I think of Italian foods as comfort foods. But they have the bonus of being wonderful company dishes too. Choose any of the 3 main dishes below and just add wine, a salad and some rustic bread (even better if you let your guests dip chunks in oil!) You won’t want the evening to end!

Classic Lasagna

 Meat Sauce

1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
2 onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
12 ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not packed in oil), slivered
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste

Pasta & Cheese Filling

12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles, (12 ounces)
2 cups nonfat ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Ground nutmeg, to taste
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

To prepare meat sauce: Heat oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up clumps, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and carrot; cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom liquid evaporates, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir in wine, plum tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is very thick, 30 to 45 minutes more. Adjust seasoning with salt and
pepper.

To prepare lasagna: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles until just tender, about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain, then cool by plunging noodles into a large bowl of ice-cold water. Lay the noodles out on kitchen towels.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

To prepare filling and assemble lasagna: Season ricotta with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Spread about 1 1/2 cups meat sauce in the prepared pan. Layer 3 noodles on top. Spread another 1 cup sauce over the noodles. Dot about 2/3 cup ricotta over the sauce, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Continue layering the noodles, sauce and cheeses, finishing with the sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Sprinkle with parsley; cover with foil.

Bake the lasagna until the sauce is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Cheesy Manicotti

1 pkg. (8 oz.) manicotti shells (14 shells)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 egg whites
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
(15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Heat oven to 350°F.

Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile heat large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites in medium bowl. Add mushroom mixture, spinach, ricotta and half each of the mozzarella and Parmesan; mix well.

Drain pasta; fill with spinach mixture. Place in 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with sauce.

Bake 40 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan; bake 5 minutes or until mozzarella is melted.

It’s easy to make stuffed pizza at home. Just roll the crust thin, spread filling over half and fold closed. To use fresh spinach, cook 10 ounces until just wilted; finely chop and squeeze dry. Serve with: Marinara sauce for dipping. Cooking spray, preferably canola or olive oil.

14-ounce package firm water-packed tofu, drained
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup chopped soft or reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes (see Tip)
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat

Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 475°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Finely crumble tofu; pat dry. Place in a large bowl and use your hands to combine with spinach, tomatoes, Parmesan, mozzarella, basil, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about the length of the prepared baking sheet and twice as wide (approximately 16 by 18 inches). Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, allowing the extra width to hang over on one side onto a clean surface. Spread the filling on the dough in the pan, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold the overhanging dough over the filling. Fold the edges closed and crimp with a fork to seal. Make several small slits in the top to vent steam; lightly coat the top with cooking spray.
Bake the stuffed pizza until well browned on top, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting.