Lasagna in a Stew Pot

A long time ago my mom bought one of those recipe booklets from Quilted Bear.  This recipe comes from one titled "Soup from a Can" by Jackie Gannaway.  If you don't feel like making lasagna, whip up this lasagna stew instead.  You get all the flavors of lasagna without all the layers! :)

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 (28 oz.) jar Spaghetti sauce

1 (28 oz.) jar of water (fill the sauce jar with water)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning

1 (8 oz.) pkg. grated mozzarella cheese, divided

1 (15 oz.) carton cottage or ricotta cheese (I use cottage cheese)

1 (8 oz.) package extra wide egg noodles, uncooked

Cook ground beef and chopped onion in large sprayed nonstick soup pan 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Drain off fat.  Add spaghetti sauce, water, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.  Mix well.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.  Add half the mozzarella and all the cottage or ricotta cheese.  Stir until well blended.  Add uncooked noodles.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes (until noodles are done to your liking), stirring often.  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top of servings.  Makes 7, 1 ½ cup servings.

pasta and bean soup

This soup was really good, even though it was a little too hot in my tiny kitchen as I cooked it. It will be great in the winter! I adapted this from a Family Fun recipe.

Ingredients:
3 14-oz cans reduced-sodium broth (I used two veggi, and one chicken, since that's what I had)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 4-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1 Tbsp dried (I only had dried, but wished I had fresh because it was hard fishing the rosemary out later)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 15-oz can white beans, rinsed
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup medium pasta shells (I only had spirals, and it worked fine)
2 C individually quick-frozen spinach (I only had fresh baby spinach, so that's what i used)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Combine broth, garlic, rosemary and crushed red pepper in a 4 to 6 quart soup pot, bring to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer over medium low-heat for 20 minutes to intensify flavor. Meanwhile, mash 1 cup beans in a small bowl (I was going to skip this step, then decided "what the heck" and just did it. I'm glad I did, it made the soup a little creamier)
2.Scoop garlic cloves and rosemary from the broth with a slotted spoon (I had a mesh scoop that worked great). Add mashed and whole beans to the broth, along with tomatoes; return to a simmer. Stir in Pasta, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pasta is just tender, about 10-12 minutes (I actually put my spinach in here, too, but whatever).
3. Stir in spinach, cover and cook just until spinach has thawed, 2-3 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a sprinkle of parmesan.

We all liked this soup a lot, and it was great as leftovers for lunch today!

Asian Noodle Salad

Something cool to eat on a hot summer night.

Dressing:
1/2 C rice vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Let sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavors combine.

Salad:
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
1/2 C basil, chopped
2 green onions, diced finely
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 C shredded carrot
1/2 C honey roasted peanuts
1/2 Pound spaghetti noodles, cooked per instructions
Cooked, chopped chicken breast - optional - I cooked it in a little bit of the dressing

Prepare all of the vegetable, set aside. Once the spaghetti has cooked, rinse with cold water and drain. When the noodles are completely cool, add the vegetables and peanuts. Mix the dressing again thoroughly then add to the noodles and vegetables. Stir until well combined and serve!

Butternut Squash Ravioli

They were sampling this at Costco the other day and I thought I would try it out on my own. Turned out pretty tasty but it was time consuming. I made the whole package of wonton wrappers and froze what we didn't eat to eat another time.

4 C Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 C Ricotta Cheese
2 T chopped fresh sage
3 T chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 package wonton wrappers
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss squash with oil, salt, pepper, and brown sugar in a roasting pan. Add 1/4 C water and cover with foil. Roast 30 minutes until very tender.

Drain squash well, return to pan, and mash with fork. Return, uncovered, to the oven and bake for 10 minutes to dry out.

Add cheese, sage, parsley, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend well. Distribute by tablespoons onto wonton wrappers. Moisten the edge of the wonton wrapper with water and carefully pinch together.

Cook in boiling water in batches until they float. To keep from sticking, toss in olive oil. Serve with Alfredo sauce.

Alfredo Sauce:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Wow - the 200th post! Roger and I decided we like this one better than the usual chicken spaghetti recipe. Plus it had lots of veggies in it. This is another one from the Pioneer Woman website. There are so good recipes there - go check it out!

