Snackin’ With Sarah Sellers: ‘Idol’ St. Louis Night Viewing Nosh

Diehard "American Idol" viewers will remember Sarah Sellers as the geek-chic food blogger who made it to Hollywood Week last year. (Watch her Season 10 audition here.) Sarah has since continued her food-blogging, and has been cooking up scrumptious snack suggestions for any "Idol" viewing party and posting them here exclusively in Reality Rocks. And she's back this season to get your mouth watering every Wednesday and Thursday night.

For tonight's "Idol" episode in St. Louis, Sarah is cooking up that city's most popular and authentic dish, toasted ravioli. Enjoy!

Toasted Ravioli

Ingredients

▪ 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
▪ 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (save 1 tsp for garnishing)
▪ 1/4 cup parsley, chopped (save 1 tsp for garnishing)
▪ 1 egg
▪ 1/2 cup milk
▪ 20oz fresh four-cheese ravioli
▪ 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
▪ 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
▪ 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
▪ 2 garlic cloves, minced
▪ 2 (14.5oz) cans crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
▪ 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
▪ 1 tsp Italian seasoning
▪ salt and pepper to taste
▪ 3 tbsp canola oil, divided

Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley in a large bowl and mix until well-combined. In a small bowl, whip together the egg and milk. Take the pasta and dredge in the egg mixture, shaking away any access liquid. Dip in the bread crumb mixture and shake away the access mixture. Set breaded raviolis on a separate dish and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions and red peppers until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and seasoning and simmer for 15 minutes so the flavors can combine. Stir frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

While the marinara simmers, In a large cast iron heat 1.5 tablespoons of canola oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, pan-fry the ravioli until they are a deep golden color, around 3-4 minutes on each side. Repeat until all of the ravioli are cooked.

Lightly sprinkle the ravioli with the parmesan and top the marinara with the remaining parsley. Serve on a large platter with the marinara sauce for dipping.

Bon appetit!

Check out Sarah's food and music blogs at http://sarahsmusicalkitchen.com

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Related links:

More recipe ideas on Yahoo! Shine

More "American Idol" on Yahoo! TV

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