Sausage Pasta Bake

1/2 lb rigatoni
1 lb pork sausage
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 can (14 ox) chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
5 1/2 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed

1. preheat oven to 375. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Spray a large ovenproof dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the sausage into slices.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion and garlic until browned (about 10 min). Stir in chili powder. Cook for 1 min longer. Stin in the tomatoes, broth and sugar. Bring to boil, cover an simmer for 10 min. Add pasta, basil, salt and pepper and stir.

Transfer pasta mixture to the prepared dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake pasta until golden and bubbly (20-25 min). Serve immediately.

Shepherd's Pie

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup beef or chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk (any fat content)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, carrot, and meat. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Drain the fat and add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs. Simmer until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes, then add the peas.

4. Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish; set aside.

5. Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.

6. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and salt.

7. Spread them over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork.

8. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Crust
1	box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
Filling
1/3	cup butter or margarine
1/3	cup chopped onion
1/3	cup all-purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon pepper
1 3/4	cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/2	cup milk
2 1/2	cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
2	cups Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

DIRECTIONS

1.	Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.
2.	In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
3.	Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
4.	Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

• 1 (8 ounce) package wide egg noodles
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup cottage cheese, creamed
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Cook noodles in boiling salted water. Rinse in cold water and drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Brown meat in butter; add salt, pepper, garlic salt and tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mix cottage cheese, sour cream, onions, meat sauce and noodles. Place in a casserole dish and sprinkle with cheddar cheese
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Unstuffing Side Dish

• 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups unseasoned stuffing croutons or dry bread cubes
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1. In a large skillet, brown sausage; drain. Add butter, mushrooms, celery and onion; saute 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. transfer to a large bowl; add croutons and enough broth to moisten. Place in a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.

Baked Ziti Casserole

12 ounces uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
4 cups Basic Marinara (didn't have time to make this. used jar of spaghetti sauce)
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese, divided (didn't have. used Parmesan)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 pound ground turkey breast
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Brown turkey breast and drain fat.

Combine pasta, Basic Marinara, 1 cup mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Asiago, salt, pepper sauce, and turkey in a large bowl. Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella and remaining Asiago. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I added garlic, green onions and green peppers to the turkey while I browned it. Very easy and very good. Probably could freeze this by under cooking the pasta.

Beef-Noodle Casserole

1 pound Lean ground beef (substituted ground turkey)
1/2 cup Onions, chopped finely
3 quarts Boiling water
2-3/4 cups Noodles, yolk-free, enriched, uncooked
1 10-3/4-ounce can Tomato soup, condensed (didn't have - used 2 cans tomato sauce)
1-1/4 cups Water
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
1 cup Bread crumbs


1. Brown beef and onions in hot skillet (I added garlic as well and if I had any green peppers, would've have thrown some of those in also); drain.
2. Place water in large saucepan; bring to rolling boil. Cook noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes; drain and set aside.
3. Combine soup, water, (if you're using tomato sauce, don't use water) and pepper. Stir into cooked meat. Add cooked noodles to meat mixture. Stir gently to avoid tearing the noodles.
4. Spoon beef-noodle mixture into 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle bread crumbs over beef-noodle mixture. (I added a cup or so of shredded cheese on top)
5. Bake, uncovered, at 300˚ F, about 30 minutes.

Stroganoff Casserole

Make this one but don't bake it 'til you are ready to eat....just freeze and then take it out and bake it. If you bake it frozen it will need more time though...but it is good.

12 oz wide egg noodles -- cooked and drained
1 lb lean ground beef (used ground turkey)
1 small onion -- chopped
1 bell pepper -- chopped
2 ribs celery -- chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms -- drained (left these out)
1/2 tsp oregano
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
1 (12 oz) container small curd cottage cheese (didn't have - used more 8 oz more sour cream)
1 tsp garlic salt\
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese -- divided

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Brown beef, drain and return to skillet. Stir in onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook covered, over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, 15 min or till veggies are tender. Stir in wine and next 3 ingredients.; set aside. Stir together sour cream, cottage cheese, and garlic salt. Add noodles, tossing to coat.

