Super Deeelicious Spaghetti Casserole

I'm from the south too, but didn't discover spaghetti casserole until after I got married.  My MIL makes it and the first time I tried it i was like, "Seriously, who knew you could put spaghetti in a CASSEROLE?!  Deep fry it and sell it at the fair!"  Anyway, it's completely addictive and here's the recipe:

Super Deeelicious Spaghetti Casserole

1/2 box of cooked noodles

1 stick butter

1 chopped onion

1 8oz pkg cream cheese

1 c. Mozzarella

1 c. Cheddar

1 to 1.5 lbs hamburger

2 tbs sugar

1 large jar spaghetti sauce

cook noodles and put them in the bottom of a 9x13 dish.  Melt the butter then sautee onion and melt the cream cheese together.  Spread over the noodles.  Brown the hamburger meat.  Add the sauce and the sugar, mix and spread over the cream cheese layer.  Cover with cheeses and cook at 350 for about 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

This is not low fat, but when you want a splurge, this is it!

[from ChasCHAS]

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Here's my mom's enchilda casserole recipe that we LOVE.  Oh how I wish DH like Mexican food so I could cook this at home.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mild enchilada sauce
1/2 can diced rotel tomatoes
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
Corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Brown meat, onions, bell peppers and drain
2.  Add canned ingredients and cook until bubbles
3.  Line bottom of 9x12" dish with tortillas (torn into quarters)
4.  Pour 1/2 mixture over tortillas
5. Layer tortillas and mixture until gone
6.  Top with grated cheese
7.  Cook 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees

**I recently discovered this could be made even easier my layering the bottom with premade taquitos and then adding all the rest on top.  Not quite as good but good enough if time calls for the change. You don't have to brown the meat and you wouldn't need to have all the layers.

[from Becca]

MINESTRONE BEANS AND RICE

I like this meal to freeze. It's not a casserole, which makes it a little different change from most freezer meals.  With just 3 of us, we eat once fresh and then I actually keep some for leftovers later in the week and freeze the rest in two separate batches.  It creates at least 4 meals for us.  I make the rice fresh.

It's also really cheap. 

MINESTRONE BEANS AND RICE **

INGREDIENTS

Ground Beef (I use ground turkey)
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans (I've used black beans instead since DH isn't wild about kidney beans)
2 cans minestrone soup
1 can Rotell tomato and chili (I use about have the can for Caleb; not as  spicy that way; I've also added diced tomatoes sometimes in the place of the other half of Rotell)
1 onion chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown meat and onions
2. Add rest (don't drain cans)
3. Stew about 20 minutes
4. Serve with rice

(I often half this recipe and still have lots to freeze)

The minestrone soup adds tiny bit of veggies but you can add greenbeans or peas for more.  I drain them and then add.

[from improvingmama]

Kid Favorites: Nachos

A favourite at our house is nachos - Kels thinks its awesome to get chips for dinner!! I do it one of 2 ways.

One way is to brown some ground hamburger with taco seasoning. Lay nacho chips on our pizza stone, cover in cooked hamburger, top with cheese, and bake. serve guacamole, salsa & sour cream on the side.

The other way is to make up a whole chili/nacho mixture (hamburger, beans, tomatoes etc) and serve either baked with the chips or on the side for dipping in the chips.

I should note, however, that I found that Morgan is only just barely able to manage nacho chips (18 mo) as before she'd always manage to choke at least once during  ameal... ooops..

[from Harmony]

BAKED ZUCCHINI AND GROUND TURKEY

DH wasn't wild about this when I cooked it, but I liked it.  He's not a veggie eater and just wanted normal spaghetti :)

BAKED ZUCCHINI AND GROUND TURKEY *

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp. oil
3 lbs. sliced zucchini
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 pkgs. Italian spaghetti sauce (dry)
1 3/4 c. water
1 tbsp. oil
1 (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Mozzarella cheese
1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine first oil, zucchini, and onion and saute until tender. Put in 2 quart casserole dish.

2. Brown the beef. Add one package of sauce, water, tomato paste and 2 tablespoons oil. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour over zucchini.

3. Mix Parmesan and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top and mix gently.

4. Top with Mozzarella. Bake to a golden brown at 350 degrees.

Serves 4-6.

(I was concerned Pen wouldn't eat this, so I cooked some spaghetti noodles too...of course he ate it with the noodles instead of the zucchini)

Sloppy Joes

We did have sloppy joes last night, which were good. I always half this recipe since we only have 2 big eaters and 1 little one :)




Its 2.5 lbs beef, 2 cups chopped onion, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup tomato juice, 2 tbls worcestershire sauce, 2 tbls mustard (I used stone ground), 2 tbls lemon juice, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 (6oz) can tomato paste, 12 buns (we use whole wheat keiser rolls).



