Sour Cream Noodle Bake

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman. Our family gave it 4 stars! It is a simple, fast meal.

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon 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. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty French bread.

Summer Pasta Salad

The perfect addition to a summer bbq or potluck! I love this salad.

12-16 oz pkg colored spiral noodles

1 diced red pepper

1 diced green pepper

1 diced cucumber

sliced olives, I usually do 3/4 of a can
diced mozzarella cheese (optional)

Bernstein's Cheese Fantastico Light Italian Dressing

Boil noodles according to package directions. Do not overboil!  Want them a tad chewy.  Rinse with cold water and drain well. Add in all other ingredients and toss in a large bowl. Dump a bunch of the dressing over the salad, about 3/4 of the bottle. Sprinkle with lots of Parmesan cheese.  Stir and refrigerate. 

Best made the night before or the morning before you plan on serving it.  Very good when all the flavors meld together overnight.  When you take the salad out to serve, freshen it up by shaking in a little more Parmesan cheese and another good amount of salad dressing.  I usually end up using the whole bottle.  You could also use any other Italian dressing your family likes.  

Country Pasta with Mozzarella

8 oz. uncooked rigatoni (I used penne and it was wonderful)
8 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces (I used real bacon pieces from Costco)
2 c. broccoli flowerets
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (I used real Parmesan)
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley (I used much less)

Cook rigatoni according to package directions, drain. Meanwhile, in 10 inch skillet, cook bacon over medium high heat until brown. Reduce heat to medium. Add broccoli and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is crispy-tender.

Add rigatoni and remaining ingredients, except parsley. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.

Notes: Since I used bacon pieces I just cooked my pasta, and while it was cooking I steamed my broccoli. When they were both done I added everything together. Really easy and delicious!

Peppered Meatballs with Dill Sauce

This was a recipe I tried last week and it is DELICIOUS! Chad loves this, even as leftovers. And that is HUGE! He is not normally a leftover guy. The meatballs are fantastic, I think it is now one of my favorite meatball recipes.


I only put in half the pepper in the meatballs and half the dill. And the flavors were strong enough for us. But here is the original recipe.

Peppered Meatballs with Dill Sauce
1 1/2# lean hamburger
3/4 cup quick oats
1 egg
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp dry parsley

Mix all ingredients. Form in balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Line with foil for easier clean up. Bake at 400 for about 18 minutes, shaking occasionally.

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
7 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 tsp dry dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then broth and milk. Whisk and cook till bubbly. Boil for at least 1 minute, stirring constantly. (Don’t skip this step or your sauce will have a floury taste. Not good.) Stir in seasonings, then hot meatballs. Serve over hot pasta.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Another new recipe...and another yummy hit! This was fabulous. Note that it is better fresh. The leftovers tend to get clumpy.

Chicken Pesto Pasta by Make and Takes
(go to the link for more pics and tutorial)

Recipe for Chicken Pesto Pasta – makes 4 servings

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup pesto – in the summer I make it with Homemade Basil Pesto
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 box cooked pasta – we’ve got bowtie
• 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or cubed

Cook and prep your chicken and pasta to your liking and combine in a bowl. Set aside.

For the sauce, bring your heavy cream to a boil, stirring constantly, it will come to a boil fast. Let this boil on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until it thickens up. Add your pesto and stir. Add your parmesan and stir until most of the cheese is melted in the sauce. Add your salt and pepper, not too much as the pesto and cheese have a lot of flavor by themselves.

Pour your pesto cream sauce over the chicken and pasta, and stir to combine.

Four Pasta Beef Bake

4 cups uncooked pasta (4 different shapes)
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms (I don't use these)
2 jars meatless spaghetti sauce (26 oz each)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green peppers, onions and mushrooms over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Drain pasta and place in a large bowl; stir in the beef mixture, the spaghetti sauce and eggs. Transfer to a 9x13 pan. Top with cheese and any remaining sauce. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

NOTE: This recipe freezes well, so you could double the recipe for a freezer meal.

Mexican Manicotti

This recipe is really good! I love how it cooks in the microwave.

1/2 lb lean ground beef or turkey...browned and drained
1 16 oz. can regular or spicy refried beans
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
8 manicotti shells, not cooked
1 1/4 c. water
1 8 oz jar picante or taco sauce (I use salsa sometimes)
1 8 oz carton sour cream
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1/4 c. sliced olives
1/2 c. grated Monterrey Jack Cheese (mozzarella works good too)

Combine beef, beans, oregano, and cumin. Mix well. Fill uncooked shells with meat mixture. Arrange in 10x6x2 baking dish. Combine water and picante sauce, spoon over shells. Microwave on high 10 minutes, turning dish half-turn once. Using tongs, turn shells over. Microwave covered, on medium for 17-19 minutes or until pasta is tender, giving dish a half-turn once. Combine sour cream, green onions, and olives. Spoon down center of casserole. Top with cheese. Microwave uncovered on high 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts. Makes 4-6 servings.

Chicken Caesar Pasta

This is one of my new keeper recipes! I found it from a blogger friend. We didn't have the red pepper or croutons, but it still turned out fabulous. This amount made an 8x8 dish. Also, I pre-cooked the chicken.

1-2 chicken breasts, sauteed
8 oz pasta, cooked (I used rotini)

Stir into the following and put in casserole dish:
1/2 c. Caesar dressing
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 c. chicken broth
1 cup grated mozzarella

Top with Caesar-style croutons and 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until warmed through. Croutons brown quickly, so you might want to cover with foil or put croutons at bottom of casserole dish.

Deceptively Delicious: Macaroni and Cheese

This is REALLY GOOD mac and cheese! I used pureed cauliflower. Next time I might increase it to 1 cup, as I couldn't even tell. I doubled the recipe, and the kids gobbled it up! Serve it with whole grain noodles for more nutrition.

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
1/2 cup butternut or cauliflower puree
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm. Serves 4.

Fabulous Fettucine

1/2 lb. sliced bacon, diced (Iuse precooked bacon)
3 Tbls. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 lbs. fresh tomatoes (peeled,seeded, and chopped) or 2 cans diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls. fresh tarragon or 2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 lb. fettuccine
shredded parmesan cheese

In skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towls. Drain, reserving 1 Tbls. drippings. Add oil and onions to drippings; saute until tender. Add tomatoes and garlic; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in tarragon, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare fettucine according to package directions. Stir in bacon to tomato mixture. Drain fettucine; top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Capellini Pomodoro

Ingredients



4 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs plum tomatoes, diced
1 ounce fresh basil minced
1/3 cup olive oil
3 ounces fresh parmesan cheese
12 ounces angel hair pasta cooked
1/4 teaspoon black pepper



Directions
1Heat olive oil and add garlic, cook until garlic turns white.
2Add diced tomatoes and pepper.
3Heat through stirring constantly.
4About 2 to 3 minutes.
5Remove from heat and add basil and half of the cheese.
6Toss gently with the pasta.
7Serve at once and top with remaining cheese.