Saucepan Spaghetti

From: Better Homes and Gardens Junior cookbook

Ingredients:
1 pound bulk pork sausage or ground beef (I used venison)
3 1/2 cups water
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp minced dried onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sugar (I used a pack of Sweet 'N' Low)
1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
6 ounces spaghetti (I used just over 7 ounces)
4 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese 

Break up meat in a 3-quart saucepan. Put pan on burner. Turn burner to medium-high heat. Cook and stir meat until there is no pink. Turn off burner and drain the fat.

Stir water, tomato sauce, onion, salt, oregano, worcestershire sauce, sugar, basil, garlic powder and pepper into the pan. Put pan on burner and turn to high heat.

When the mixture boils, break spaghetti into pieces and add them to the sauce. Turn the burner to low heat. Put lid on pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir often.

When spaghetti is done, turn off burner. Remove pan from burner. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Serve immediately.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was one of my FAVORITE recipes that my mom made when I was growing up. I was so happy when she hunted down the recipe for me to make a few nights ago! It was a huge hit and I am definitely going to be making it again. It's so easy to throw together and I LOVE one-pot recipes. Love it!

Hearty Lasagna Soup

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried parsley
3 1/2 cups beef broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups uncooked mafalda or corkscrew pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the beef, onion, garlic and parsley in a saucepan over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until the beef is browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat.

Stir the broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning in the saucepan and heat to a boil.

Stir the pasta in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Stir in the cheese. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I liked this soup a lot. I used venison instead of beef, crushed tomatoes instead of diced, and elbow macaroni instead of corkscrew. I thought this soup was yummy and filling. My only problem with it is that I had to add a ton of water while it was cooking because the pasta soaked up so much of it. So in the end I wish I had added a little more tomato flavoring to it. It was still great though, and I would definitely make this again in the future. I also appreciated the fact that I had every ingredient in the pantry already! 

Tagliarini with Garlic Sauce

From: Sunset Pasta cook book

Ingredients:
8 oz tagliarini
2 large tomatoes or 1 can (1 lb) Italian-style tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 tsp dry basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper and crushed red pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed

Peel, seed, and coarsely chop tomatoes. If using canned tomatoes, break up with a spoon. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, water (omit if using canned tomatoes), basil, salt, black pepper, and red pepper; reserve.

Place olive oil and garlic in a 1-quart pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until oil bubbles gently and garlic is a light gold. Add tomato mixture to pan and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Cook noodles in a large kettle of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain noodles, then place in a serving bowl. Pour sauce over noodles, toss gently, then serve. Pass Parmesan cheese at the table.

Verdict:
Well, I enjoyed this, but it definitely is not my favorite sauce recipe. I never thought I would say there is too much garlic in a recipe, but I thought that about this recipe! I also don't like the amount of oil that was added. If I were going to make this again I would put half as much olive oil, and 3-4 cloves of garlic instead of 6. I really do think that would make a huge difference in the flavor of this pasta. It was just a little too tangy for me!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

From: 100 Favorite Brand Name Recipes cookbook

Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
3 cups hot cooked rotini pasta (2 cups uncooked)
1 can tuna (12 oz) packed in water, drained and flaked
1 1/3 cups french fried onions, divided
1 package frozen peas and carrots
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine soup and milk in 2-quart shallow casserole dish. Stir in pasta, tuna, 2/3 cup french fried onions, vegetables and cheese. Top with remaining french fried onions. Cover, cook in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I loved this. I did only use one can of tuna, but it was enough. I like tuna but I think one 5-oz can was just enough of the tuna flavor. I will definitely make this again in the future, even though I had to eat the entire casserole by myself. Why am I the only one in this family who likes tuna!?!?

Hearty Chicken and Noodle Casserole

From: Good Housekeeping

Ingredients:
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir soup, milk, black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, vegetables, chicken and noodles in 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir. Top with cheddar cheese.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Stephen doesn't like cream of mushroom, so I usually substitute cream of chicken. I didn't actually have cream of chicken soup on hand, so I made some. Also, I didn't cook the noodles before putting them in with everything else. There was enough liquid, I felt, to cook them in the oven instead of doing it first. They did cook all the way through.

Verdict:
Well, I would give this recipe a thumbs down. But Stephen and Brianna (2 years old) gave it a thumbs up. It surprises me because Stephen really doesn't like to stray from foods he knows! I did not like the Parmesan flavor - I felt it was very strong. If it weren't for that I think I would like this recipe, but I have so many similar recipes to this that we do all like, it's not worth trying to figure out how to tweak this recipe. Like I said, half my family did enjoy it, so it still might be something you want to try for your family! 

Italian Spinach and Chicken Skillet

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked yolk-free whole wheat noodles
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in the tomatoes, soup, spaghetti sauce, chicken, spinach, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Drain noodles; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used canned spinach instead of frozen. Otherwise, I didn't change anything.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP!! Whoa, this was so good. I just happened to pluck this recipe out of my "to try" pile. I had everything I needed (mushrooms frozen that I bought on discount a couple of weeks ago, spaghetti sauce leftover from lasagna that I had frozen, leftover teriyaki chicken breast I baked two nights ago) except the spinach. Then I got the spinach free today (after coupon and on sale) so it was just in the cards to make this! It was so. good. I know I used less chicken than the recipe called for and a bit more spinach but it really didn't matter. In fact, I almost wonder how this would taste as a dip... There is nothing I like more than a recipe that is so easy, quick, and straight-forward. A definite "do-again" for our household!!

Italian Spinach and Chicken Skillet

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked yolk-free whole wheat noodles
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in the tomatoes, soup, spaghetti sauce, chicken, spinach, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Drain noodles; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Beef Stroganoff

From: Recipezaar (directed there by Supercook; thanks Maegan!)

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
cooked egg noodles

Brown beef in large skillet. Add onions and cook until onions are translucent. Drain grease.

Stir in condensed soup, then garlic powder, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer until all other parts of meal are prepared. Just before it's time to serve, stir in the sour cream completely and heat through. Serve over egg noodles.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used venison instead of beef. Other than that, I didn't change anything.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! So simple and it was really good! It's pretty straightforward - if you like meat, noodles and a cream sauce, you will like this recipe!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
cooked egg noodles

Brown beef in large skillet. Add onions and cook until onions are translucent. Drain grease. Stir in condensed soup, then garlic powder, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer until all other parts of meal are prepared. Just before it's time to serve, stir in the sour cream completely and heat through. Serve over egg noodles.