4 Mediterranean Month Recipes the Whole Family Will Love

In honor of Mediterranean Month, our nutrition expert, Dr. Will Clower, has put together four delicious and healthy Mediterranean-inspired recipes that your entire family will love!

The Last Lasagna

This lasagna could get the trump card. The use of spicy Italian sausage and red wine takes this lasagna to the next level.

For the Sauce You’ll Need:
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large can whole tomatoes (approximately 28 ounces)
1 medium can tomato sauce (approximately 15 ounces)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 pinch cayenne
½ cup red wine

For the Ricotta Cheese Mix You’ll Need:
1 (16-ounce) container of ricotta cheese
1 large egg
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 lasagna noodles
1 pound whole milk Mozzarella cheese, grated

What You’ll Do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. In a large frying pan, cook the Italian sausage over medium heat with the chopped onions and minced garlic.
3. After it’s browned, add the whole tomatoes and tomato sauce right into the frying pan. Cut up the whole tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Add the bay leaves, oregano, basil, and cayenne. Throw in a half-cup of red wine. Simmer for at least 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Let it sit and simmer on low heat for a while, because it only gets better as it cooks.
4. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and oregano.
5.  Boil 12 lasagna noodles in a pot of salty water and a splash of olive oil. Drain when done.
6. In a standard lasagna pan, place a layer of pasta on bottom of baking dish. Spread a third of the ricotta mix onto the pasta. Spread a third of the sauce on the ricotta mix. Sprinkle a third of the mozzarella onto the sauce. Repeat the process for the remaining ingredients.
7. Bake for 45 minutes – you’ll smell it when it is getting close. When it’s crisping a bit on the top and bubbling up on the sides pull it out. Allow another 30 minutes for it to cool and set.

Play with Your Food

• Try using a red onion or a sweet onion.
• Try using ground beef instead of sausage.

Gluten-Free Swordfish Topped with a Mediterranean Salsa

This Mediterranean flare to this swordfish is a great balance for the robustness of what swordfish has to offer. This salsa also works well topped on a lot of other seafood or simply as a starter topped on some crostini.

What You’ll Need:
1 piece of fresh swordfish
¼ cup of green olives Kalamata olives, deseeded and chopped
¼ cup tomato, chopped
¼ cup onion, chopped
½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cayenne

What You’ll Do:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place the swordfish in a small baking dish. Add salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
3. Mix olives, tomato, and onion together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add balsamic vinegar and EVOO. Add cayenne pepper. Mix together.
4. Pour salsa on top of swordfish. Place into pre-heated oven and cook for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn broiler to high and broil for 5 minutes.

Play with Your Food

• Add some freshly chopped parsley to final product after fish has been baked.
• Use a variety of heirloom tomatoes.
• You could also try this dish with salmon too.

Vegetarian Sundried Tomato Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce

It is simple to throw together, has incredible flavor, and makes a bunch. The good news is that it’s just as good reheated. Stir in a touch of milk and warm it up for leftovers.

What You’ll Need:
2/3 cup vodka
1 real good pinch of crushed red pepper
6 tablespoons butter
1 small box of penne pasta
1 cup tomatoes, mixed in the blender
1 jar sundried tomatoes in oil
1 good handful mushrooms, sliced
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup fresh Parmesan

What You’ll Do:
1. Stir the amount of red pepper you choose (depending on your spice-tolerance) into the vodka, and begin the water for the pasta. Don’t forget to cook the pasta with some salt and olive oil.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the vodka-pepper mixture, and bring it up to a boil. Add the tomatoes and cream. Return to boil, lower heat, and let the flavors work into each other at a simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Chop the sundried tomatoes into small pieces. Sauté the mushrooms with sun dried tomatoes in their own oil. Add to the sauce. When the pasta is done, add it to the whole batch, and mix in the Parmesan cheese. It’s incredible.

Play with Your Food

• Use Romano or Asiago cheese instead of Parmesan
• Top dish with some cooked shrimp
• Top with some freshly chopped Italian parsley

Greek Lamb and Orzo

This is an easy way to prepare lamb on a busy weeknight. Enjoy this main dish with a glass of red wine.

What You’ll Need:
1 pound ground lamb
16 ounces canned stewed tomatoes, not drained
1 stalk celery, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ cup orzo
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Plain yogurt

What You’ll Do:
1. Cook and stir ground lamb in 10-inch skillet until lamb is light brown; drain.
2. Stir in tomatoes, celery, orzo, salt and red pepper.
3. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
4. Cover and simmer about 12 minutes, stirring frequently until tomato liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender.
5. Serve with yogurt.