Baked Layered Italian Spread Recipes

CALI-TALIAN 7 LAYER DIP

Steps:

• Combine the ricotta, sour cream, chile paste, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth. Remove to a medium bowl. In the same food processor, combine the beans, pesto, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and 3/4 teaspoons of the salt. Puree until smooth. Spread the bean mixture on the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish. Pour the ricotta mixture on top and spread evenly.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan over the ricotta. Sprinkle the arugula over the cheese layer. Sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes and olives over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Just before serving, toss the avocado with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and spread evenly on the top. Serve with pita chips and celery sticks.

LAYERED ITALIAN DIP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Mix cream cheese and Parmesan until blended; spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.
• Top with layers of remaining ingredients.
• Bake 15 min. or until heated through.

ITALIAN LAYERED SALAD

Steps:

• In deep 3-quart serving dish, layer lettuce, broccoli slaw, beans, onion and bell pepper.
• Mix mayonnaise and Italian dressing until well blended. Spread over vegetables. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled or overnight. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

LAYERED ITALIAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, parsley and oregano; heat through. , In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Drain the spaghetti., Spread 1 cup meat sauce into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the spaghetti, cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers (dish will be full). , Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

ITALIAN EGGPLANT TOMATO BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a plastic bag, combine the flour, bread crumbs and Italian seasoning. Shake to mix. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and water. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. There should be enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet. Dip the eggplant slices in egg, then place in the bag and shake to coat. Fry the slices in the skillet until golden brown on each side. Remove, and drain on paper towels.
• Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9 inch square baking dish. Cover with the eggplant slices, then top with more sauce. Mix together the ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese; spread over the eggplant. Spread sauce over the cheese, and top with tomato slices. Cover with more sauce, and spread remaining cheese over the top.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Serve the eggplant tomato bake over pasta.

BAKED LAYERED POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°. Grease rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches.
• Cook polenta in salted water as directed on package; stir in oregano. Spread in baking dish.
• Heat oil in nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook zucchini in oil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in marinara sauce; reduce heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
• Spoon zucchini mixture over polenta. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly around edges.

MEXICAN LAYERED DIP

Steps:

• Spread refried beans in the bottom of a (1-quart) shallow edged serving dish (you can use a transparent dish if you'd like). Sprinkle the seasoning packet over the beans. Layer the diced tomatoes over the beans, the sour cream over the tomatoes, and the guacamole over the sour cream. Sprinkle the entire layered dip with cheddar cheese, followed by green onion and finishing it off with a layer of black olives. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

ITALIAN LAYER BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll crescent roll dough without separating triangles. Separate dough into 2 squares along center cut line.
• Place 1 square of dough into an 8-inch square baking dish; using your fingertips, press dough to fit bottom of dish.
• Layer with half the turkey, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, and roasted peppers. Pour half of beaten eggs over peppers and repeat with remaining meats, cheese, and peppers.
• Place remaining square of dough over peppers. Pour remaining beaten eggs over dough and cover lightly with foil.
• Bake 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden and heated through. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes then cut and serve.

BAKED LAYERED ITALIAN SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Parmesan, and Asagio; spread into the bottom of a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish.
• Mix together the pesto and roasted garlic; spread in a layer over the cheeses on the dish.
• Spread the shredded mozzarella over the pesto layer, then sprinkle with the roasted red pepper.
• Mix together the Parma ham or prosciutto and the cooked white beans; set aside.
• To arrange the last layer, mentally divide the contents of the dish into three equal"pie slice" shaped sections, then: (1) over one section, arrange the black or green olives, (2) over another section, arrange the artichoke hearts, (3) and over another layer the Parma and bean mixture.
• Sprinkle the entire dish with the onion and parsley, and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes and it's bubbly.
• Remove from oven and serve hot with dippers such as endive leaves or thin slices of toasted Italian bread.
• Notes: you can leave out the Parma ham if you want it to be vegetarian; also, this can be made up ahead of time and reheated, if necessary.