Showing posts with label Casserole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Casserole. Show all posts

Homemade Hamburger Helper


I always want to be honest with you. And honestly...this was a risk. I knew it was, too. It was the end of the month, and you know how that goes. That's the time that you scour the pantry and try to find something convincing and filling.

This is that recipe.

Will I make this for anniversary meal? Probably not. But on those days when you only have a few canned goods and a pound of ground beef, this is your meal.

It's good. Promise. I don't eat things that are bad. Neither does Tim.

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 small can tomato sauce
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained
  • 1 can pinto beans, drained
  • Egg noodles (or macaroni noodles)
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Minced garlic
  • 1/2 block cream cheese
  • Basil, oregano and garlic powder
Directions:
  • Boil noodles.
  • While that's boiling, cook ground beef over medium high heat, chopping finely. Once cooked, drain and return to pan and turn heat on low.
  • Add tomato sauce and stir.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and stir.
  • Add a pinch of basil, oregano and garlic powder.
  • Dice up cream cheese into small cubes and add to ground beef mixture.
    • This makes the mixture nice and creamy. If you don't have cream cheese, add 1/4 cup milk instead. It's not exactly the same, but it still makes the same bottom line.
  • Stir all ingredients and let simmer on low
    • Remember, the longer it simmers, the better it tastes!
  • Drain noodles and return to pot.
  • Add the ground beef mixture to the pot o' noodles and stir.
  • Add drained corn and beans and mix thoroughly.
  • Transfer to a 13x9 pan.
  • Top with all the shredded cheese.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Serve with fresh bread and salad.
Feel free to add any other ingredients if you feel so inclined. Like this blog, this recipe doesn't discriminate. Isn't the whole point of hamburger helper to eat things you would have otherwise forgotten were even in your pantry?

Be brave, lovelies.

Love and not-needing-the-boxed-stuff,
Rachael

Mexican Lasagna


We all have purposes in life. This lasagna is why God created me, I'm sure of it. The size of this lasagna is outrageous, and will last a few days for the two of us. I'm still confident that it'll last a family of 4 at least two meals. It's all my favorite things all thrown into my amazing corningware.

I highly recommend it — both the lasagna and the corningware.

Ingredients:
  • Prepared Spanish rice 
  • Black beans
  • 1 can of corn
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • Taco seasoning
  • 1 large can refried beans
  • 1 pack of tortillas (larger the better)
  • Mexican cheese (be generous — I used a medium bag of shredded Mexican cheese)
  • Taco sauce (I used a total of 2 bottles of Taco Bell taco sauce, which are $1 each)
  • Any toppings (oregano, sour cream, salsa, etc.)
Directions:
  • Prepare Spanish rice according to previous blog. If you don't have the time or desire to make it from scratch, grab 2 or 3 packages of microwaveable Spanish rice. Add the drained black beans to prepared rice.
  • Cook ground beef over medium high heat on the stove
  • Drain and add taco seasoning
  • Pour canned refried beans in a pan over medium heat. Add some taco sauce, taco seasoning, stir and let it warm up.
  • Grab a 13x9 baking dish and pour 1/2 cup of the taco sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and spread with a spoon.
  • Top with first layer of tortillas
    • The ones that I bought were so big that I had to cut them in half to use. Don't be afraid to tear and arrange the tortillas so that they fit.
  • Layer with all the rice/bean mixture
  • Top with half the bag of cheese
  • Layer with tortillas
  • Spread the refried beans over second layer of tortillas
  • Pour 1 bottle of taco sauce over refried beans
  • Spread all the meat over the taco sauce
  • Add the corn and spread evenly
  • Top with another layer of tortillas
  • Cover with remaining half bag of cheese
  • Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes
  • Serve with your favorite toppings and tortilla chips
That's it! The only real efforts come with the ground beef and rice. Everything else is practically made for you. So I have faith that you can do this!

Love and lasagna,
Racquel. Or whatever.

    Traditional baked ziti

    In case you haven't noticed, I love baked ziti. I believe this is my fourth rendition of the dish, and this is the most traditional one to date. Apparently, this is how southerners make it. Well, that's what my mother-in-law tells me, but she's from Miami.

    I need better sources.

    Ingredients:
    • 1 box of noodles (ziti, penne, and rotini noodles are the best options)
    • 1 large can of your favorite spaghetti sauce
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • 1 tbsp butter
    • 1 16 oz. container of ricotta cheese
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
    • 1 cups Mozzarella Cheese
    • 1 cup Parmesan cheese
    Directions:
    • Preheat oven to 350 F
    • Cook the noodles according to the directions. Drain and return to pot.
    • Spoon ricotta cheese into the pot o' noodles.
    • Add the mozzarella cheese and minced garlic. Mix until combined.
    • In a separate pot, warm up the pasta sauce on medium heat
    • Once the sauce is hot, add the milk and butter. Mix until combined.
      • My husband claims he needs to have meat in this type of dish, so sometimes I cook 1 lb. of ground beef, drain it and add it to the sauce.
    • Spread noodle/cheese mixture into a 13x9 pan.
    • Top with pasta sauce (or meat sauce)
    • Top with Parmesan cheese
    • Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
    • Top with dried basil and oregano to add a little extra Italian "kick." Serve warm with salad and breadsticks.
    Being a not-so-Southern belle, I find this dish to be absolutely delightful. And for all you newlyweds and empty-nesters who are only serving two people ... this will last you for at least two days.

    How beautiful is that?

    Love and ziti ... again,
    Rachael

    Broccoli chicken bake


    Have I ever mentioned that I used to be quite large? My mom will inevitably get angry at me for writing this and will follow up with a phone call explaining how my body simply matched my "larger than life" personality.

    She's my mom. She has to say that. And now that I think about it, I don't even see that as much of a compliment, anyway.

    So when I was a freshman in high school, I started a less-intense version of the Atkins diet. It involved a lot of chicken, a lot of broccoli, and a lot of cheese. Mom came up with a broccoli chicken bake that I ate at least once a day. Keep in mind, this is before Atkins was trendy and there were all those fancy schmany "no-carb chocolate bars."

    Psshh.

    About 25 lbs later, I embraced bread again and have re-made this broccoli chicken bake. It still has the broccoli. It still has the chicken. And it still has the cheese. We've simply thrown in some bread and butter.

    Because life without bread and butter is simply no life at all.

    Ingredients:
    • 1 bag frozen broccoli
    • 2 slices of sourdough bread broken into small pieces 
    • 2 cooked chicken breasts
    • Garlic salt/pepper
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 1 lemon
    • 2 tablespoons of melted butter
    • 1 can cream of broccoli soup
    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
     Directions:
    • Steam the broccoli until tender and place in a 8 x 8 x 1 1/2 in. glass pan
    • Cut up thawed chicken and cook on the stove over medium/high heat
    • Add the juice of the lemon
    • Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and pepper
    • Place cooked chicken on top of broccoli
    • Mix the milk and soup in a separate bowl
    • Pour mixture over chicken and broccoli
    • Sprinkle with cheddar cheese
    • Drizzle melted butter over bread crumbs in a separate bowl
    • Spread bread crumbs on top of broccoli/chicken/soup mixture/cheese
    • Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the top is browned. Remember...every oven is different. Keep an eye on it.

    Guys, you would not believe how great this stuff smells. When you pull it out of the oven and get that first big whiff, it's like you walked into a Panera that only serves broccoli cheese soup.

    I wish there were such a place.

    Have a beautiful day, readers! And please, for heaven's sake...

    ...make this!

    Love,
    Rachael
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