Cheeseburger pie

 We’ve eaten this a few times, but for some reason this time just tasted better.  Was it the cream?  The cheese?  🤷‍♀️  Actually, it might have been the onion soup packet I added, instead of the other spices.  It was fattening (THM-S meal) and delicious served with a salad.  

I tweaked the recipe a little.  I used 1lb of ground turkey and 1 lb of ground beef.  Everything else was the same.  

Baked Ziti for a Crowd

This is a delicious recipe merging sweet, savory and a little bit of spice.  I have adapted it from the Church Mouse blog.



Baked Ziti for a Crowd

Ingredients:
2lbs pasta (ziti or rotini)
6 c. Marinara sauce (I used and loved Rao’s)
1 lb ground Italian sausage (add another 1lb if serving a lot)-this made the dish!!
6 c. shredded Mozzarella, divided
2lb ricotta cheese
1TB dried basil
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*.  Cook time:40 minutes

1.  Cook pasta according to package.  In another pan, brown the sausage.
2. Drain pasta and layer 1/2 of it on a sprayed baking dish.  I used a roasting pan for extra size and it was perfect.
3.  After the meat has browned, add the pasta sauce in the pot to warm up.
4.  Layer over the noodles.
5.  In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese (2lbs), mozzarella cheese (2 c), basil (1 TB), salt (1tsp), pepper (1/2 tsp) and Parmesan cheese (1/4 c).
6.  Drop by spoonfuls on top of meat and sauce mixture.
7.  Layer remaining pasta on top.  Cover with the remaining cheese.
8.  Put a layer of foil over.
9.  Bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake additional 5-10 minutes.

Hamburger Broccoli Casserole

I didn't have all of the ingredients from the original recipe (listed below), so here are my adaption to this recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (I added some chili pepper flakes in place  for the sausage)
Sprinkle of Oregano
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Frozen broccoli, cooked in microwave for 6 minutes
Cheese (I only had cheddar, but they recommend mozzarella)

Alfredo sauce:
1/4 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. paremesan cheese

Brown turkey in a pan.  Add in oregano, onion and garlic.  Drain excess fat and season with salt and pepper.
I microwaved broccoli in the microwave during this time and started on the Alfredo sauce.
Heat butter on medium heat.  add in cream and cook for 5 minutes, while whisking to keep from burning.

Put turkey in a greased casserole dish.  Add the broccoli on top, Alfredo sauce and then cheese

Ingredients

1 lb

ground beef

1 lb

bulk sausage

1 tsp

oregano, dried

1 small

onion, chopped

1 clove

garlic, minced

10 to 12 oz

fresh broccoli

1

(8-oz) block cream cheese

1/2 c

heavy cream

1/2 c

Parmesan cheese, grated

8 oz

mozzarella cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/main-course-casseroles/hamburger-sausage-broccoli-alfredo-low-carb.html?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

alfredo sauce http://allrecipes.com/recipe/22831/alfredo-sauce/

Family Favorite Mac & Cheese

Homemade goodness!  This is from Betty Crocker, but I have made some changes to fit our family and taste preference. My changes in RED.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (7oz) I used 16 oz of penne pasta
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground mustard (Make sure it is ground mustard!  I used prepared on accident and not enough flavor..but the family still loved it!)
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 TB Olive Oil
1/4 c. +/- Panko bread crumbs
Garlic Salt
Parmesan Cheese

1. Heat oven to 350*.
2. Cook macaroni as directed on package.
3. While mac is cooking, melt butter in another saucepan over low heat.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, ground mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.  Stir in milk and heat to boil; stir constantly.  Boil 1 minute.  REMOVE from heat and stir in cheese.  Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted.
4.  Drain macaroni.  Gently stir in cheese sauce.  Pour in ungreased 2-quart (9x13) casserole. Add panko mixture to top Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

This was delish!  We even added a bit of ketchup to spice it up.  I think that if I would have READ the ground mustard vs. prepared the flavor would've been more intense.

Makes 6 serving (3/4c. each)

Shepherd's Pie

1lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1 (10oz) can cream of mushroom soup
2 TB. ketchup
1/8 tsp salt and pepper, each
1 c. frozen peas and carrots

1 C. milk
2 TB. butter
1 1/3 c. instant mashed potatoes or make them from scratch (*see below)

1/2 to 1 c. cheddar cheese

PREHEAT OVEN to 400*
1.  Cook beef and onion, drain.
2. Stir soup, ketchup, black pepper/salt, peas and carrots into skillet. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate (or small square pyrex)
3. Heat milk and butter in 2 qt. saucepan.  Remove from heat and slowly stir in instant potatoes.  (omit if you made your own potatoes)
4.  Spoon potatoes over beef mixture.
5. Sprinkle cheese on top
6.  Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or until ptoatoes are lightly browned.   


*Homemade potatoes:
Peel 4-5 medium potatoes (they fit into a 9 inch pie tin)
Cut the potatoes in to cubes
Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove.  Put potatoes in and cook until they are fork tender.  Drain.  Add milk, s&p and mix until fluffy.

Easy Ground Beef Casserole

1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, browned
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper
3 large potatoes, sliced
2 Carrots, shredded
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Brown ground beef in a skillet with chopped onions; cook until onions are tender. Drain off excess fat; transfer ground beef and onion to casserole dish. Add layer of sliced raw potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper; shred carrots to cover potatoes. Put soup over carrots. Bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top and bake for about 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.This easy ground beef and potato casserole serves 4 to 6.

Extra tidbit:
This was yummy! Luke loved it and he isn't one for casseroles. When I brown the beef I add extra spices (garlic powder, salt & pepper, onion powder, etc) and I think it adds some YUM factor.

Baked Spaghetti (from scratch)

There are 2 versions of this recipe on this blog. If you are going for easy, this is not the one, but it sure tastes good!

1 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped green peppers
1 TB. butter or margarine
1 (28oz) can tomatoes with juice, cut up
1 (4oz) can mushrooms w/stems (I usually omit because I hate mushrooms!)
1 (2 1/4 oz. can sliced ripe olives, drained
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 lb. hamburger, browned (ground beef)
12 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender.
Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Add ground beef. Simmer uncover for 10 minutes.
Place 1/2 spaghetti in a greased 9x13x2 in baking dish. Top with 1/2 vegetable mixture and sprinkle with 1 c. cheese.
Repeat layers.
Mix soup and water until smooth, pour over casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.
Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

Extra tidbit:
This is good the next day for lunch!