Connor's Baked "Skabetti"

Connor had one request for his Back to School Dinner this year: "SKABETTI".  Personally, I find regular spaghetti and sauce to be a little boring, so I scoured the internets for a different version, and ended up making this.  It was delicious!  Below is how I modified the recipe to suit our family:

Connor’s Baked “Skabetti”

2/3 of 1 package (16 oz.) spaghetti noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jar (32 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. Italian seasonings
2 eggs
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
5 Tbsp. butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 container (16 oz.) ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
In a large skillet, brown beef, onion, & garlic over medium heat; drain.
Stir in spaghetti sauce, seasoned salt, & Italian seasonings.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese & butter.
Drain spaghetti; add spaghetti to the egg mixture and toss to coat.

Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9x13 glass baking dish.
Top with half of the ricotta cheese, meat sauce & mozzarella cheese… and repeat.

Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

{Make-Ahead} Unstuffed Shells

I made this for the family a few weeks ago... it was a total HIT!  Super-easy, and made great leftovers, too.  Will definitely be revisiting this recipe again right after the holidays.  :)  (As seen on Kraft.) I like to double this recipe - keep one for us, and share a dish with others!

{Make-Ahead} Unstuffed Shells

total time: 1 hr 15 min
prep time: 30 min
servings: 6

4 c. medium pasta shells, uncooked (2/3 of 16-oz. box)
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef or mild Italian sausage
1+ jar (24-32 oz.) marinara sauce (I like to use Classico Family Favorites - Smooth & Rich Traditional flavor)
1 8-oz. block of cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream

1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4 c. grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
1.5 c. shredded mozzarella cheese 

Cook pasta as directed on package, without salt.

Brown meat in large skillet; drain. 

Stir in marinara sauce; simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Drain pasta. 

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, Italian seasoning, basil and Parmesan in large bowl; stir in pasta.

Spray 13x9 baking dish with non-stick spray. 

Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of the dish; cover with layers of pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. 

Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with foil. 

2 options:

1. BAKE NOW - Heat oven to 375ºF. Cover dish - bake 20 minutes. Uncover dish - bake another 10 minutes.
2. BAKE LATER - {Refrigerate up to 24 hours.} Heat oven to 375ºF. Cover dish - bake 30 minutes. Uncover dish - bake another 15-20 minutes.

Shopping list if doubling recipe:

• 2 boxes of medium pasta shells
• 2 lbs. extra-lean ground beef or mild Italian sausage
• 3 24-oz. jars Classico Family Favorites - Smooth & Rich Traditional flavor
• 2 blocks of cream cheese
• 16 oz. sour cream
• minced garlic
• Italian seasoning
• basil
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 bags shredded mozzarella cheese

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Sour Cream Noodle Bake

In my opinion, you can never go wrong choosing a Pioneer Woman recipe for dinner.  I spotted this winner last week, and we had it the other night.  We will definitely be having it again... YUM!  Below is my version (slightly tweaked) of Pioneer Woman's delicious recipe...

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

{source}

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Bake Time:  20 minutes

Serves:  6-8

1 lb. ground beef
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. egg noodles
1 c. sour cream
1 c. small curd cottage cheese
1/3 c. sliced green onions (less to taste)
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown beef in a large skillet.

Drain fat, then add tomato sauce, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. 

Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente; drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. 

Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and the green onions; stir. 

Add mixture to noodles and stir.

To assemble, layer the ingredients in a 13x9 baking dish in the following way:

          1/2 of the noodles

          1/2 of the meat mixture

          1/2 of the cheese

          and repeat.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Margene's Lasagna

Margene's Lasagna

1 lb. hamburger, browned
1 16-oz. jar Prego spaghetti sauce (I use the fresh mushroom)
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. minced garlic


Mix all together.

1 16-oz. container cottage cheese, small curd
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
8 oz. med. cheddar cheese, grated

8 oz. pkg. lasagna noodles--cook as directed on package

Put in either a 9x13 or 2-square pans (line one with foil and freeze for another day)

Put a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, so the noodles won't stick.

Then layer 2 times, in this order:
     noodles
     meat sauce
     cottage cheese
     cheddar cheese
     mozzarella cheese

Heat in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese bubbles.

Aimee's note:  I have substituted ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese in this recipe, and it turned out great!

Montreal Roast

This was Sunday night dinner... and it was AMAZING!  In fact, this is the only way Brian would like to have roast from now on.  (Not that he gets to dictate everything I fix for us, but since this roast is so easy, I'll likely oblige him.)  Plus, I think it smells better while it's cooking than my other method...  more spice smell, less onion smell.  (As seen on Vittles Divine, posted below are my miniscule variations.)

Montreal Roast

2.5 - 3 lb. roast
3.5 c. water
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Place roast in crock pot.
Add water.
Season the top liberally with Montreal steak seasoning.
Cook on high for 8-10 hours.
Shred with fork, or slice, and serve.

This roast turns out incredibly moist, but will dry out fast.  I would also recommend (as advised by Vittles Divine) both serving and storing the leftovers immediately.

Tater-Topped Bake

I've looked at this recipe many, many times, and can't believe it took me so long to make it!  Soooo simple, and soooo DELICIOUS!  Changing the name to "Bake", because I'm not allowed to make casseroles.  :S

Tater-Topped Casserole Bake


prep time: 15 min
total time: 1 hr
makes: 6 servings, 1 cup each

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 lb. (1/2 of 32-oz. pkg.) frozen bite-size seasoned potato nuggets

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Brown meat with onions in large skillet, stirring occasionally; drain.
Spoon into 2-qt. casserole dish.
Mix soup and milk; pour over meat mixture.
Top with layers of vegetables, cheese and potatoes.
Bake 45-55 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and casserole is heated through.

Margene's Taco Soup

Margene's Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey (I use a pkg. of ground turkey, 20 oz.)
1 c. chopped onion (I just chop a whole onion)
2 c. water
2 14-oz. cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 16-oz. cans kidney beans, undrained
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning

Garnish with: chopped avocado, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and/or corn chips

Cook meat & onions, drain off any fat.
Put meat mixture, water, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce & taco seasoning into soup pot.
Mix all together.
Simmer the soup, covered for 15 minutes.

(To get everything out of my cans, I use the 2 cups of water to rinse the cans. Pouring it back and forth and twisting them, to get everything out)

Easiest Pot Roast EVER

Not. Kidding. Just 3 ingredients and 3 steps...

Easiest Pot Roast EVER

1 2-3 lb. pot roast
1 1/2 cups water
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

Put the pot roast in your crockpot.
Add the water and soup mix.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Yep, I know... no carrots and potatoes cooked with the roast, but that's fine by me! I never have liked onion-y, soggy vegetables with my roast beef, plus they never work well as leftovers, anyway. I combined this with smashed potatoes, brown gravy w/ a little oregano, steamed veggies, and fresh-baked sourdough bread. It was delicious!!

Aimee's Lazy Lasagna

Aimee's Lazy Lasagna

(adapted from Kraft Foods)

1 jar (26-32 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef or italian sausage, browned
1 container (15-24 oz.) ricotta or cottage cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups rotini pasta, cooked

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix spaghetti sauce and meat; set aside.
Mix ricotta/cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese in separate bowl.
Spray 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Spread half of the sauce mixture into prepared pan; cover with layers of pasta and half of the cheese mixture.
Top with layers of remaining sauce and cheese mixtures; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil.
Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking 15 minutes.
Remove from oven; let stand 5-10 minutes. before cutting to serve.