Spaghetti Casserole

A group of friends and I participated in a freezer cooking session, and it was a lot of fun!  Little did I know how great freezer cooking is!  What a time-saver!  I definitely plan to dedicate a day every couple of weeks to cooking about 5 or so meals.

The recipe I chose was a spaghetti casserole I had found on Taste of Home, a great recipe magazine.  This was so good!  Evan even approved...he finished his plate!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package (16 ounces) angel hair pasta
• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Remove from the heat.
• Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two 8-in. square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers.
• Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

7-Layer Taco Dip

Wow!  This was a hit at our 4th of July pitch-in at work---there was nothing left!  I wanted something simple to make that didn't need to be heated up...something I could just pull out of the fridge and serve when it was time to eat.  I could've made a meal out of this taco dip---so yummy!  Served it with regular and Baked tortilla scoops.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans (used a lower fat version...1.5g fat/serving)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (used reduced-fat)
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream (used reduced-fat)
• 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa (used mild)
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch chopped green onions
• 1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained (only used a 2.5oz can)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.
3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Found this at allrecipes.com---it looked liked something that Evan would enjoy and seemed easy to make!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (used reduced-fat)
• 1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 10 Mission® Fajita Size Flour Tortillas, warmed
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 green onion, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder.
2. Mix 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese.
3. Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over enchiladas. Cover.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until hot. Top with tomato and onion.

Honey Lime Chicken

Sorry I've been slacking with the recipes lately. We've been busy, and then I've been trying to eat healthier.

I found this recipe in my Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine, which is an awesome recipe magazine! Lots of healthy, easy recipes! I did the marinating, then Nate took care of the chicken on the grill.  Served it with a 3-cheese rice side dish, and green beans.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup white wine or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

 DIRECTIONS:
1.  In a large resealable bag, combine the wine, honey, lime juice and ginger; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2 hours, turning once.
2.  Drain and discard marinade. Combine the garlic powder, salt and pepper; sprinkle over chicken. Using long-handled tongs, dip a paper towel in cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Yield: 4 servings.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti

Trying to make things Evan would love, and this seems like a hit! I actually made it ahead for tomorrow night, but it sure did smell good when I took it out of the oven. Even Nate was eyeballing this as I was making it. Made it more diet-friendly by using reduced-fat versions of ingredients. Haven't tried a Pioneer Woman recipe I haven't liked...here is the recipe link.

INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups Cooked Chicken
* 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
* 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup (reduced-fat)
* 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (reduced-fat)
* ¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
* ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
* 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
* 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
* 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
* ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper (omitted)
* Salt And Pepper, to taste
* 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (reduced-fat)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups (we used skinless/boneless chicken breasts). Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
3. Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Creamy Taco Mac

This is the gourmet version of Hamburger Helper! So yummy! And a hit with Nate and Evan...who both had 2nd helpings! So easy to make! Found this on Annie's Eats---a great recipe blog you should check out!

We used lean ground beef instead of ground turkey, and reduced-fat cream cheese and sour cream.

Link to recipe...

Baked Ziti

I found this on allrecipes.com...and what a tasty recipe!

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 pound dry ziti pasta
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
* 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
* 1 1/2 cups sour cream (used reduced-fat)
* 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (used whole 8oz bag)
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Spray 13x9 baking dish with Pam. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.