Baked Layered Italian Spread Recipes

ITALIAN LAYERED DIP

Steps:

• Let cream cheese and goat cheese soften at room temperature. Mix cheeses together with minced garlic. Line a casserole dish with plastic wrap. Put 1/3 of the cheese mixture in the dish, spreading it evenly to the sides. Next, layer ingredients in the following order: the sun-dried tomatoes, 1/3 cheese mixture, pesto, and remaining cheese in the same manner. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
• To serve, turn upside down on a platter. Serve with crackers.

LAYERED RIGATONI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package except omit salt; keep warm.
• Spray 3-quart saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add onions to saucepan; cook and stir 1 minute. Add butter and flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk with wire whisk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in ricotta cheese and spinach.
• In separate 3-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add tomatoes to oil, crushing tomatoes with spoon. Stir in basil, salt and pepper; cook uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer and basil wilts. Remove from heat; discard basil.
• Over bottom of baking dish, spread half of the tomato sauce (1 1/4 cups). Arrange half of the pasta, 7 rows lengthwise by 9 or 10 rows widthwise, over tomato sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture (2 cups) over pasta. Repeat layers, ending with ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN SEVEN-LAYER DIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crostini: Lay the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush with the oil and then sprinkle with the salt, garlic powder and some fresh pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove the crostini from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven to broil.
• For the dip: In medium bowl, combine the ricotta with salt and pepper to taste. Mix until fully combined, then transfer to an 8-by-8-inch pan, spreading the mixture evenly across the bottom. Set aside.
• In a large pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and sweat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the halved grape tomatoes, chicken stock and garlic and bring to a boil; cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the tomatoes have softened and the mixture has thickened, about 15 minutes.
• While the tomatoes are cooking, add the sausage to a saute pan over high heat. Break up sausage with a wooden spoon and cook it through. When the sausage is finished, spoon it directly over the ricotta and spread it out evenly.
• When the tomatoes are done, spoon them over the sausage layer. Top the tomato layer with the sliced pepperoncini, marinated artichokes and roasted peppers. Place the halved ciliegine on top.
• Place the dip under the broiler and broil on high heat until the cheese has browned slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the dip from the broiler and top with the basil. Serve immediately with the crostini.