Meat and Pasta Casserole

This has always been a dish that lands on our dinner table on a regular basis. When my oldest son was little he absolutely loved this so that was one reason (we all actually have loved this one from the first time I made it) Another reason I have always made it a lot is that it is just so versatile, it really is what you want it to be each time. Feel like Mexican food this casserole can give you that. What if you want Italian, no problem, this casserole will go there too. The reason is this is really just a basic road map, you fill in the blanks and make it just the way you want it.

First you choose what ground meat you want to use this time. I have made this with all of the following: ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, bulk Italian sausage, bulk pork sausage and Chirizo. All of them worked wonderfully! So whatever you have on hand or in the mood to use.

The canned soup: any of the condensed cream of whatever soups, cheddar cheese soup, nacho cheese soup, or tomato soup. Just so it is a condensed soup (you know the ones you would add water or milk to) and it has a creamy base.

Seasonings: dried herbs, (whatever goes with what you have in mind) some ideas: basil, tarragon, dill, oregano, Italian seasonings, etc

Spices: chilli powder, cumin, caraway seed, etc

Pasta: whatever shape you have on hand elbows, ziti, egg noodles just about any shape.

Crumb topping: dry bread crumbs (mix with a bit of melted butter), Parmesan cheese (mixed with bread crumbs), fresh bread crumbs (mix with a bit of melted butter) crushed tortilla chips, crushed potato chips, chow mien noodles (crushed)

So you see you really can go anywhere with this. I love to do the following combinations:

Ground beef, chilli powder, cumin, cheddar cheese soup and top with crushed tortilla chips.

Any ground meat, Italian seasonings, tomato soup and topped with a mixture of dry bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter

Meat and Pasta Casserole

4 oz pasta

1 pound of ground meat

1 onion, diced

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

(1 clove garlic, chopped optional)

1 (10 to 11 oz) can condensed soup, cream based

½ cup sour cream

½ cup milk

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

½ to 1 teaspoon seasonings of your choice

Crumb topping, about ¾ cup total or to cover your casserole dish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Cook pasta according to directions on package, drain when cooked

Brown meat until cooked through and set aside. In the same skillet sweat the vegetables until slightly tender.

Combine canned soup, sour cream and milk until mixed well. Add seasonings, cooked meat. Cooked pasta and vegetables.

Pour mixture into an 8” x 8” casserole dish

Top with topping

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until heated through and top is browned.

Creamy Scallops with Angel Hair Pasta

OK, first let's get the fact that this is really rich and loaded with calories out on the table. Oh yeah, this one is definitely not an everyday dish but it is so good, so luscious and so worth being in your recipe file for special occasions. So save this recipe for a special occasion and enjoy it then go back to healthier fare the rest of the week.

One thing I have noticed about cooking with scallops is that sometimes they seem to give off a lot more liquid into the pan than other times. I am not going to try to figure out why and explain it to you. Instead I will tell you how to deal with it. If you do find that your scallops are really wet and you end up with a lot of sauce use a slotted spoon and remove the scallops from the pan and let them join the pasta in the serving bowl while you cook the sauce down a bit. One of the worst things you could do to this dish is over cook the scallops. They are very delicate but will turn to little wads of rubber if you overcook them.

Don't be concerned about them getting cold sitting there waiting the sauce will warm them up just fine when you pour it over them and toss them and the pasta in it.

I do use a white wine in this sauce my preference for this dish is a nice chardonnay. It doesn't have to be very expensive to be good either. If you are going to serve wine with the dish I would recommend the same bottle of chardonnay to with it. It will stand up to the richness of the dish just fine. If you don't want to add the wine just leave it out no problem I just add it because I like the added layer of flavor it gives.

 

Creamy Scallops with Angel Hair Pasta

8 oz angel hair pasta

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¾ pound small scallops (fresh or thawed)

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and seeded

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Cook the pasta as directed on the package. When cooked drain well and reserve in a large bowl.