Ingredients
■3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
■3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
■1 pound Fettuccine
■2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
■2 Tablespoons Butter
■1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
■1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
■½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
■3 cloves Garlic, Minced
■4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
■2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
■½ cups White Wine - I bought white cooking wine....you can find it in the cooking section
■1 cup Heavy Cream
■Cayenne Pepper To Taste
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
■Salt To Taste
■Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

Summer Tortellini Salad

1 pkg. (9 oz.) uncooked refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini (I like the 5 Cheese Tortellini from Costco)
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (I use the equivalent of baby carrots instead)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1/2 cup home-made or really good ranch dressing (I used the Brianna's Brand one)
Parmesan Cheese - to taste
*Optional - I have added grilled chicken

Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Placetortellini in a large colander and set aside. Meanwhile, slice zucchini. chop carrot(s). Cut tomatoes in half and slice green onions. Snip parsley, if using fresh. Add vegetables to tortellini. Pour salad dressing over salad. Grate parmesan cheese over salad. cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 6 servings

Mexican Goulash

This is another new ground beef recipe I thought I would try. I thought it was good! I added some minced garlic and chopped green peppers to the meat mixture.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes,
undrained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar
cheese

Directions:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, water, chili powder, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted

Tortellini Sausage Soup

3 links Italian sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
2 cans chicken broth
½ c. apple cider
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini
2 Tbsp. dried parsley

If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Taco Pasta Salad

We had this at a friends house last night for dinner. It is super and easy and cheap. (Both of my favorites.) I know it might sound a little weird, but it was good.

Ingredients:

Curly pasta
ground beef (cooked with Taco seasoning)
tomatoes
green onions
black olives
cheese
whatever other veggies you want to put on it
sour cream
chips (crumbled on top)

You just put everything on top of the noodles and mix together. Everyone can do their own so they only have the things they want on it. Lucas loved it... he ate two helpings. :)

Chicken, Garlic, and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

My friend and dinner group member made this for us and I had to have the recipe. I REALLY liked it. Hope you do too!

INGREDIENTS
· 1 (16 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
· 1/2 cup butter
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
· 1/2 cup milk
· 1 tablespoon dried parsley
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
· 3 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
· 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes or so
· 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot with boiling salted water cook farfalle pasta until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic cloves and cook until garlic browns. Add the cream of chicken soup and milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in the dried parsley, salt, and ground fresh pepper. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bite size chicken pieces and hydrated sun dried tomatoes. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Mix in grated Romano cheese. Toss cooked and drained pasta with chicken sauce. Serve warm. --so easy and so good. The sundried tomatoes are a little pricey, but the jar usually makes at least three or four batches. (Costco has a huge jar for much cheaper) I usually put in extra cheese just for fun. (comments from Johanna)

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Lasagna

We had this at a friend's house last night and it was very tasty. I guess with 3 cups of cream and tons of cheese how could it not be!

1 (8 ounce) package lasagna noodles 3 cups heavy cream 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced 5 mushrooms, diced 1 roasted chicken, shredded salt and ground black pepper to taste 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2.	In a saucepan over low heat, mix together heavy cream, cream of mushroom soup, Parmesan cheese, and butter. Simmer, stirring frequently, until well blended.
3.	Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in olive oil until tender, then add garlic and mushrooms. Mix in the chicken, and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
4.	Lightly coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with enough of the cream sauce mixture to coat. Layer with 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/2 cup ricotta, 1/2 of the spinach, 1/2 the chicken mixture, and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with 1/2 the cream sauce mixture, and repeat the layers. Place the remaining noodles on top, and spread with remaining sauce.
5.	Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until brown and bubbly. Top with the remaining mozzarella, and continue baking until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Chicken Alfredo crap

Okay... so this isn't really an official "recipe"... but it is super easy and really yummy.

Ingredients:
Chicken cut up into cubes (use however much you want... depending on how many you are feeding... I think I use like 2 chicken breasts)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
1 jar of alfredo sauce
fetticini noodles

Cut up the vefitables into chunks and cook in a sauce pan with the chicken. Add the alfredo sauce and serve over noodles.