Lasagna

For the longest time, when I made lasagna it ended up as a soupy mess, even though it tasted good.  I have finally found a go-to lasagna recipe that works for our family.  It's adapted from the Easy Lasagna III from allrecipes.com.

10 oz. lasagna noodles (I use 14 Creamette lasagna noodles)
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3 cups cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 T. dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
26 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a skillet, brown ground beef.  Mix with spaghetti sauce.  In a separate bowl, using a fork, mix cottage cheese, eggs, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper.

In a 9 x 13 (I actually use my slightly bigger "lasagna pan") baking pan, layer noodles, ground beef mixture, cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.  Two layers of each will fit.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove tin foil the last 8 minutes of baking time. (I usually bake it for closer to 45 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and starting to brown on top.)

Popover Pizza

An easy alternative to homemade pizza.

1 pound hamburger, browned and drained
Chopped onion, cooked with the hamburger

Add:
1/8 tsp. salt
6-10 oz. water
6 oz. tomato paste
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2-1 T. ground oregano
1/2 T. sweet basil leaves
OR
20-30 ounces of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Pour into 9 x 13 pan. Cover with 8 oz. mozzarella cheese (or other cheese). Pour the following batter over cheese: Whip 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 T. cooking oil. Stir in 1 cup flour, 1/4 tsp. salt. Sprinkle top of batter with 1/2 cup Parmesan or other grated cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Pineapple Meatballs

This was a huge hit in our house!

1 tsp. oil

1 large red pepper, chopped (I used red and orange peppers from the freezer)

1 onion, chopped (I omitted the onion because the meatballs I used had onion in them)

1/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple chunks, drained, liquid reserved (I used 1 large can of pineapple)

12 oz. (3/4 of 1-lb. pkg.) frozen cooked meatballs (I used my basic meatball recipe but made the meatballs about half the size I normally do. Then I sauteed them until they were cooked through. I did this earlier in the day so when I cooked the rest of the meal, the meatballs were ready.)

2 cups instant white rice, uncooked (I cooked brown rice)

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions; cook 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

STIR in barbecue sauce, ginger, garlic powder and reserved pineapple liquid. Add meatballs; mix lightly until evenly coated. Cook 10 min. or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package.

STIR pineapple into meatball mixture. Serve over rice.

Chili Pie

From All You magazine. They called it "great for kids." My kids liked it okay, but kidney beans don't always go over so well.

1 T. vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used garlic powder)
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 T. chili powder
1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
Salt
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 oz. box corn bread mix (I used the recipe on the side of the corn bread--1/2 batch)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Warm vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, stirring to break up meat, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, tomatoes and 1/2 tsp. salt; cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost evaporated, another 5 minutes. Stir in beans and season to taste.
While chili is cooking, combine corn bread mix, egg, milk and cheese. Scrape chili into a 9-inch pie plate. Spread batter over chili. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes and serve. (Mine baked about 25 minutes.)

Chili Mac

This recipe was in a packet from the Minnesota Extension Service.

1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato soup, plus 1/4 cup ketchup and hot water to make 3 1/2 cups
OR
6 oz. tomato paste with 3 cups hot water
OR
3 1/2 cups tomato juice
OR
4 cups tomato sauce
1 small onion, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

Brown beef; pour off excess fat. Add tomato liquid and seasonings. Bring ti boil. Add macaroni; cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes.

Optional add-ins: Chopped celery, diced green pepper, drained whole kernal corn or drained kidney beans.

Texas One Dish

From my Saving Dinner cookbook.

1 pound ground beef
2 onions, chopped (I only used about 1/2 of an onion)
1 bell pepper, chopped (I had some yellow and orange chopped in the freezer that I used)
1 cup oats
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup brown rice (I used white rice this time)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, saute beef and onions over medium-high heat. When onions begin to look translucent, add bell pepper. Continue cooking until beef it browned completely. Drain grease well (to reduce fat grams, you can also blot with paper towels). Add oats, stirring well to incorporate.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring well to completely mix. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.
I've used brown rice in the past and it was slightly crunchy, so I figured I needed to bake it a little longer or add a little more liquid. This time I used white rice, cooked it only 45 minutes, but it was almost burnt around the edges. I also added about 1/2 cup water. The rice was cooked this time.

Sweet 'n' Sour Meatloaf

This recipe has been in my file for years; I'm not sure where it originally came from. It's a good recipe to use when you want a departure from traditional meatloaf.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1 tsp. dried onion
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce, divided (I used two 8 ounce cans)

Topping:
Reserved tomato sauce (or another 8 oz. can)
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. vinegar
2 tsp. mustard
1/2 cup sugar

Mix together beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and eggs. Add onions and 1/2 of tomato sauce. Form into loaf in bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. In saucepan, combine topping ingredients; bring to boil. Pour over meatloaf; bake 10 minutes more. Makes 6 servings.

BBQ Meatballs

Hands down, the best meatball recipe ever! My mom's recipe, of course.

2 pounds hamburger
24 saltines, crushed (about 1 cup crumbs)
2 eggs
1 medium onion, chopped (I use less onion)

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Blend hamburger, cracker crumbs, eggs and onion. Shape into meatballs and place in greased roasting dish. Mix the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour sauce over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Mexican Hotdish

I'm not sure where I originally got this recipe, but it's been in my file for awhile now.

1 pound hamburger
1 medium onion
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 lb. cheddar cheese (1 lb. seems like a lot; I used an 8 oz. package)
Flour tortillas

Brown hamburger and onion. Add stewed tomatoes and taco seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. Layer meat, tortillas and cheese 2-3 times in 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour, uncovered.

Sloppy Joes

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. I don't like Manwich, I think it's the green peppers in it, and this recipe did not call for them. I've been using this recipe for over two years now.

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery (I don't use a full cup, usually 1 stalk)
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 T. white vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
8 hamburger buns

Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and celery, cover the pan, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Drain off any grease.

Stir the tomato soup (undiluted), ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom.

Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns, which may be toasted first, and serve.

Tater Tot Hotdish

For when you're looking for some classic comfort food. This is how I make it, others make some changes.

1 pound hamburger
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can milk
2 cans green beans, drained
1 bag tater tots

Brown hamburger and drain. Mix with cream of mushroom soup, milk and green beans. Pour into 9 x 13 pan and spread evenly. Top with tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly and tater tots are crisp on top.

Mexican Pasta Skillet

1 pound hamburger
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Brown hamburger in skillet; drain. Stir in salsa, tomato sauce and water. Heat to boiling. Stir in macaroni and corn. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
To "healthify" (eat better america), use 93% lean hamburger, multigrain macaroni, and reduced-fat cheese.