Four Pasta Beef Bake

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 8 cups uncooked pasta (four assorted pasta shapes of your choice)
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 medium green peppers, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 jars (26 ounces each) meatless spaghetti sauce
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, peppers, onions and mushrooms over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

2. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl; stir in the beef mixture, two jars of spaghetti sauce and eggs.

3. Transfer to two greased 3-qt. baking dishes. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Yield: 2 casseroles (8-10 servings each).

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I did halve the recipe and it was perfect for our family of four. I used venison instead of beef and it was delicious. This was a really simple casserole to throw together and I didn't have to buy any ingredients for it, which is a major plus in my book! I highly recommend this recipe.

Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta

From: Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1 – 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 oz pasta
2 oz (about 1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 oz (about 1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil


Preheat the oven to 475 F.

Add the tomatoes to the bowl of your food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses. Set an oven-safe 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, the water, 1 cup of the chicken broth, and the pasta to the pan, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer, then cover the pan and continue simmering (you may need to reduce the heat slightly) until the pasta is tender, about 16-18 minutes. Stir the pasta frequently as it cooks.

Once tender, remove the cover and stir in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the pepper, and the chicken. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary. If the mixture seems dry, mix in as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth as needed to loosen it up. {Note: if you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the mixture to a baking dish at this point.} Sprinkle the top evenly with the mozzarella cheese and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and bubbles around the edges. Garnish with the basil then serve.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Our whole family loves chicken parmesan, and we love pasta, so I really wanted to try this recipe which mixed both of those nicely. I think this is a really great, simple meal to throw together. I'll definitely make it again and I recommend it, especially because you can easily tweak it to have different spices, sauces, and noodles. 

Taco Pasta

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
15 oz tomato sauce
8 oz shell macaroni, cooked and drained
4 oz chopped green chilies
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain and add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and chilies. Stir in cooked macaroni. Place in a 9x13 pan. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Basically just substituted what I already had at home: I used venison instead of beef, mushroom pasta sauce, whole wheat penne, and I chopped green peppers instead of using the chilies.


What I'll do differently next time:
I might use less of the taco seasoning in the future. It was a tad spicy for my kids.


Verdict:
Thumbs up! Even though it was a little spicy for my kids they still ate a bunch of this. I loved it and didn't think it was too spicy. I will definitely be making this again in the future!! What an easy recipe to throw together.

Baked Penne

From: Here

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup each, chopped onions and green peppers
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 tub Philadelpha cooking creme, Italian cheese and herb
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 cups cooked penne pasta

Heat oven to 350. Brown meat with vegetables in a large skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Add pasta; mix lightly. Spoon into 2-qt casserole dish, top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella. Cover. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through, uncovering after 15 minutes.



What I did differently from the recipe:
I honestly never read which cooking creme to used, and just realized it said to use Italian cheese and herb. I used Sante Fe because I thought I was supposed to. Alas!!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP!!! This was incredible! I know I wasn't supposed to use the Santa Fe blend but it was such an awesome mixture of tastes! It was a little spicy, and the second plate I had, I ate all the pasta first, and then broke out the tortilla chips and used it as a dip! It was seriously so good. I will definitely be making this again!!

Ravioli and Cheese Bake

From: Kraft website

Ingredients:
16 oz spaghetti sauce
14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
10 oz can beef broth
1/4 cup Italian dressing
2 9-oz packages refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Heat oven to 375. Combine first 4 ingredients in a 13x9 baking dish. Add ravioli, toss to coat. Cover. Bake 50 minutes or until ravioli is tender. Top with cheese; let stand 5 minutes or until melted. Sprinkle with basil.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used 1 package of 13-ounce frozen ravioli instead of the refrigerated ravioli. Much cheaper.

What I'll do differently next time:
I'd like to try it with small ravioli (I used really large ravioli) or tortellini, just because I like the really small pasta like that but not to change the taste.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What an easy recipe to throw together! It was really delicious and my house smelled incredible while it was cooking too. Not many leftovers for this recipe!