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.

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

This spaghetti casserole is simply delicious!! It is just darn good comfort food. It's like a lasagna, but with spaghetti noodles and it's a kid pleaser. All my kids raved about this one and my littlest, who's 2, had seconds, which speaks highly of it's kid-appeal. Not to say adults won't like this, because I love it, but spaghetti is always a great family meal. This will also feed a crowd, or you can have it 2 days in a row like we did. I got the recipe from the blog Your Home Based Mom, which I get so many good recipes from.

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

1 lb spaghetti noodles
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1, 32 oz jar of your favorite meatless spaghetti sauce (I used Prego traditional)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese


Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan.

Cook spaghetti in boiling water until al dente.

In a large pan brown sausage and onion until cooked through and onion is soft. Drain off fat. Add spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt. Add in basil, oregano, and parsley.

In a large bowl mix together eggs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter. Mix in cooked spaghetti noodles and stir to coat.

Place half of the noodles in the bottom of baking dish. Top with all of the cottage cheese and half of the other 2 cheeses. Top that with half of the meat sauce. Place remaining noodles on top. Top with remaining meat sauce. Top meat sauce with remaining cheeses. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melted and golden brown, about 20 more minutes.

Disneyland Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

We recently got back from a family vacation to Southern California. It was amazing. We had great times with extended family, beach times, and of course Disneyland times. When I was little I lived close enough to Disneyland to see the fireworks at night. Great childhood memories. So I absolutely love Disneyland and think it really is the happiest place on earth - at least to me - and also one of the best places to eat on earth. Oh Disneyland eats!! One of my very favorite things to eat is gumbo in New Orleans Square. There are a few different places to get gumbo and on this last trip we fulfilled one of my childhood dreams and ate at the Blue Bayou - the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean - and got gumbo. Heavenly gumbo. I don't know what it is, but that gumbo was so good that as soon as we were leaving I wrote a note to myself on my phone to try and recreate it as soon as we got home. 

So here it is. I looked all over the internet for a good copy cat recipe and in the end put together a couple of recipes and adapted them to make it as much like Disneyland gumbo as possible. I think it really turned out. My whole family loved it and oohed and aahed over how much it tasted like the gumbo we all had at the Blue Bayou. Well here is the recipe and I hope you love it as much as I do. BTW, this makes a big pot of gumbo. Enough for my family of 6 to freeze half for another dinner. If you have a smaller family or do not have a big stock pot to make it in, cut it in half. And don't let making the dark roux scare you, it is what makes this recipe authentic, thick, and flavorful.

Disneyland Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (Copy Cat Recipe)

Dark Roux:

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

10 cups chicken stock

Other Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 large yellow onions, chopped

12 oz package frozen okra (find in frozen section of most grocery stores)

1 complete bunch of celery, including leaves in center, chopped

10 oz package frozen chopped green peppers

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 lb andouille sausage (I used Johnsonville), cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced

5-6 cups cooked chicken, cut into large cubes (I used rotisserie chicken)

6 oz can tomato paste

28 oz can petite diced tomatoes

28 oz can regular diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon Gumbo File seasoning (I found this near the seafood counter - it's used in crab boils as well as gumbo)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 cup Ultra Gel (I used this to thicken it up even more, but you don't have to use this)

For Serving:

1 package Zataran's Dirty Rice mix, prepared with just water and oil (not ground beef)

Directions:

Lets start out by making the roux. Now don't be afraid, but we are going to let this roux get pretty dark. In a large saucepan melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk. Cook on medium high heat, whisking, until the mixture begins to brown. Continue cooking and whisking until the roux becomes the color of dark caramel - you want it to look somewhere between dark caramel and chocolate. Once the roux is done add the 10 cups of chicken stock and whisk well until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large stock pot add about 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Add the onions and saute until onions are soft. Add frozen okra and cook until okra begins to break down and is soft. Add celery, frozen green peppers, and garlic and cook until all the vegetables are soft. You may need to add another tablespoon of oil to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once tender add the roux/chicken stock mixture to the stock pot with vegetables. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer while you do the next step.

In a skillet (or you could clean out the saucepan you used for the roux) melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add your sliced andouille sausage and cook until just browned. Add to the stock pot. 

Add chicken, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and all of the seasonings to the stock pot. Bring to a boil. Add the Ultra Gel if you are using it (if not leave it out and it will be fine). Turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes. You need to babysit the gumbo and stir it around to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. When ready to serve, place soup in a bowl and top with about 1/4 cup prepared dirty rice. Enjoy!

Here's a picture of the heavenly gumbo I was trying to recreate. This is from the Royal Street Veranda counter service restaurant in a little corner of New Orleans Square (it has a big banner that says "Try Our Gumbo"). I might just get some sourdough bread bowls from Panera next time I make this gumbo to serve it like this. Doesn't it look good?! 