Spread half the noodles in a lightly greased 13x9" baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat with remaining noodles and meat. Bake, covered, at 350 for 20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and bake, uncovered, 10 min

Hamburger Sour Cream Casserole

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger (substituted ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup (used cream of celery)
1 (12 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
3 c. (5 oz.) cooked noodles
1 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can French fried onions

In a skillet, combine meat, onions, and pepper and brown; drain fat. Add all ingredients except French fried onions. Place in 9x13 inch baking dish and top with French fried onions. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly, at 350 degrees. Freezes well, but do not freeze with French fried onions.

Swiss Chicken Casserole

6 chicken breast halves, skinned & boned
6 (4x4") slices Swiss cheese
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/4 c. milk
2 c. herb seasoned stuffing mix (didn't have any - used breadcrumbs and just sprinkled on top)
1/4 c. butter, melted

Arrange chicken breasts in a lightly greased 12 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish. Top with cheese slices.

Combine soup and milk; stir well, spoon over chicken. Sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle butter over crumbs. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

To Freeze: Prepare as above and place in foil-lined dish. Cover tightly and freeze.

To defrost and reheat: Thaw casserole in refrigerator. Cover and reheat at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Hot Chicken Casserole

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2 c. cooked chicken or turkey
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c. finely cut celery
2 tbsp. minced onion
1 c. slivered almonds (Ryan hates nuts. Left these out)
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. Hellmann's mayonnaise
4 hard-boiled eggs
2 c. cooked rice (He also isn't a rice fan. Used elbow noodles instead)
1 1/2 c. potato chips

Mix all ingredients together and place in long greased casserole. Cover top with 1 1/2 cups crushed potato chips when ready to bake. Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes in a flat dish, for 45 minutes in a deep dish.

Freezes well before or after baking. If preparing to freeze, leave off the chips. Serves 15-18.

Sicilian Casserole

• 1 lb. ground beef (I always substitute ground turkey for ground beef)
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cubed
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and onion in heavy saucepan, stirring to break up ground beef. Add green bell pepper when beef is almost cooked; continue to simmer until beef is done. Drain well. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and dried Italian seasoning and stir well to blend. Let simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Meanwhile, cook elbow macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, combine cream cheese and milk in medium bowl. Cook in microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Remove from microwave and stir with wire whisk until sauce thickens and blends to form a smooth sauce. Drain noodles and add to cream cheese sauce along with sour cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; stir to combine.

In 2 quart casserole dish, place all of cream cheese mixture. Top with all of the ground beef mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until casserole is bubbly.

To freeze, add 1 Tbsp. cornstarch to the cream cheese sauce. Prepare casserole as directed, except instead of baking, chill in refrigerator. Wrap well and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, for 25-35 minutes 5 minutes longer until bubbly. 8 servings

Chicken Potato Casserole

This super simple and delicious recipe is perfect to freeze ahead of time, then thaw and bake on nights when you just can't face the kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 oz. can condensed reduced fat and sodium cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3-1/2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peppers and onions, thawed
• 1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 cups crushed potato chips

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk, chicken and 1-1/4 cups cheese. Spread three-quarters of this mixture in a greased 2-quart baking dish.

Sprinkle hash browns and peppers and onions over the top of the casserole and press down lightly, then top vegetables with remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and potato chips.

Bake casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. 8 servings

To freeze, assemble casserole as directed, except do not thaw potatoes, peppers, or onions and do not sprinkle with potato chips. Wrap casserole in freezer wrap or heavy duty foil and freeze. Reserve potato chips in pantry. To thaw and bake, let thaw overnight in refrigerator. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes until bubbly. Then top with crushed potato chips and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

Au Gratin Potato Casserole

Prep: 10 min.; Bake: 1 hr., 20 min.
This is very quick to prepare and very easy. You can make it ahead of time, refrigerate it, and then bake it later. It's smart to let chilled casseroles come to room temperature before you bake them.


1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash browns (I used the kind with onions and peppers)
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (Ryan hates mushrooms so I used cream of celery)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups crushed cornflakes cereal (didn't have any cornflakes so I used breadcrumbs and just sprinkled them over the top)
1/4 cup melted butter

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.

Spoon potato mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with crushed cornflakes, and drizzle evenly with butter.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until bubbly.