Taco Pie

I don't know how I've lived 41 years and haven't heard of this deliciousness. My kids devoured it. My husband and I couldn't stop eating it, along with the horchata I made. Yum. I use refrigerated pie crusts because of lazy. I look forward to experimenting with this one! My family of 6 ate 1 1/2 pies. Thank you, website I got this from but can't remember which one. Thank you. Serves 4.

Taco Pie

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
1 lb ground beef
3 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning, or 1 packet commercial seasoning
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c salsa

1 can black or pinto beans, drained
2 c lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, diced
1 c shredded cheese
sour cream dollop, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pat crust into pie pan and sprinkle a pinch of taco seasoning in bottom. Bake 7-10 minutes, or until crust starts to brown.
3. I a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain.
4. Add salsa and remaining taco seasoning. Add drained beans and cook 3-4 minutes more.
5. Pour into crust and top with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream dollop, if using.

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy

I love the meatballs from Ikea and I think these rival them! My boys LOVED them with the gravy over mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. There were five left in the pan, which I was looking forward to eating for lunch the next day. I got up to clean my plate and returned to find my 2 year old had gobbled them up. Needless to say they were delicious. Serves 6.

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy

1/2 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c heavy cream
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c onion, minced
1 lb ground beef
1/3 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 c chicken broth

3 Tbsp flour
2 c beef broth
4 oz sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the breadcrumbs and cream in a small bowl; let sit until crumbs absorb cream, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt 1 Tbsp butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Place onion in large mixing bowl; add ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice and ginger and mix well (I used my hands). Carefully add breadcrumbs and cream.
4. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off 1 1/2 Tbsp of meat mixture per meatball and add to skillet. Cook until just the outsides are brown, about 5 minutes, turning meatballs often (and carefully because mixture is soft). Place browned meatballs in 9x13 baking dish; pour chicken broth and cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven until meatballs and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Prepare gravy.

GRAVY:

1. Pour pan drippings into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in beef broth. Bring gravy to a simmer, whisking constnatly until tick, about 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve gravy with meatballs.

Meat and Veggie Lasagna

I love everything about lasagna from the layers of noodles to the cheesy-tomatoey goodness in between. This is simple yet healthy and delicious...and with ricatta cheese, which I don't really like. You can eat it with chunks of vegetable, or blend them in the sauce to hide them from the kids. I won't tell. Serves 8.

Meat and Veggie Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 zucchini, chopped
1 zucchini squash, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, shredded (optional)
garlic salt, to taste
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 c (or more) Parmesan cheese, divided
Shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on counter big enough to cover a 9x13 pan, about 1 1/2 feet. Spray with cooking spray.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions. When cooked al dente (soft yet firm at the core), lay flat on aluminum foil to cool, overlapping or criss-crossing where necessary.

CHUNKY VEGETABLE VERSION:
3. Cook meat and onions in extra large skillet over medium to medium-high heat until meat is browned. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add zucchini, yellow zucchini squash, mushrooms and carrots, if using. Sprinkle garlic salt on top of vegetables and stir, tasting and adding garlic salt until they taste good to you. This flavor will carry over in the end. Stir and cook until zucchini starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce. Add about a cup of warm water to the jar, replace the lid and shake to remove the rest of the sauce from the sides and add to skillet. Let sauce simmer 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

VEGETABLES-IN-SAUCE VERSION:
3. Cook meat and onions in extra large skillet over medium to medium-high heat until meat is browned. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add zucchini, yellow zucchini squash, mushrooms and carrots, if using. Sprinkle garlic salt on top of vegetables and stir, tasting and adding garlic salt until they taste good to you. This flavor will carry over in the end.  Stir and cook until zucchini starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta sauce. Add about a cup of cold water to the jar, replace the lid and shake to remove the rest of the sauce from the sides and add to skillet. Add contents of skillet to food processor or blender. Blend until as chunky as desired.

4. Add a little sauce to a 9x13 pan, just enough to coat bottom. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over sauce, at least 1/4 c. Layer 4 noodles, overlapping a little. Add 1/3 of remaining sauce and spread evenly over noodles. Sprinkle a handful of mozzarella cheese. Repeat noodles, sauce, cheese. Lay the last 4 noodles, the last of the sauce, and other handful or 2 of cheese. Then sprinkle remaining 1/4 c Parmesan cheese on top.
5. Use aluminum foil the noodles were on to cover 9x13 dish; bake covered in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is completely melted.