At the Blue Bayou it's served as an appetizer in a bowl with rice on top like this:

And yes we did try the non-alcoholic mint juleps as well, but most of my kids thought it tasted like cough syrup and went for lemonade instead. If you ever get the chance, eating at the Blue Bayou is a neat experience. No matter what though, if you go to Disneyland try some gumbo from somewhere!

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

Here's another winner breakfast casserole. It's a great, bread based breakfast casserole. We had it for a breakfast for dinner night with sliced tomatoes and fruit salad. My family really liked it and my kids didn't even notice the bell peppers, which they usually don't like. It makes a lot and the leftovers reheat really well. Win, win.

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

10 eggs
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 loaf bakery French bread, torn into bite size pieces
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese
12 oz reduced fat sausage, cooked and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 (or just the size larger) baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Combine eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl, set aside. Distribute half of the bread pieces in the baking dish. Sprinkle half of the following ingredients over the bread: green pepper, red pepper, onion, cheese, and sausage. Repeat layering again, beginning with bread. Sprinkle black pepper over the top. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole as evenly as possible. Bake for 60 minutes.

Creamy Italian Sausage Bowtie Pasta

This is an under 30 minute meal and it's delicious. It's a lot like the Italian Sausage Fettuccine I make a lot, but with bowtie pasta instead and some less fussy ingredients (that one calls for shallots, which I don't usually have on hand). This recipe is originally from Lilluna, but I modified it slightly. I served it with some sourdough bread from Costco and mixed veggies and it was a fast weeknight meal.

Creamy Italian Sausage Bowtie Pasta

1, 12 oz package bowtie pasta
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1, 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet brown sausage, breaking up with a spatula, until cooked through. Add pepper flakes and diced onions and cook until onions are tender. Add tomatoes, cream, salt, rubbed sage, basil, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 6-8 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add drained pasta, tossing to coat with sauce. Add reserved pasta water as needed to thin sauce to desired consistency. Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Slow Cooker Olive Garden Meat Sauce

Wow, I make a lot of Olive Garden copy-cat recipes. I guess it's cause we just love Olive Garden! I was so happy when I found this recipe on Pinterest (I modified it slightly) because it tastes so much like the meat sauce you get at Olive Garden. I get spaghetti and meat sauce all the time there (it's either that or ravioli di portobello - yum!). This recipe is also super easy because the slow cooker does all the slow simmering work to make it amazing. I served it with Caesar salad and homemade Italian bread and it was such a yummy, family pleasing meal. Oh, and another great part of this recipe is that it made enough to freeze half for another dinner.

Slow Cooker Olive Garden Meat Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
dash red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped (or 1 cup frozen chopped onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I like to use Hunts brand)
28 oz can tomato sauce (I like to use Hunts brand)
6 oz can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

In a large skillet brown ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking up with a spatula as it cooks. Add a dash or two of red pepper flakes to taste. Add onions and cook until onions are tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour this meat mixture into your slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients: crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt, thyme, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Serve over spaghetti or other pasta with grated Parmesan on individual servings.

Zuppa Toscana

I had been meaning to try this recipe for years and I finally got around to it. It's a copy cat recipe of the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden and I actually think it's super close to the restaurant version. It's delicious!! Score! The recipe is from Jamie Cooks It Up, but I've seen it on tons of other sites as well. What sets this recipe apart is that it makes 10 servings, which is what I need for my family of 6 and it's super good. I've never gotten a recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up that I haven't loved. I served the soup with these amazing Olive Garden-like bread sticks and my family loved it. I loved that they happily ate kale. Nice.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb bulk Italian sausage
dash of red pepper flakes
5 strips of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 large russet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, sliced thin
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
1 cup frozen chopped kale (or 2 cups fresh kale, chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, brown the Italian sausage, breaking up as it cooks, until cooked through. Remove cooked sausage to a large bowl and cover with foil. Set aside.

Microwave strips of bacon just until partially cooked (this makes it easier to cut up). Pour fat from plate bacon was cooked on into the soup pot. Cut up the bacon into small pieces, scissors work great for this.

Add onions and bacon pieces to the soup pot and cook until onions are softened. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Add chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes if desired (Olive Garden leaves the skins on, but I like the skins off in soups) and cut into quarters lengthwise, then slice thinly the other way so you have thin triangular shaped potatoes. After soup on stove has come to a boil add the potatoes into the soup. Bring to a boil again, turn down heat to medium, and let simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Add heavy cream, onion salt, chicken bouillon granules, frozen chopped kale (or fresh kale if using), and browned sausage. Heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh ground pepper and shredded Parmesan on individual servings. YUM!

