Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Super easy. Super delicious. When my afternoons are going to be crazy-busy I love knowing I can use my trusty Crock Pot to make dinner time stress free and delicious. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, more fresh cilantro and/or anything else your little heart could desire. Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com. Serves 6 to 8.

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 lb chicken breasts and/or ground turkey, cut into pieces
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 14-oz cans chicken broth*
1 10-oz can red enchilada sauce
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4-oz can diced green chili peppers
1 12-oz package frozen corn
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1. Place ingredients in slow cooker and stir gently. Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours.

* Or 4 c water and 4 tsp bouillon powder.

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.

Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

These are SOOOOO good, and I'm not especially a meatball person. The more I experiment with ground turkey, the more I love it! Give it the right seasonings, and it's as good as or better than ground beef! And without all the grease. :) My kids loved these even, and my husband was IN love. Serve over pasta or on toasted bread for a delicious meatball sandwiches OR serve as hors d'oeuvres, though you would want to cut down on the pasta sauce or use your own. Thank you, foodie77 on allrecipes.com! Makes about 28 large meatballs, so the recipe goes a long way.

Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

2 lb ground turkey
3/4 c onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
3/4 c Italian-style breadcrumbs
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 c shredded mozzarella or block cut into about 30 - 1/2" cubes*
1/4 c olive oil
2- 24 oz jars marinara sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray large baking sheet; set aside.
2. In large bowl, mix turkey, onion, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, milk, salt, and pepper until evenly blended. Form about 28 crude 1 3/4 - inch balls. Poke hole in each ball and add cheese; cover cheese with meat mixture and reform into a prettier ball. Place balls onto greased baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over each ball.
3. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Heat marinara sauce in saucepan over medium heat. Once sauce starts to simmer, add meatballs, turn heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes.

* You can use other cheese (I used mozz-cheddar blend and it was still fabulous) or take it out for a lower fat version.

Ground Turkey and Cabbage Soup

This soup is so good! It's warm, healthy, and settled wonderfully. After eating a bowl, my body FEELS good. It's a great base soup...you can really add any vegetables you want! Serve with warm, crusty bread (I made breadsticks and they went together perfectly!), but any yeast bread would be great...or even corn bread! My whole family LOVES this and it's a perfect way to use up veggies in my refrigerator. My son even requested it for his 5th birthday dinner. :) Serves 8.

Ground Turkey and Cabbage Soup

2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
small bell pepper, seeded and diced
any other chopped vegetable of your choice
1 lb ground turkey
8 c water*
8 chicken bouillon cubes*
1/2 head small cabbage, chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp flash parsley, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 c instant barley
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat; cook onion 4 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms, pepper and any other chopped vegetables, and ground turkey; cook until turkey is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and bouillon (or chicken stock) cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and Italian seasoning. Rub leaves off thyme stems into the soup and discard the stem. Bring to a boil; lower temperature and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add barley and simmer 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

* or 8 c chicken broth. I prefer to use 6 tsp Better Than Bouillon.

Italian Baked Penne

My sister sent me this message months ago. I tried it a few days ago..and I'm SO glad!! It's the BEST baked pasta dish I've had HANDS DOWN! So full of veggies and so tasty! Give it a try. This feeds about 2,000 people. :) Or 8-10.

Italian Baked Penne

1 13.25 oz package penne noodles
1 lb ground turkey or ground turkey sausage
1 c onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
3 c raw spinach, chopped
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish; set aside.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
3. In a extra large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground turkey, onion, and garlic until turkey is no longer pink. Add pepper, Italian seasoning, fresh basil, mushrooms, and tomatoes; simmer 6-8 minutes. Add salt and simmer 2 minutes more.
4. Add cooked pasta to sauce and mix well. Add spinach, cheese, and 1/3 c of the Parmesan cheese; blend well. Add mixture to 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 c Parm cheese on top.
5. Bake 15 minutes, or until Parm cheese is melted. Serve warm.

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!