While the pasta is cooking heat the oil in a large skillet then add scallops, tomatoes and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the scallops just begin to turn opaque. Add the wine and cook to reduce. (If the scallops cook before the sauce reduces to about half remove the scallops and add them to the pasta in the bowl)

When the sauce has reduced to about half add the cream and oregano and heat through (just to bubbling)

Pour sauce over pasta and toss. Add the feta cheese and toss again

Hamburger and Pasta Skillet

I know I sound like a broken record talking about having foods in the freezer ready to make meals with but I am firm believer in doing this so I am going to talk about it. Today I am sharing a recipe for both a Hamburger and pasta dish that is really so much better than the ones you get in the box (you know what I’m talking about) and really just a quick to get on the table. This recipe relies on a base mix that I try to keep in the freezer all the time. I make this base up every few months in large batches and freeze it to make lots of different types of dishes. This process can be called “freezer cooking”  or “investment cooking” or any of several other terms. They all mean basically the same thing, you cook and freeze to use later. I have been doing this off and on for probably 20 or more years and I have notebooks (literally) filled with my favorite recipes. Today’s “Basic Meat Combo” is really versatile and I will share more recipes to use it in in the near future. It will keep in the freezer for about 3 months and will make 5 dinners each serving at least 4 people.

If you have your pasta and veggies already pre-cooked and in the fridge ready to go you can actually have the Hamburger and Pasta Skillet on the table in about 20 minutes (I timed it while I cooked this time)

Basic Meat Combo

¼ cup vegetable oil or shortening

4 sliced onions

4 garlic cloves, minced (or grated)

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrot

5 pound lean ground beef

5 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 cups ketchup

Hot sauce to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the onions, garlic, celery and carrots until tender. Add the ground beef; stir and cook breaking the meat up until the meat is cooked through. Drain off most of the excess fat, Add the remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

Cool and evenly divide between 5 pint size containers (pint= 2 cups) use a spoon to stir the mixture in the containers a bit to get rid of any air pockets. Label and freeze for up 3 months.

Hamburger and Pasta Skillet

1 pint container of Basic Meat Combo (recipe above) thawed

3 cups of cooked pasta (any pasta will do, I used whole wheat today)

2 cups cooked vegetables (leftover or frozen ones you have thawed)

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon Italian herb seasoning

½ cup shredded cheese (your favorite)

In a large skillet  over medium heat combine all ingredients except the cheese, cover and cook  until heated through about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure to taste and adjust the seasoning at this point. Sprinkle cheese over top (don’t stir in) cover and allow cheese to melt.

Serves 4 or 5

Ham and Walnut Pasta

I have one more recipe here to help you use up some of that leftover Ham from the weekend. This one came about because I was in the mood to try something new so I began searching through my cookbooks. I came upon a recipe that looked interesting but I had less than 1/3 of the original ingredients on hand. However, the concept (browning some breadcrumbs to add to the pasta) intrigued me. I read through the recipe then headed into my kitchen. I then made choices from what was available in the cabinets, fridge and pantry and this is what I came up with. It really in no way resembles the recipe I saw in the book but we loved it. In fact my daughter and I fought over who got the leftovers for lunch the next day. (We reached a compromise and split it)

Ham and Walnut Pasta

1 pound spaghetti

¼ cup chopped walnuts

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs

½ pound cooked ham, cubed

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 cloves garlic, chopped

10 ounce bag fresh spinach

½ cup cooking water from the pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Start by getting your water to cook your pasta in boiling, you will want to be cooking you pasta while you are making the rest so go ahead and add the pasta when the water boils. Drain pasta when it is cooked. Be sure to reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a sauté pan toast the walnuts until they just begin to turn a bit brown and you begin to smell them. Add the olive oil and breadcrumbs and cook until the mixture browns. Remove this from the nut mixture to a bowl to save for later and wipe the pan out.

In the same pan combine the ham, crushed red pepper, and garlic and cook to brown the meat and toast the garlic a bit. Add the spinach and ½ cup of water that the pasta is cooking in (this will not only cook the spinach but there is starch from the pasta will help the sauce to form) and cover to cook the spinach.

Toss the pasta, the spinach mixture, the nut mixture and lemon juice to combine. Top with some parmesan cheese if desired.

Seafood Pasta

This is one of those meals that came about because I really didn’t want to go the grocery store so I put together what was here. You see I live about 10 or 12 miles from the nearest grocery store and some days I just don’t really feel like going there. I do keep a lot of stuff on hand so that I can pull a meal together when I don’t have anything planned.

The ingredients in this dish are a combination of some of the staples I keep on hand always (canned seafood, bacon, pasta, half & half, wine, onions and garlic) and some things that I wanted to use up before they were past their prime (some cheese and mushrooms) the kids really liked this one so I thought I should pass it on.

Let me first say that I know some people don’t like to mix seafood and cheese but I happen to like the combination. I think this very same dish would also work really well with some chicken too.

This is obviously not a low calorie dish; don’t eat it everyday, save it for a special occasion. I think these kind of dishes can be enjoyed from time to time as long as you balance it with the rest of your diet.

