Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti
This is a very simple dinner to make. The ingredients are basic and feel free to add anything you would like to it. Peppers would be good!


1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 ball fresh mozzarella OR 1 8 oz bag shredded mozzarella
1 can biscuits
Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1. Brown ground beef.
2. Cook noodles.
3. Combine beef, noodles, and spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top (if fresh mozzarella put in piles on top of noodle mixture).
4. Put uncooked biscuits over the top of noodle mixture.
5. Bake as according to biscuit instructions on label.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Before baking

Right out of the oven!

On the plate

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Greg made the dinner I had planned for tonight (I had a terrible headache) and he said this was pretty easy to make but a little time consuming with having to cook everything seperate and then all together as well. We really enjoyed this though. This is a GREAT alternative to hamburger helper.

Ingredients
8 ounces Uncooked tube or spiral pasta
1 lb Ground beef
6 Strips bacon, diced
1 can Condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 cup Cheddar cheese
Preparation
Cook pasta according to directions on packages. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper towels. Discard drippings. Drain pasta; add to skillet. Add soup, beef and bacon, stir and heat through. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook until the cheese is melted. Serve with BBQ sauce and mustard if desired.
Sandy's Notes: I add 1/2 can water along with the tomato soup, makes it more moist. Definitely serve with BBQ sauce and yellow mustard. It's a strange but delicious taste sensation!
Please excuse the coloring of the photo, I had to use my flash.

Pasta with Creamy Chicken and Broccoli

I made this for dinner tonight and I always know if the recipe is a winner if Greg tells me that I can make it again...and he did with this one. I think the key is the cream cheese! I think I'll add garlic next time when I'm cooking the chicken!

Ingredients
12 oz. SAN GIORGIO Spaghetti, uncooked
4 cups Fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1 tablespoon Butter
3/4 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/3 cup Chopped onion
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, cubed and softened
3/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Start to Finish: 20 minutes
Instructions:
1.Cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli to pasta cooking water during last 2 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add chicken and onion.
2. Cook 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
3. In medium bowl, whisk together soup, milk, water and cream cheese until smooth; add to chicken mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese.
5. Toss hot pasta and broccoli with sauce.
Makes 9 servings (1 cup each). Recipe from Meals Matter

Fiesta Chicken Dinner

I made this last night but used ground turkey instead. It tasted pretty good. I didn't have the green onions or sour cream but it was still good.

Ingredients
1 lb. Lean ground chicken
1 tbsp. Oil
1 pkg (14 oz.) Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
2-1/2 cups Hot water
1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa
1 tsp. Ground cumin
1 can (19 oz.) drained and rinsed beans (black or pinto)
2 Chopped green onions
1/2 cup Sour Cream

Preparation
1.Cook chicken in oil in large non-stick skillet 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Add pasta (reserving cheese pouch), water, salsa, and cumin to skillet; bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir beans and cheese pouch into skillet; heat thouroughly. Top with green onions. Serve with sour cream on the side, if desired.

Edited: I re-heated the leftovers for lunch but put them in a tortilla with shredded cheese and sour cream...yummy!

Chickpea Pasta with Almonds and Parmesan

I made this recipe tonight because I knew I had a can of chickpeas in my cabinet that I hadn't used. And then I was halfway done making it and I realized I had given them to a food drive. I'm glad we live next to the grocery store!

This is from Real Simple magazine and it was pretty decent. Matt ate a lot even though it didn't even have meat involved! It doesn't need 7 cups of broth (maybe 6?) and I used only 4 cups of broth and the rest water so it would be a little less salty. We made it with whole wheat pasta and added extra red pepper because we like it spicy. Xavier liked the chickpeas!

Chickpea Pasta with Almonds and Parmesan
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 pound angel hair pasta
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, red pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook, stirring, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley.

Divide among individual bowls and top with the almonds and Parmesan.