Pizza Pasta Casserole

Simple.  Yummy.  Filling.  Everyone loved it.  It does not get better than that.

Here's my "I-slapped-this-together-for-dinner" recipe.

1/2 box rigatoni (or similar pasta), cooked to al dente
pepperoni slices
1 C shredded mozzarella
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
red sauce (recipe below)

Red sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 Tbsp sugar
1 scant Tbsp basil
1 heaping Tbsp minced garlic
bit of pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
 Cook til thickened.

In deep casserole dish layer pasta, sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, parm cheese.  Put in microwave for 3 mins for cheese to melt.

Eat awesome.

Mexican Mac and Cheese

From the March 2011 Better Homes and Gardens. 

I made this dish thinking it would be easy and okay tasting.  It was worth a shot, I figured.  But man oh man was I ever underestimating this dish.  It was so good!  I split it in two, freezing half, and we scarfed down the other half.  Travis and I were both impressed and Lydia and Bennet liked it, too.

Ingredients:
1 box rigatoni pasta
1 lb sausage
1 C chopped onion
1 16oz jar medium hot salsa (I used mild for the kids' sake.)
4 C Monetary Jack cheese (I used 2 C)
tomato wedges, sliced jalapeno peppers, and salsa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease 3 qt baking dish; set aside. 
Cook pasta according to package.  Drain; set aside.
Meanwhile in large skillet cook sausage and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender.  Drain fat and return sausage and onion to skillet.  Stir in salsa.
In prepared dish layer noodles, sausage, cheese.  Repeat.
Bake, uncovered, for 35 mins.  Let stand 10 mins before serving.  Top with tomato, jalapeno and fresh cilantro.  If desired, serve with additional salsa.
Makes 12 servings. 

good recipes I've tried recently

basil cream sauce:  it calls for light cream but, having no cream in the house, I used plain yogurt.  I also didn't really use the measurements, I just dumped and seasoned as I saw best.  the parmesean cheese and basil really flavored the sauce - it was very yummy - and I stirred it into a pasta dish with mixed veggies and meat.

sweet and savory slow cooker pulled pork:  I halved this recipe, used dr. pepper instead of root beer (it was all we had in the house) and eye-balled the measurements.  and it came out great!  sooooo yummy!

black bean rice burgers:  a friend shared this recipe with me for my meatless fridays.  I added a little cumin and red pepper for extra kick, but they were otherwise tasty.  they kinda fell apart a bit, but I think that's because my sour cream was soupy and my rice a little water-y.

All of these recipes I will be making again. 

spaghettil with (the best ever) meatballs

seriously, this was sooooo good!

meatballs:  this recipe.  I didn't have italian seasoning so I used a little bit of italian dressing.  I also followed a suggestion and used an egg in place of the milk.  I've never really cared for meatballs - at least any of the meatballs I've ever tasted, but since I'm tired of meat sauce I decided to try something new. 

these were AMAZING!!!!

pasta:  whole wheat, cooked according to package.

red sauce:  my recipe: 

few glugs of olive oil in pan, add 1 heaping Tbsp of minced garlic.

to that add:

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

stir well.

season to taste with:

brown sugar (about 1 Tbsp)

basil (about 2 tsp)

oregano (about 1 Tbsp)

 few dashes of salt, pepper, red pepper

honestly, I measure nothing and I never have.  I just dump, stir, let it sit and then taste it.  I then add more of whatever is needed. 

make this again!

cheddar chicken spirals

a good casserole, also from the Taste of Home Busy Family Cookbook.

cheddar chicken spirals:

1 1/2 C spiral pasta, cooked according to package

1/2 C mayo

1/3 C milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried basil

2 C frozen mixed veggies, thawed

1 1/2 C cubed, cooked chicken

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, divided

mix mayo, milk, salt and basil in a large bowl. 

stir in 1 c cheese. 

add cooked chicken and veggies. 

drain pasta, then stir it into the bowl.

transfer to greased 1 1/2 qt. microwave safe dish.

sprinkle with remaining cheese.

cover and microwave on high for 4-5 mins.

let stand 5 mins before serving.

thoughts:

I doubled almost everything in this recipe, using a whole box of pasta, 3 chicken breasts and 2 packages of frozen veggies.  it was awesome.  I will be making this again, many times.

pasta with bacon and cauliflower

You will note that the main dish here is not very healthy, but seeing how it tasted like bacon, it was very yummy.

Pasta:  whole wheat spaghetti, cooked according to the box.  half a package of bacon (the other half was used in this breakfast casserole last week - super good).  one package of frozen broccoli and cauliflower cooked for 4 mins in the microwave and then finished according to the Real Simple recipe.   I topped it with some parm and shredded Italian cheeses because we don't have pecorino.

Salad:  lettuce fresh from our garden!!!!!  topped with green onions (also from our garden), cheese, and then to the specific likings of each family member.

Side:  cottage cheese topped with green onion and pepper.  we're big protein people and I wanted to be sure Trav was content.

Overall, I liked the pasta more than Trav, though he still liked it.  Lydia also liked it and ate a lot.  The salad was probably the highlight, though, since it was the first time we were able to harvest it.