Cook beef and onion in skillet. drain. Stir in ketchup and next 6 ing. Bring to boil (honestly there isnt much to boil so I added a tiny tomato juice and went directly to low heat).... simmer for 15 minutes stirring often.



These aren't like school cafeteria sloppy joes :-D. My husband isnt a big fan of them but he liked these. And I really liked them!

[from Kristin]

Taco Salad

We did taco salad last night. It literally took me 10 minutes to make. Just brown 1 lb. of ground beef and add a packet of taco seasoning. I put corn, black beans, salsa, cheese, ground up nach chips over the lettuce for the salad part. And our daughter loves the ground beeef, beans, and cheese.

[from Mollie]

Spaghetti Pie

tonight we had spaghetti pie (recipe from my MIL) which is a family favorite. mmm.




8 oz spagetti, broken into 2 inch pieces and boiled



20-24 oz sauce



1 lb ground beef browned with 1 chopped onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves ~ season with Italian seasoning or oregano and salt and pepper. mix with sauce



mix the spagetti noodles with:



1 beaten egg, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, and 2 T butter.



place in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.



cover with 12 oz cottage cheese



cover with meat/sauce mix



cook for 30 min at 350. also freezes well unbaked. yum! it's like lasagna, but i think it's easier to make. i don't even make regular spaghetti anymore.

 
[from Rochelle]

Rochelle, I make a similar spaghetti dish, but it's spaghetti casserole. Instead of ricotta, I melt a block of cream cheese in with the ground beef and use cheddar cheese instead of parm. Then bake. It's soooooo good!

[from ChasCHAS]

Baked Ziti

Tonight is Baked Ziti, salad and Garlic Bread sticks:

• 2lb beef, 1 onion chopped: brown and drain
• 2 26 oz jars of fav. spaghetti sauce, mix with above and simmer for 30 min. I add a tbsp of sugar to cut the acidity
• 1 lb dry ziti-- cook by directions, toss with 3 tbsp olive oil so it doesn't stick
• 6 oz sliced provolone cheese
• 4 cups mozerella cheese
• 2 cups sour cream (I use light)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

Layers:

• a small amount of meat sauce to prevent sticking
• 1/2 of ziti
• all of provolone cheese
• all of sour cream
• 2 cups mozerella
• rest of ziti
• meat sauce
• top with rest of mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• bake at 350 for 30 minutes. If its been refrigerated, let it come to room temp on counter first (30-45 minutes). ITS DELICIOUS!!!!!!

This freezes well. If freezing, Just adjust the baking time to about an hour and let it thaw for a while.

I had thought the other day we might form a recipie exchange! This might just do the trick!

[from Ada]

Taco Soup

We had Taco Soup tonight (leftover from Sunday) which is so yummy:




Ingrediants: 1 lb ground beef, 1 onion (diced), 4 cloves garlic (minced), 30 oz kidney beans, 30 oz canned corn, 30 oz canned diced tomatoes (all with juices), 2 cups chicken or veggie broth, season with 1 T chili powder and 1 package taco seasoning (I just looked up what is in the seasoning online and put in the individual spices/herbs since I didn't have the mix).



Brown meat and onion in large dutch oven or stock pot. Add garlic and stir. Drain meat.



Add in all cans (I used 2 14.5 oz cans of each) with juice.



Add broth and seasonings. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer 30 min or so to let flavors meld. Great with Fresh Mex. Salad or rolls. We were in a hurry so just ate it on it's own. Mmmm. I've had 3 bowls today (lunch 1, dinner 2). :D

 
 
[from Rochelle]

Slowcooker Lasagna

This is the best lasagna recipe I have ever had. It is in the slow cooker. It isn't necessarily any easier than regular lasagna, but it tastes really good.




1 lb ground beef

2 cloves of garlic minced (but we use 3-4. We like garlic)

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. no-cook lasagna noodles

4 cups shredded mozarella cheese

1 onion, chopped

1 can (~29 ounces) tomato sauce

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 tsp. oregano

1.5 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesean



-in a skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, salt, and oregano (this does not need to be heated up). Mix well.



-in a bowl, mix cheeses together



-in an ungreased slow cooker, spread 1/4 of meat sauce. Arrange 1/3 of noodles over sauce. Spread 1/3 cheese mix over noodles. Repeat twice. Top with remaining meat sauce. We also add a layer of mozarella cheese.



-Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender. I have found that in my slow cooker, 4 is actually too long. 3.5 is perfect.



With this recipe, you can add as much of whatever you like. We usually add extra cheese. Also, a nice thing is you can use broken up noodles.


[from Valerie]

Mexican Salad

tonight we had "Mexican Salad", which was created by our good friends.




- wash/slice romaine and put in bottom of salad bowl

- slice/chunk avocado

- slice tomatoes

- crunch up tortilla chips

- shred cheese

- brown beef and when cooked, add "Ranch-style beans" and cook for another ten minutes. Spoon on top of salad

- add Catalina (my dh uses Ranch)



My kids LOVE this salad. Jadon "yums" her way through it.

