons butter 1 pinch ground nutmeg ground black pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain and toss with one tablespoon of butter, cover and set aside. In a medium sauce pan over low heat, heat cream and 3 tablespoons of butter, stirring constantly. When cream begins to simmer mix in a small amounts of Romano cheese, stirring constantly, until all cheese is added and sauce has reduced. It should be thick and easily cover the back of a spoon. Stir in nutmeg and black pepper. Toss with warm fettuccini and serve. NOTE.... you may add cooked shrimp, chicken or scallops to this basic fettuccini dish) CHICKEN MARSALA INGREDIENTS................ 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1/2 cup Marsala wine 1/4 cup cooking sherry DIRECTIONS In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear. CHEESE MANICOTTI INGREDIENTS............. 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti pasta 16 ounces ricotta cheese 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese 2 tablespoons sour cream 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper to taste 2 cups spaghetti sauce DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente, drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, bread crumbs, parsley and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. In a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, spray dish with non-stick cooking spray and cover bottom of dish with a thin film of spaghetti sauce. Fill each manicotti with cheese mixture and place in dish; cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top of sauce. Good Eating......... :)|||Me and my Italian friends love "spaghetti alla norma", a simple but delicious vegeterian recipe with eggplant. No one knows who this Norma is, but that doesn't matter, the recipe is still very nice! This recipe serves 4 2 large firm aubergines (eggplants) good quality extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 or 2 dried chillies, crumbled (optional) 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced a large bunch of fresh basil, stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved 1 teaspoon of good herb or white wine vinegar 2 x 400g tins of good quality chopped plum tomatoes sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 455g dried spaghetti 150g salted ricotta. If you can't find this, use pecorino or Parmesan cheese. Cut the aubergines into quarters lenghtways. If they have got seedy fluffy centers, remove them. Then cut the aubergines across in the lenght, into finger-sized pieces. Get a large pan hot and add a little oil. Fry the aubergines in two batches, add a little extra oil if you need to. The aubergines shouldn't be greasy but not dry either. Sprinkle with some of the dried oregano. Turn the pieces of aubergine until golden on all sides. When the aubergines are all cooked, put them all back in your pan and add the dried chillies. Turn the heat down to medium and add a little oil, the garlic and the basil stalks. Stir so everything gets evenly cooked, then add a swing of herb (or white wine) vinegar and the tins of tomatoes. Chop them so they're not too chunky. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Tear up half the basil leaves, add to the sauce and toss around. Get your spaghetti into a pan of salted boiling water and add a little oil. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions ("al dente" is best). Drain it in a colander and then add it to the sauce. Toss together back on the heat. Taste and add a little salt or pepper if needed. Sprinkle with the remaining basil leaves and the cheese and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top. Serve with some ciabatta and a nice green salad. Buon appetito!