CAN DO AHEAD: You can assemble the lasagna ahead of time (steps 1-4) and cover with aluminum foil; place in refrigerator. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is completely melted.

Happy to be Stuffed Bell Peppers

I don't like bell peppers, but these are delicious! It was a perfect way to use up leftover rice. I chose orange peppers and cut them into Jack-o-Lanterns for Halloween, but you can cut any face or design you want. Time to be creative, folks! My kids loved the filling, but didn't eat the pepper (surprise, surprise--they don't like bell peppers). I served them with a scoop of rice and a garden salad. Makes 6 peppers.

Happy to be Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 bell peppers, any color
1 lb groung beef or turkey
1 - 2 c rice, cooked
1 egg
1 16-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 c onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 tsp dried
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
sour cream, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 8x8 baking dish; set aside.
2. Cut off tops of peppers and spoon out insides, seeds and membranes, rinsing to make sure to get any remaining seeds. Pat dry and cut out a face--or any design, needed for venting and draining juice--on the broadest side of pepper. Set upright in baking dish.
3. In large bowl, mix meat, rice, egg, tomatoes, cheese, onion, garlic,Worcestershire sauce, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper, just until blended. Spoon equally into peppers. Replace tops on each.
4. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour, or until stuffing is cooked and peppers are tender. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Irish Shepherd's Pie

It is often really convenient to open a can of soup and have a fast, easy meal. But nothing is better than making your own sauce. Mmmmmmmm...this recipe is tasty and filling. I was short on mashed potatoes and didn't have the peas. You can adjust as necessary, but it is best to use all ingredients. My husband raved over it and my 5-year old loved it. Careful with the salt when seasoning the sauce, especially if you use salt in your mashed potatoes. Serves 6 to 8.

Irish Shepherd's Pie


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 lb ground beef or lamb
3-4 large carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, diced, or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme, diced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 c frozen peas
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter
1 c red wine or beef broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 c chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste

about 6 c mashed potatoes, fresh or leftovers
 
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish; set aside.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and saute until start to get tender. Add onions and cook for one minute then add meat. Season with black pepper and thyme and cook until meat is browned and no longer pink. Drain fat.
3. Add butter and peas. Sprinkle with flour and stir until flour is dissolved. Add tomato paste, wine or beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook three minutes and add chicken stock. Stir until a thick gravy forms. Season to taste, keeping salt content to a minimum, especially if your mashed potatoes have salt in them. Add to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cheddar cheese evenly over top of meat mixture.
4. Spoon mashes potatoes in baking dish, smoothing evenly over cheese and meat mixture. Brush beaten egg evenly over top of potatoes and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if using.
5. Bake for abut 20 minutes, uncovered, or until the potato is nice and browned on top.

Genuine Italian Lasagna

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites recipe blog. SO GOOD!  Labor intensive (took 3 hours), but soooo worth it. My husband says it's the best lasagna he's ever had (he had it for breakfast this morning, people), and our friend said it was "heavenly". HA! Most poetic thing I've heard him say.
I like this website, though I haven't loved everything I've tried from it. Funny people. She says, "Some...may balk at the idea of vegetables in their Man Food. If you're not a fan of chunky vegetables in your lasagna, you could try grating them or tossing them in your food processor and letting Ms. Cuisinart do all the hard work. That way, you'll still get the hearty flavor and nutrients of the vegetables, but no one really has to know." She also says, "This serves 12. And wanna know what's awesome? If you use super lean ground beef, it has around 250 calories and 5 Weight Watcher points! Seriously, the TASTIEST, most filling 5 points you'll ever have in your life."

Genuine Italian Lasagna 

Pasta/Lasagna Sauce

1/2 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage

2 15-oz. cans Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped or grated

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tsp. sugar

About 1/4 tsp. baking soda (this neutralizes the acid)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or skillet with a lid, brown ground beef (or sausage), onions, and garlic until meat is cooked and onions are tender. Add the remaining ingredients to the cooked meat, stir, and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. After an hour, remove from heat. Taste to see if it needs more salt and/or pepper.

Béchamel (BAY-sha-mel) Sauce
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) real butter, NO SUBSTITUTES
1/4. c. white flour
2 1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350.
To prepare Béchamel sauce, melt butter over over medium to medium-low heat (closer to medium) in a medium saucepan. When melted, whisk in flour until combined. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Heat until bubbly and thickened to a medium consistency (I don't know if it's my pots, but I always have to turn temp. to medium to get sauce to thicken and bubble). Mix with pasta/lasagna sauce.