Seafood Pasta

1 lb spaghetti (or other pasta)

2 slices of bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms

2/3 cup white wine

4 cloves garlic, grated or minced finely

4 oz can minced clams, drained reserving the liquid

2 cups half & half

1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese (mozzarella and parmesan)

¼ grated parmesan cheese

6 oz can crabmeat

Bring a large pan of water to a boil to cook your pasta, adding the pasta as soon as it comes to a boil.

Meanwhile cook the bacon in a large skillet, rendering the fat. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and add the onions and mushrooms to the bacon fat to cook. When the veggies are softened add the wine scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the flavorful bits from the bottom. When the wine comes to a simmer add the garlic and cook until everything is tender. Add the liquid from the clams and bring back to a simmer

Lower the heat and add the half & half along with the cheeses heat to melt the cheese and bring the mixture up to temperature. Add the clams and crab to the mixture stir gently to combine.

As soon as the pasta is cooked add it to the cream mixture and mix to combine.

Serve immediately.

Beef and Veggies over Noodles with Peanut Sauce

This is the perfect dish for a night when you are in a hurry to get dinner on the table fast! I prepped the veggies while the water was coming up to a boil and it took only 15 minutes from the time the pasta was dropped into the boiling water until I had dinner ready to go on the table. The sauce isn’t spicy at all but you can certainly bump up the amount of hot sauce to your taste.

Beef and Veggies over Noodles with Peanut Sauce

8 ounces un-cooked spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

4 green onions chopped

8 ounces of fresh pea pods, cut in half

1 red bell pepper cut into strips

Salt to taste

1 ½ cups chicken broth

A few shakes of Tabasco (or to your taste)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

½ cup creamy peanut butter

Peanuts to garnish (about ¼ cup)

Cook the spaghetti as directed on the package and drain

Brown ground beef in a large skillet breaking the meat up when it is cooked through. Add the veggies and salt and cook another 3 or 4 minutes until the veggies are crisp tender.

Combine the broth, Tabasco and cornstarch, stir well to combine completely and add immediately to the meat mixture along with the peanut butter. Stir to combine everything together. Cook a minute or two until thickened and bubbly. Add the cooked spaghetti and combine.

Serve with the peanuts as garnish.

Peanut Butter Pasta

This is probably the dinner that my kids love the most of everything I have ever made. Not only is this a super easy and quick meal it is made of ingredients that are almost always on hand and nothing in it is expensive so it is great for those days when the wallet is a little lacking.  It is truly a satisfying meatless dinner too and depending on your pasta choice a vegan one too.I hope you will enjoy this as much as we and it will find its way to your dinner table on a regular basis too.
 

Peanut Butter Pasta

2/3 cup apple juice
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
dash of Tabasco sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
chopped peanuts if desired

1 lb of your favorite pasta, cooked 

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the cilantro, 

chopped peanut and pasta; mix well. ( a wire whisk really works best here)

Cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is 
melted and smooth, stirring frequently. Stir in cilantro just 
before serving. 

Serve over cooked pasta. 
Top with chopped peanuts

I wanted to mention here also that recipe is very forgiving. If for instance you don't 

have apple juice on hand, I have made this with: chicken broth, water and even white 

wine in place of the apple juice. If need be you can use powdered ginger in place of 

the fresh but in this case you notice a difference. If you like spicy add more hot sauce. 

Use your favorite pasta just about any shape works great. I have also added veggies 

and cooked chicken to this a few times too.

You really can't miss with this recipe.

Enjoy 

Super Easy Baked Ziti

 Possibly the easiest casserole recipe ever!

I have been making this baked ziti recipe for so many years I'm not entirely sure where it came from anymore. The entire family loves it and it is requested on a regular basis by all of the kids. I love it because it is so no fuss that I could probably throw it together in my sleep. It only needs the 13x9 baking dish and a mixing spoon so the amount of dirty dishes is at a bare minimum and the ingredients list is only 4 items long (and one of them is water) and all are things I keep on hand most of the time. This dish has saved the day many times when we have un-expected dinner guests too. And yes, you are putting the pasta in the oven uncooked don't worry it cooks up wonderfully in the oven with the sauce and soaks up a lot of flavor from the sauce as a bonus.

Super Easy Baked Ziti
1pound ziti pasta, uncooked
1 jar of tomato based pasta sauce (24 to 26 ounce size)
water
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

In a 13"x9" baking dish combine the pasta, the jar of sauce and enough water to fill the sauce jar. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and stir the pasta and sauce. Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese and return to oven for 10 minutes.

Allow to set for about 15 minutes before serving.


Serves 6 to 8 people