Pasta Shell Casserole

Once again, I started with a recipe from Rachael Ray, but soon had to change it because the ingredients were so expensive, and it was going to take too long. By the time I finished it was completely different!!

1 large Carrot chopped.
1 med. Onion chopped.
6 cloves Garlic finely chopped. (I just grate it with my fine grater.)
1/2 fresh parsley chopped.
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 teas red pepper flakes (Maybe cut back a little if you don't like spicy food.)
1 large pkg frozen Spinach
1 can Tomatoes
1 1/2 C. grated Mozzarella Cheese
2 cups Cottage Cheese
1 1/2 boxes Pasta (Approx 19 or 20 oz)
1 bottle Marinara Sauce

Cook pasta for 5 minutes. Saute all the veggies and seasoning until tender, adding the tomatoes and spinach towards the end. When done, mix with Pasta, Cottage Cheese and 3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese. Layer Marinara, pasta, grated cheese. Repeat until out of ingredients, ending with cheese. Bake covered around 350* or 400* for 30 minutes. If desired, remove covering, and brown the top up. I put this in a small and large casserole dish. I put the small one in the freezer, but have yet to bake it. I'll add info when I know how it bakes up.

I served this with corn on the side. Later when Darren took it for lunch he just threw the corn and casserole in the same container, and ate it mixed. He said it was really good.

**I just used my food processor to chop the veggies. It made it really fast and easy.

***Here is the recipe I got the idea from: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/baked-shells-casserole/

Spaghetti w/ Sauted Veggies and Cabbage

I know what your thinking, "Cabbage?!" Yes, Cabbage! It's actually pretty good!

6 cloves Garlic
1 large Carrot
1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley
1/2 medium Onion
1/2 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 package fresh Mushrooms
1 can Tomatoes (I used diced.)
1/2 small head of Cabbage sliced into long, thin strips.
1/2 teas. Red Pepper Flakes (this was still pretty spicy, cut back if you don't like spicy food.)
1 teas. Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
1 box(13.25 oz.) Spaghetti of your choice. I think a whole grain really adds to the flavor.

Skin Garlic and place in food processor with Carrot, Parsley, Onion, Bell Pepper, and Mushrooms. Process until veggies are chopped small. Heat some Olive Oil and saute veggies.
Throw can of tomatoes in processor and give it one or two pulses to cut them up a little smaller and then add them, liquid and all, to the veggies. Add seasoning. When veggies are almost done, add cabbage and cover. The cabbage will wilt and become tender. When done, add to cooked pasta. Toss, and if needed, add a little more Olive Oil to coat spaghetti.
You could use any number of veggies with this. I ate mine just with salt and pepper. Darren added Parmesan cheese to his. This tastes healthy and yummy all at the same time!

Leftover Spaghetti Lasagna Bake

This came about because I had left over spaghetti, but we didn't feel like the typical spaghetti dinner. So instead I came up with this. I'm just guessing on the numbers, I never measure stuff like this.

Left over Spaghetti
1 Small Onion
1/2 can Corn
1/2 pound Ground Beef (I used Turkey)
16 oz Cottage Cheese
Italian Seasoning
Little over 1/2 jar Spaghetti Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

Brown the Hamburger and Onion. Season with Salt, Pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Add Spaghetti Sauce and heat through. Heat corn in microwave and then add to frying pan. Heat spaghetti in microwave and layer in a casserole dish, using 1/2 of the ingredients: spaghetti, cottage cheese, sauce, cheese. Repeat. Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and cook another 5 or 10 minutes until the cheese is browned.

You will need to adjust the amounts to fit the amount of spaghetti you have left. I didn't measure, so use your judgment.

Easy Chicken Pasta Salad

My friend sent this to me. It looks yummy!

Ingredients:

½ bag Rotini pasta (the tricolor add more color)

½ lb cooked chicken (boil is easy) cubed

½ cucumber cubed

½ can olives sliced

½-1 cup carrots diced

½ cup peas

½-1 cup cubed cheese (what ever cheese you have in the fridge)

Ranch Dressing

Cook, noodles as directed. Put chicken pieces in boiling water until no longer pink. While those are cooking, chop up all your other ingredients (leave out Ranch) and put in a large bowl. Once pasta is done, rinse with cold water until cool, add to bowl. Once chicken has cooled off enough to cube add it to the bowl. Now add enough Ranch dressing to spread through entire bowl. Stir. Put in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Easy Stir-Fry

I started with a recipe from the Rachael Ray Show: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/citrus-soy-chicken-pork-or-shrimp-stir-fry/

I changed a few things up. Here's how my changed recipe ended up:

1 package stir fry vegetables
1 package angel hair pasta
1/2 Cup Apricot jam
1 Cup Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
1/4 teas. Ground Ginger
1 Chicken Breast


Combine the Apricot Jam, Chicken Stock, Ground Ginger and Soy Sauce and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer while you cook the veggies and the pasta. It while get a little bit thicker and syrupy. I added a little bit of salt and pepper to it as well. Saute the chicken and veggies, cook the pasta and then combine the pasta, veggies and sauce. This stir fry has a nice sweet taste to it. I don't love a strong soy sauce taste, but those who do can just add more soy sauce to their portion.

Mexican Beef Skillet

I found this super easy and yummy recipe in a "Family Dinner" magazine I was given at the grocery store. This recipe is awesome because you can really swap ingredients in and out of the recipe catering the recipe to what you have on hand and like.

Makes 4-6 servings; Prep Time: 10 min.; Cook Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef (I used 1 lbs. of ground turkey burger. It's usually cheaper, less fatty, and I like the flavor better)

1 to 2 cups salsa

1 (15 oz.) can beef broth (I use beef bouillon or base)

1 lg. green bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp. light olive oil

1 (1 oz.) pkg. taco seasoning mix (I used the a couple tbsp. from this bulk mix)

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream (1 cup)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. noodles (egg noodles, rotini, macaroni or other)

2 cups cooked corn, optional

1 to 2 cups Cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese, shredded

Sliced black olives, optional

Chopped tomato, optional

Method:

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

Sauté onion and green pepper with olive oil in a small skillet.

Stir salsa, taco seasoning, beef broth, green pepper and onion, corn and black olives into the skillet with the ground beef.

Add noodles and sour cream to ground beef mixture and stir well. Sprinkle with cheese and cover until cheese is melted. Serve hot and garnish with chopped tomatoes, if desired.

This recipe is a great one to clean out the refrigerator you could throw a little rice into the mix or add some beans to stretch the meat (you could even leave out the meat and just use beans). I melted cheese on half the pan and it tasted yummy either way.