Tag Archives: ricotta

Portobello and Ricotta Wontons with Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce

I modeled this recipe after a restaurant favorite of mine – it is a wild mushroom ravioli appetizer that I could not help but order every time I frequented a certain restaurant, but the calorie count was over the top. Not this one !! Between the RICH cream sauce and the multiple mushroom flavors, this meal tastes just as decadent but with so few calories, you can eat it without any guilt.

Portobello and Ricotta Wontons
Portobello and Ricotta Wontons

Thanks to Marxfoods.com for the wild mushrooms to create this masterpiece ! The different varieties lend quite a flavor to this dish. The dish would just not be the same using run of the mill mushrooms. The mixture of the chanterelles and matsutakes inside the little packet of goodness combined with the flavors of the porcini, lobster and black trumpet mushroom sauce … well, it’s just a little bit of heaven right here on earth.

Marxfoods offers a bunch of wild mushroom varieties – I think my favorite in this dish were the black trumpet mushrooms – they have a very delicate texture and the aroma is akin to a truffle. These are definitely on my list of favorites.

8 appetizer servings (3 wontons each) – 106 calories per serving
4 dinner servings (6 wontons each – 212 calories per serving

Filling –
1 t oil
4 shallots, sliced
¼ c water
2 oz. reconstituted dry chanterelle mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. reconstituted dry matsutake mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1/3 c part skim ricotta cheese

To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.

Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the shallots on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 T of water if needed to keep the shallots moist. Add the reconstituted mushroom and sauté another 2 minutes. Finally add the Portobello mushrooms and sauté another 7 minutes. When done, place all in a food processor and pulse 14 times. (It’s best to chop or mince the woodier mushrooms like chanterelles and matsutakes). Turn into a bowl and mix with the ricotta. Set aside.

Sauce –
1 t oil
1.5 oz. reconstituted dry porcini mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.25 oz. reconstituted dry black trumpet mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.50 oz. reconstituted dry lobster mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
1 T water
1 c beef broth
2 t cornstarch
¼ c fat free evaporated milk
1 t red vinegar

To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.

Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms 6 minutes. Add up to 1 T of water to keep the mixture moist. Mix starch and broth and add to the pan along with the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook 2 minutes to thicken the sauce. During the last minute of cooking, add the vinegar. Set aside.

Wontons –
24 wonton wrappers
Small bowl of water
Reserved mushroom liquid
Water
2 t salt

Put reserved liquid in a pot and add enough water to make 2 quarts. Add salt and bring to a boil.

Fill wontons with 1 T of the filling – – either use instructions on the back of the wonton package or watch this short video tutorial:

Complete all wontons then boil in 2 batches. Use a slotted spoon to lift the wontons out of the pot – put on a platter and cover with the sauce.

No Bake Lasagna

Even my non-lasagna-loving kid had to have seconds of this one. It is just cheesy enough without that part being overpowering. Much like the physical layers of the lasagna, there are great flavor layers here since the cheese mix, zucchini mix and tomato mix are all flavored independently. This was a really superb dish !

No Bake Lasagna
No Bake Lasagna

4 servings
376 calories per serving

½ c low fat ricotta cheese
3 T parmesan cheese
3 T plus 2 t oil
Coarse salt
Pepper
8 lasagna noodles broken in half
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
½ t red pepper flakes
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
½ t garlic powder
1 T basil leaves, torn

Mix cheeses and 2 t oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions and then drain. Heat 2 T oil in a skillet and cook garlic and tomatoes with some salt and pepper and the crushed red pepper about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and then add 1 T oil and zucchini to the skillet, season with garlic powder, and cook about 8 minutes then remove to a bowl and add basil. Place some tomatoes on plates and top with a noodle and a small spoonful of ricotta and a spoonful of zucchini and then some more tomatoes. Repeat layers twice and then top with the rest of the noodles and tomatoes and garnish with basil.

Ham and Cheese Calzone

This makes a splendid calzone – and at a fraction of the calories of a pizza shop one ! The cheese melts beautifully and the portion size was just perfect. If you’ve never had a calzone before, it’s just pizza dough wrapped around cheese and other goodies – this one has ham, but some people prefer just cheese.

Ham and Cheese Calzone
Ham and Cheese Calzone

4 servings
277 calories per serving

1/3 c fat free ricotta cheese
½ t oregano flakes
½ t parsley flakes
½ t pepper
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
¾ c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
¼ c shredded parmesan cheese
¼ c finely chopped ham
1 10 oz. tube pizza dough
Pam

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with Pam. Mix ricotta, spices, parmesan. Mozzarella and ham. Unroll the dough and press it into a 10 inch circle or 10×12 rectangle. Spoon the mix onto one half leaving a 1 inch border and then fold the other side over and seal the edges by pinching the dough to secure. Bake 8 minutes then turn over and bake another 6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool – then cut into 4 servings. Optionally serve with some low fat marinara sauce for dipping.

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Another installment of stuffed mushrooms ! The pesto flavor really comes through and makes these a success story. Much easier than chopping stems and cooking sausage…these come together very quickly and are a great appetizer, snack, or side dish.

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms
Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

12 servings
50 calories per serving (1 serving = 2 mushrooms)

24 baby portobello mushrooms
1/3 c part skim ricotta cheese
3 T pesto (available in the refrigerator section of your local market)
2 t whole wheat flour
2 T grated romano or parmesan cheese
1 T breadcrumbs
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and place the mushroom caps on the baking sheet with the stem side facing up. Mix the ricotta, pesto and flour. Spoon the mix evenly into the mushroom caps and press down. Combine the parmesan and breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top of the mushrooms. Press down lightly. Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Eggplant Pizza

This one really hits the spot ! I spice it up a little by adding crushed red pepper flakes 🙂 Don’t like eggplant, then substitute tomato slices. But be sure to give this one a try.

Eggplant Pizza
Eggplant Pizza

4 servings
295 calories per serving

1/2 c marinara sauce
1 10 oz. Boboli (precooked pizza shell available at all food markets)
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into thin slices
1/2 c part skim ricotta
2 T parmesan cheese
2 T thinly sliced basil
Dried oregano flakes
Onion powder
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread sauce on Boboli. Sprinkle with a little dried oregano flakes, onion powder and garlic powder. Top with eggplant slices and drop ricotta by tablespoonfuls evenly over the eggplant. Bake directly on oven rack 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and parmesan right when it comes out of the oven.

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