FINALLY for the lasagna

12 no-boil lasagna noodles
8 oz. shredded mozzarella, divided
4 oz. fresh shredded Parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 16-oz. tub Ricotta

1. Combine 6 oz. mozzarella (about 1 3/4 c.), ricotta, Parmesan, and the beaten egg.

2. Using a ladle that measures 1/2 c. (or a 1/2 c. measuring cup), spread 1 c. of sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add 3 noodles. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture. Spread 1 1/2 c. sauce and repeat so you have 4 layers of noodles. You should end with a layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella (and some extra Parmesan if you have some left over)

Cover tightly with foil and bake about 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove foil. It will probably look a little runny. Don't be scared--you still need to let it stand about 15-20 minutes. During that time, it will thicken up nicely.

Meat Loaf the Kids Loved

I'm calling this, "The Meat Loaf the Kids Loved" because it's just that. They are picky eaters, but they LOVED it. Before I could sit down and say grace, they had inhaled it and were asking for "more chicken," as my 2 yr old said. :) My husband LOVED it, also. Thank you, Betty Crocker. Serves 4-8.

Meat Loaf the Kids Loved

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef (at least 80% lean)
1 c milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh, or 1/4 tsp dried sage leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove minced garlic, or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 large egg
3 sliced bread, torn into small pieces, or 1/2 c dried bread crumbs
1 small onion, diced (1/4 c)
1/2 c ketchup, chili sauce, or barbecue sauce

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except ketchup. Spread mixture in ungreased 8x4" or 9x5" loaf pan, or shape into 9x5" loaf in ungreased 13x9" pan. Spread ketchup over top.
3. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in center of loaf. Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until center is no longer pink and thermometer reads at least 160 degrees. Drain meat loaf.
4. Let stand 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is so easy, so scrumptious, so filling. Four ingredients. It's rare for my boys to clean the plate, but they always do when I serve this. Serve with fruit or garden salad or green beans. Serves 6-8.

Tater Tot Casserole

2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey*
garlic salt
onion powder
1 10-oz can cream of mushroom soup
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 2-lb bag of tater tots

Preheat oven to 350.
1. Spray the bottom of 9x13" baking dish and smash raw ground beef on bottom. Sprinkle garlic salt and onion powder evenly on top. Spread soup evenly on top of meat. Sprinkle cheese on top of soup. Spread tater tops evenly on top of cheese.
2. Cover dish with foil. Bake 45 minutes covered, 15 minutes uncovered, or until tater tots in center are hot.

Variation: You could add 1 can (well-drained) green beans on top of soup, then add cheese and tater tots. It ends up slightly more watery, but still a tasty way to include the veggies!

* Or try 1 lb hamburger and 1 lb ground turkey to mix it up!

Taglierini

I have no idea where this recipe came from, but it has always been a favorite. Growing up I was excited to see this on the table, and that says a lot because I was one of those really picky kids. :) It's very tasty and a good variation from normal marinara sauce. I don't usually like olives, but in here they just GO! :D It's a fun, yummy, easy pasta dish. Serve with corn bread or breadsticks and a veggie. :D Serves 6.

Tagliarini (tal-yer-eenie)

1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1-15 oz can tomato sauce
1 can corn, drained
1 can tomato soup + 1 soup can water
1 can pitted olives, drained (optional)
2 c uncooked noodles (I like elbow macaroni)
1 c diced or shredded cheese

Melt butter in soup pan (dutch oven) over medium heat and sauté onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Add hamburger and cook until browned. Add remaining ingredients except the cheese and let sauce return to a simmer; cook until noodles are done, about 10 minutes. Stir often while cooking to prevent noodles from sticking to the bottom. Once noodles are done remove pan from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Spicy Cheesy Burgers

This is spicy, but soooo good (though you can control the spice by the amount and type of picante sauce is you use). I love the special marriage between cheese and tomato. Serves 4.

Spicy Cheesy Burgers

1 lb ground beef
4 slices cheddar cheese
1/2 c picante sauce (or less, depending how hot it is)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Shape ground beef into 8 (3 1/2") patties. Place 1 slice cheese on top of four of the patties. Top each with remaining patties; press edges to seal. In large skillet over medium-high heat, cook patties 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned; drain excess fat. Mix picante sauce and tomato sauce in a small bowl and pour over patties--If your sauce is "hot" start with 1/4 cup then add more, tasting to make sure it is not too spicy.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until heated.
I sprinkle additional cheese on top (because...well...I love cheese) as it heats and serve over rice.
YUM.