Crock Pot Pasta e Fagioli Soup

This is my pasta e fagioli soup recipe that I posted last year, just updated to be made in the crockpot and it is just great fixed in the crockpot! I really liked being able to throw it all together in the morning and not have to worry about dinner during our busy late afternoon. I served it with bread sticks and it was a great Olive Garden-ish dinner at home.

Crock Pot Pasta e Fagioli Soup

1 lb hamburger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 teaspoons minced garlic
11.5 oz can spicy V8 juice
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
15 oz can tomato sauce
4 cups chicken stock
4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (or 4 cubes)
15 oz can dark red kidney beans, undrained
15 oz can great northern beans, undrained
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1 1/2 cups ditalini pasta
grated Parmesan

In a large skillet brown ground beef until almost cooked through. Add kosher salt, pepper to taste, chopped onion, chopped carrots, chopped celery, and minced garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Pour this into a large slow cooker. Add V8, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, beef bouillon, kidney beans, great northern beans, vinegar, basil, oregano, and thyme. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add ditalini pasta and cook on low for another 45 minutes - 1 hour. Serve individual servings with grated Parmesan.

Oven Roasted Sausage, Potatoes, and Peppers

This is a very easy dinner to throw together and it tastes great! It smells so good as it's roasting away and tastes even better. My whole family loved this one. I created the recipe by modifying my roasted red potatoes recipe by adding onions, peppers, and some shredded cheddar at the end. I served it with French bread and canned pears and it was oh so yummy.

Oven Roasted Sausage, Potatoes, and Peppers

3 lbs red potatoes
14 - 16 oz package smoked sausage, cut into slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt
pepper
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and cut potatoes into fourths lengthwise, then slice the other way into triangular pieces. Place into a pot with water covering by an inch or so. Bring to a boil and boil for 6 minutes. Drain and place into a large bowl. Add sliced sausage, onions, bell pepper, melted butter, garlic, garlic salt, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss to mix it all well. Pour into a baking tray with an edge or into a half sheet cake pan (that's what I used). Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for another few minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Broccoli

This is the crock pot version of chicken & broccoli casserole and it's a great, easy dinner. We had this for a Sunday dinner recently and everyone loved it. My family loves pretty much any version of chicken and rice and I love having another go-to crock pot recipe that pleases everyone. This recipe is from Picky Palate and I changed it just a little to suite our tastes.

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Broccoli

5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
14 oz can chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup sour cream
6 cups cooked, steamed broccoli florets
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. In a bowl combine the soups, broth, Cajun seasoning, and garlic salt; pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on for for 6 hours. When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred it into bite size pieces. Stir in the sour cream, broccoli, and shredded cheese. Cover and cook on low for 1/2 hour. Serve over steamed rice.

The Duggar's Tater Tot Casserole

I'm a fan of 19 Kids and Counting. I like the Duggars. I think they have a fascinating reality show what with managing all their children, homeschooling, courtships, marriages, etc. It's just interesting to me. I especially love whenever they share a family recipe and this is one of those recipes, though it's been scaled down to a smaller family size. I think this recipe was on their first TLC special when they had 16 or 17 kids. Anywho, this recipe all over the internet/Pinterest so I finally decided to try it. I have my own version of this casserole that I posted quite a while ago, but I really like this version too. I served it with a green salad and a quick fruit salad.

The Duggar's Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef
2 lb bag frozen tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup (you can make these both cream of mushroom)
1, 12 oz can evaporated milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brown and drain the ground beef. Spread cooked ground beef into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Top with frozen tater tots. In a bowl combine the soups and evaporated milk; pour this over the tater tots. Top with shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly and baked through.