[from Annie]

Cheeseburger Pasta

One day, I had cheddar cheese soup for some reason and didn't know what to do with it. So I turned to campbells and this is what I found. DH and Brayden LOVE it. It is okay, but I don't see the love.




Cheeseburger Pasta
1 lb ground beef

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can beef broth

1 1/2 c water

1/2 c ketchup

2 c uncooked medium shell pasta (but I use small and more than two cups)

*I add an onion



Cook beef *and onion* in skillet until browned. Poor off fat. Add soup, broth, water, ketchup, and pasta. Heat to a boil. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until done, stirring often.



Easy as that.

[from Valerie]

Flatbread Tacos

1 can buttermilk biscuits

1 lb. ground beef
1 can pinto beans, rinsed & drained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 tbs hot pepper sauce
½ cup diced onion
2 tsp ranch salad dressing mix
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup sour cream

Optional: shredded lettuce, cheese, sliced olives



*Mix the sour cream, lemon juice & ranch mix together and chill until served.
*Brown the ground beef, drain; add the taco seasoning, tomatoes & beans and heat through.
*Meanwhile, roll out each biscuit into a 6 inch round. In a small nonstick skillet, cook each biscuit over medium heat for 30-60 seconds. NO COOKING SPRAY! Dry pan. You want brown spots but not burned. Keep warm.
*To serve, spread each flatbread with sour cream; top with meat mixture and sprinkle with desired toppings.

[from Doodiebug30]

Layered Mexican Bake

Layered Mexican Bake



1-1/2 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

4 tsp. chili powder*

2-1/2 cups chunky red salsa

2 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen corn

6 high-fiber whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)

1 cup Reduced Fat Cream

1-1/2 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

1. HEAT oven to 375ºF.
2. BROWN meat with onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in chili powder; cook 1 min. Add salsa and corn; mix well. Simmer 5 min.
3. SPREAD 2 cups meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 2 tortillas, 1 cup meat sauce, sour cream and 1/2 cup cheese. Cover with 2 tortillas, 2 cups of remaining meat sauce and half of remaining cheese; top with remaining tortillas and meat sauce. Cover with foil.
4. BAKE 30 min. or until casserole is heated through. Top with remaining cheese; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted.

*I don't put that much chili powder in when I make it and Emma is eating it though.

[from Molly]

Autumn Soup

Autumn Soup

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 chopped onion

brown together and drain fat

Add six cups water and 3 beef bullion cubes

Add:

• crushed bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• pinch oregano
• pinch basil
• 1 cup chpped celery
• 1 cup diced pototoes
• 1 cup zucchini
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 small can tomatoes
• Add a little worcestershire sauce

Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are soft


*spices are approximate--change to your liking. You can add more veggies, too.

[from Valerie]

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup


1. Brown meat with celery and onions (remove grease)

2. Add 2 cans tomato sauce and water to fill 1/2 pot

3. Add 6 Beef boullion cubes (I use more when I'm cooking ground turkey)

4. Add diced/baby carrots ; cook 10 minutes (ish)

5. Add diced potato or macaroni pasta; cook 5-10 minutes (ish)

6. Add 1 can greenbeans and 1 can corn (with juice); cook 10 minutes (ish)

[from improvingmama]

Super Simple Chili

Super Simple Chili



Brown some hamburger

1 can Kidney beans

1 can crushed & spiced tomatoes

2 cans baked beans

put it all in a crockpot and serve with some bread. Depending on how hot you like it add chili or cayenne pepper. I always add some oregano, basil and parsley. And of course its super simple to double or triple.

[from Harmony]

Taco Soup

Taco Soup! :) Love it.


1 lb Taco Meat

Kidney Beans

Corn (lots)

Tomato Sauce

Diced Tomatoes

Taco Seasoning

Hot Sauce (Tapatio - 20-30 shots)

Water



I normally do 1-2 cans of each ingredient, depending on what we have and what sounds good.


We eat it with Sour Cream and Grated Cheese on top and Tortilla chips on the side. I must add the Mayah LOVES this, too! :)

[from Rhianna]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhianna, I have almost that same recipe! Except without hot sauce. We use hamburger and taco seasoning (1/2 package), but don't prepare it as taco meat.

My MIL made that the other day with black beans in it as well. I thought that was good!

[from Valerie]

Southwest Beef Stew

Southwest Beef Stew *Charis LOVES this one.


1-2 lbs ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

16 oz frozen corn

1 15 oz can black beans

1 cup salsa

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup water

1 tsp-1 T cumin

1/2-1 T garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper ( I add more)



1. Cook and drain beef and onions.

2. Add all the other ingredients. Add more water/chicken broth if desired.

3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until corn is done.

4. Top with sour cream, cheese.
 
[from Raegan]