Baked Ziti

12oz uncooked ziti (or other pasta)
2 tsp olive oil
2 clove(s) garlic, minced
1/3 pound raw lean ground beef
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

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• Preheat oven to 350°F.
  
• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
  
• 
  
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.
  
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• Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  
• Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Pastitsio

submitted by Jayme S.
This original recipe came from a magazine a few years ago.

A Greek lasagna. Bucatini are long, hollow strands of pasta, slightly thicker than spaghetti.

Filling:
1 pound uncooked bucatini pasta or spaghetti
1 pound ground sirloin
1/2 c finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c dry white wine
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 black pepper

White Sauce:
3 T all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
3 c 2% reduced fat milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
5 T shredded kasseri or aged white cheddar cheese, divided
Cooking spray
1/4 (1oz) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese

1. To prepare filling, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Rince with cold water, set aside.

2. Cook beef, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet until browned; stir to crumble. Add wine, tomato sauce, 1/2 t salt, nutmeg and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until thinck.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. To prepare white sauce, place flour and 1/2 t salt in medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly think, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; set aside. Combine eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in 1 T kasseri cheese until blended.

5. Spread 1 cup beef mixture in bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of pasta over beef mixture. Top with 1 1/2 cups beef mixture. Repeat layers with remaining pasta and beef mixture. Top with white sauce. Sprinkle with 4 T kasseri and Romano cheese. Bake at 350degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Yield 8 servings.

Nutrition:
Calories 416 (19% from fat) Fat 8.9g (sat 4.1g, mono 2.7g, poly 0.9g); Protein 27g; Carb 54g; Fiber 2.4g, Chol 97mg; IRON 4mg; Sodium 790mg; Calc 207mg

Chicken Manicotti

Submitted by Heather C.
One of our favorites--I love that it freezes well.
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 16 uncooked manicotti shells
• 2 jars (26 ounces each) spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, cooked and drained
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2/3 cup water

Directions

• Rub garlic powder over chicken; cut into 1-in. strips. Stuff chicken into manicotti shells. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in each of two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes.
• Place eight stuffed manicotti shells in each dish. Sprinkle with sausage and mushrooms. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Drizzle water around the edge of each dish. Cover and bake one casserole at 375° for 65-70 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and pasta is tender. Cover and freeze remaining casserole for up to 1 month.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (4 servings each).

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 546 calories, 26 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 115 mg cholesterol, 980 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 41 g protein.


Original recipe found here. 

Hamburger Stroganoff

1lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion (or dried onion..whatever you have on hand)
1/4 c. margarine
2 T flour
1 clove of garlic or 1 t garlic powder
1 can (4oz) mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sour cream

In large skillet, brown ground beef with onion, butter, salt & pepper. Stir in flour, garlic, and mushrooms, stirring constantly. Stir in can of soup.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 or so minutes.  Stir in sour cream. Once heated, throughout, serve over noodles or rice.

I usually drain the ground beef of the grease and use less margarine.

Sausage & Vegetable Pasta Supper

We received this cookbook as a wedding or shower gift. It was one of the first cookbooks I used as a newlywed, trying to figure out how to cook. :)  It has simple recipes and a wide range of recipes. This is one of our favorites.

8 ounces uncooked rigatoni or twist pasta
2 T butter or margarine
1 pound cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 t fresh minced garlic
1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes, drained cut into pieces (I ALWAYS buy the petite cut tomatoes in a can, never whole)
2 cups (8oz) shredded Monterrey jack cheese (or I use whatever I have on hand, usually shredded mozzarella)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile in Dutch oven melt butter. Add sausage, green pepper, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until green pepper is crisply tender (8-10 min). Stir in pasta, tomatoes and cheese. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through. (3-5 min)

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (serving)
Calories 600; Protein 26g; Carb 27g; Fat 39g; Chol 98mg; Sodium 969mg

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

Cook 1lb. spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse well with cold water.

Add: 8oz. Italian dressing
1/8-1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/3-1/2 bottle of small "Salad Supreme" seasoning. (Can be found in spice section)

Add in chopped veggies of your choice (example: carrots, green pepper, broccoli, red onion, cucumber, zucchini, etc.)

Stir all together. Chill until ready to serve. Great for summer get togethers. This recipe makes a lot! Be ready to share.

Goulash

My mom always made Goulash when I was a kid. I still love it today.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
(1) 12-14oz. can stewed tomatoes
or (2) 8oz. cans of tomato sauce
(1) 15oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder (more or less depending on your taste)
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Bay Leaf

Cook macaroni a little undercooked so it doesn't become mushy later on. Brown ground beef with onion. Drain if greasy. Combine with pasta and remaining ingredients.  Simmer 20-30 minutes covered.

***Note. My mom gave me this recipe and she rarely follows a recipe so depending on your taste, you may need to add more or use less garlic powder, onions, Italian seasoning, etc.

This recipe is great left over and sometimes it even tastes better the second day!

Oven Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Recipe by Ann M.

In a saucepan melt 3T of butter. Add 3T of flour. Gradually add 2 cups of milk.  Stir until thick.

Boil 16oz elbow macaroni or other pasta.

Stir sauce & cooked pasta with sauce.

Pour ungreased 9x13 pan.

Cut 8-10oz of colby jack cheese into chunks or strips.  Place cheese into pasta, randomly throughout the pasta.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350degrees.

Ingredients:
3T butter
3T flour (white or wheat)
2 cups of milk
8-10oz colby jack cheese cut into strips or chunks

****This recipe can also be used in a crockpot. You can make ahead of time and put in the fridge. Depending how cold the crockpot gets, will depend on how long to cook in crockpot. I usually start the crockpot on low and when it is completely hot in the middle, I turn the crockpot setting to 'keep warm' so the cheese doesn't burn.

Deluxe Mac & Cheese

I don't know where my mother-in-law found this recipe, but it is one of our favorite side dishes!

2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 t. salt
garlic powder to taste
pepper to taste
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
7 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
paprika (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.  Add cheddar cheese.  Mix well.  Add cooked macaroni and stir until coated.  Transfer to a greased 2-1/2 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.  Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Parmesan Bow Ties

originally from Taste of Home magazine

With only four ingredients, this recipe is a fast addition to a summer barbeque or anytime!

Mix together:
2 cups bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
1/4 cup zesty Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 T. minced, fresh parsley

(if you need to use dried parsley, use less than 1 T.)

Spaghetti Bake

A recipe of Ann M. & Jen D.

8 oz. spaghetti
1 jar plain spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef
8 oz. sour cream
1 c. cottage cheese
mozzarella cheese

Brown beef. Boil water. Drain beef and add sauce to beef. Simmer while you boil & prepare pasta. Drain pasta and spread in 9x13 pan. Mix sour cream and cottage cheese. Spread over pasta. Pour meat sauce over top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.

**Usually when I make this, I mix the noodles and meat sauce together and then put a layer the sour cream/cottage cheese mixture in between.

Cavatinni

1 box of noodles (any kind, 16oz approx)

1 lb ground beef

1lb italian sausage

1 jar pizza sauce (15-16oz)

1/2 jar spaghetti sauce

1/4 lb sliced pepperoni

1/2 c shredded mozzarella

1/4 c cheddar cheese

garlic powder

Cook noodles. Brown meat. Mix noodles, meat and sauces. Grease 9x13 pan. Put meat mixture into pan. Top with pepperoni, cheese and sprinkle garlic powder. Bake at 350 until hot throughout...usually 30-40 minutes.

I usually use more cheese and I have no idea how much pepperoni I actually use, I just put one layer on it. If the meat mixture seems dry, you can add more sauce.