Meatball sub and garlic bread in one casserole. Add authentic Italian DOP asiago cheese–fresh and aged–and it’s a little bit of heaven.

Have you guessed I love asiago cheese?  This is a big LOL since a lot of my recipes feature it–especially my ever-popular Mushroom Asiago Chicken and my new Philly-Style Mushroom Asiago Chicken Stuffed Peppers!

Gobs of authentic asiago cheese

Since I show my love for this cheese quite a bit, I was contacted by the folks from the Asiago Cheese Consortium to try some genuine asiago direct from Italy.

Delicious cheese from Italy

I found out something interesting–and delightful.  Asiago also has a fresh version (not aged) that I was sent to try.  It’s a nice change of pace from the usual mozzarella–which you will see when you try my meatballs in this recipe!

Meatballs stuffed with fresh asiago

My casserole combines the fresh and the aged!

When you see this seal, you know you’re getting the real deal:

The “DOP” is Italian for “Denominazione D’Origine Protetta” which in English is “Protected Destination of Origin” (PDO). This guarantees that your cheese was produced and packed in the stated region.  Something like our “California Cheese” seal.

A little bit of heaven

Believe me, once you taste the real thing, you’ll make an effort to find where it’s sold, so here is a list of retailers in the US–Where To Buy Authentic DOP Asiago.

Can you taste it yet?

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Fresh Asiago Meatball Sub Casserole

Meatball sub and garlic bread in one casserole. Add authentic Italian DOP asiago cheese–fresh and aged–and it’s a little bit of heaven.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: beef, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef meatballs, casserole recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 599kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

• 1 lb very lean ground beef
• 3 slices white bread
• water or milk to soften bread
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 12 cubes approx. 1/2-inch fresh asiago cheese*
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbs oil for browning

GARLIC SPREAD FOR BREAD

• 3 tbsp softened room temp butter
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt optional

TO COMPLETE CASSEROLE

• 2-3 cups spaghetti sauce of your choice
• sliced Italian or French bread
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded aged asiago

Instructions

• *Mozzarella may be substituted if you cannot find fresh asiago
• To prepare meatballs:
• Soften bread in just enough water or milk to dampen bread. Let the bread sit for about 5 minutes until most liquid is absorbed. Squeeze excess liquid out of bread.
• In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients, except the cheese cubes. Mix this well so that the softened bread is well incorporated into the meat mixture.
• Separate meat into 12 more or less equal portions. Place a cheese cube in the center of each portion of meat and form a meatball.
• In a large skillet, brown meatballs on all sides. Remove from pan and drain.
• Prepare casserole:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread about 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 11×7-inch baking dish. Place meatballs in the center of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix all the garlic butter ingredients in a small bowl.
• Cut the bread into slices from 1/2-1-inch thick. You will need about 10 slices (depending on the width of the bread). Spread each slice with the garlic butter; set aside. Note: you can use the remaining bread to make garlic toast in a separate pan. Just butter it with the spread and lay it on a baking sheet.
• Remove the meatballs from the oven and remove the foil. Place the buttered bread slices around the perimeter of the pan, keeping the meatballs in the center.
• Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over the meatballs and top the meatballs with the shredded cheeses.
• Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and bread is golden brown.
• Serves 4 for dinner.

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 2373mg | Potassium: 938mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1436IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 560mg | Iron: 5mg

Fresh Asiago Meatball Sub Casserole

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This sausage and mushroom pasta bake is cheesy and easy. It’s a nice mid-week meal or buffet dish.

The January deep freeze of upstate New York always gets me to thinking about comfort food, casseroles and running my oven to add more heat to the house!

Cheesy and comforting

It was also time to rotate food in my chest freezer.  I’d bought Italian sausages a couple of months back, and even though they were vacuum sealed in my Foodsaver, I thought it wise to use them–charts tell you that it’s best to use any ground frozen meat in 30 days…this was certainly longer.  However, the sausages were in good shape.

Cheesy Sausage Pasta Bake

And cheese.  I ALWAYS have cheese.  Half of my deli drawer in the fridge is dedicated to the solid bricks and most of the bottom shelf is dedicated to packages of shredded.

Cheese Please

Now, what is better than sausage with gobs of cheese?  Well, not much LOL.  So I just added a half a box of spiral pasta that was laying around and a jar of pasta sauce–with a few nice add-ins–and I called this dinner.  And it was good!

Add salad & garlic bread for a hearty dinner

As to the amount of cheese–that’s not carved in stone so use more or less as you please.  I imagine turkey sausage would work just as well here, so that can be substituted too.

This would also be a good dish for a buffet.  It’s simple, doesn’t break the bank and comforting on a cold night.  Add a salad and some nice crispy garlic bread and you’ve got it made.

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Cheesy Sausage Pasta Bake

This sausage and mushroom pasta bake is cheesy and easy. It’s a nice mid-week meal or buffet dish.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: easy pasta dinner, pasta bake, sausage

Servings: 6

Calories: 479kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Italian sausage links hot or sweet*
• 4 oz fresh mushrooms sliced in half
• 1/4 cup onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 8 oz dry rotini pasta
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 26 oz spaghetti sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Cook spiral pasta as per package directions, but cook only until al dente (pasta will finish cooking in casserole). Drain, rinse and set aside.
• Slice sausage links into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a deep 11 x 7-inch baking dish (or a shallow 13 x 9-inch dish)
• Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add the sausage pieces, onion, mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage begins to brown. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, combine the pasta, sausage mixture, the cheddar cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella and the spaghetti sauce. Stir well to combine.
• Turn out into prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and beginning to bubble.

Notes

*Bulk Italian sausage meat may be substituted

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1216mg | Potassium: 694mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 879IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 289mg | Iron: 3mg

Up close and personal with cheese

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Simple yet very tasty.

Perfect and easy solution to garlic bread!  All you need is a few pantry items like refrigerated biscuits.

Smells great when baking too.  Basil and oregano may be substituted for the Italian seasoning–1 tsp basil & 1 tsp oregano.

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart

• 3 packages (10-12 oz) refrigerated biscuits
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly spray a fluted tube pan (Bundt) with non-stick spray.


Mix melted butter, garlic, cheese and Italian seasoning in a small bowl.


Lay one package of biscuits, overlapping slightly, on bottom of the pan.  Drizzle with 1/3 of the butter mixture.  Repeat, ending with the butter drizzle.


Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.


Serve immediately.  About 6 servings.

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart

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