Sausage, Rice & Noodle Casserole

It has been quite a while since I made this casserole, which used to be a staple of our newly-wed days. I don't know why it's taken me so long, because after making it again I remembered how yummy it is. It's easy and the sausage makes it a little different from your average casserole. My kids loved it, even my 1 year old, so I'm sure I'll start making it more regularly. It's such a homey tasting dinner.

Sausage, Rice, and Noodle Casserole

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I used 12 oz Jimmy Dean reduced fat sausage)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup rice
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 cups water
2 envelopes dry Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup mix

Brown sausage with onion in a large skillet. Add rice and slivered almonds and cook until almonds just start to brown; spread into a 9x13 baking dish.

Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water and add Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup Mixes to it. Stir well. Pour this over the sausage/rice mixture in the baking dish, stir around to distribute ingredients evenly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Take foil off and bake another 10 minutes or until rice is cooked through.

Thin Pizza Crust Dough (makes 2 large pizzas)

This is a great pizza crust recipe from Pioneer Woman. I had been wanted to try this for a while, but I kept forgetting to make it early in the week, the dough ages for 2-4 days in the fridge. Finally, I just made it one Wednesday morning and on Friday night baked it into the most wonderful thin crust pizzas. The finished pizzas reminded me of Ledo's Pizza, one of our favorite pizza places when we lived in Maryland. Really, really yummy. I am a huge fan of thin crust pizza, but about half of the rest of my family likes thicker crusts, so I'll probably rotate this recipe with my ususal pizza recipe for future pizza nights.

As a Note: I've seen this dough listed with 1 teaspoon of yeast and with 2 teaspoons of yeast and I'm sure either would work, though this time I used 1 teaspoon of yeast and with the 2 1/2 days of proofing time in the fridge it worked great. I would probably use 2 teaspoons of yeast if I was making this dough for use on the same day.

Thin Pizza Crust Dough

1 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil

In a measuring cup, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine flour and salt. Add olive oil and mix until just combined. Add yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined and dough pulls cleanly away from the bowl. Spray the inside of a large ziplock bag with cooking spray. Place dough in bag and seal. Place in the fridge for 2-4 days. *Alternatively, if making pizza the same day you can place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for a couple of hours.

Making Pizzas:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Take 1/2 of the dough and roll it out to the size of a cookie sheet. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray and place rolled out dough on cookie sheet, stretching out dough to the edges. Repeat with other half of the dough. Top uncooked crusts with pizza sauce, then shredded mozzarella, and toppings of choice. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly - I found cooking pizzas on bottom racks helps them cook on top and bottom best. Remove from oven and cut into squares.

French Bread Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce

This is a fun switch up for pizza night - French bread pizza. I love the crispiness of the toasted bread with the gooey cheese and toppings. It is a great fast dinner that my family loved. This recipe uses 2 loaves of store bakery French bread, but you could also use homemade French or Italian bread and it would be wonderful. I also love the homemade pizza sauce included in this recipe - it's made in a blender so it's super fast. It has great flavor and is just the right thickness for a pizza sauce. The recipe is from Jamie Cooks It Up.

French Bread Pizza

2 loaves store bakery French bread
pizza sauce (recipe below)
shredded mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan
toppings of choice: pepperoni, cooked & crumbled sausage, green peppers, olives, red onion, mushrooms, etc.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Slice French bread loaves in half through the center. Place on foil lined sheet pans. Spoon prepared pizza sauce over halved loaves, then top with shredded mozzarella and other toppings of choice ending with a good sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 7 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and edges of bread are golden. Let pizzas rest a couple minutes then cut into slices (a pizza cutter works the best here).

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1, 14 oz can Italian stewed tomatoes
1, 6 oz can tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch red pepper flakes

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and well combined. I used the "smoothie" setting on my blender and it worked great.

Pepperoni Roll Ups

My kids loved these. I made them for their lunch on a no-school day and they gobbled them down. I seemed to go over even better than pizza. I think that's because of the dipping aspect. You can use string cheese, shredded or sliced mozzarella - any which way these little pockets are tasty.

Pepperoni Roll Ups

1, 8 oz tube Pillsbury crescent rolls
pepperoni
sliced, shredded or string cheese mozzarella (string cheeses cut in half)
grated Parmesan, optional
marinara sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into 8 triangles. Place pepperoni (3 or 4 pepperoni) and mozzarella on the large end of the triangle and roll up. Place rolls at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with Parmesan if desired and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Serve with heated marinara for dipping.

Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

This is my friend Janet's spaghetti sauce and it is so tasty. This recipe makes enough sauce for 2 spaghetti dinners or 2, 9x13 pans (4, 8x8 pans) of  Janet's Mostocioli Pasta Bake (I've listed this recipe separately). So you can have it with spaghetti one night and then freeze half and make Mostocioli Pasta Bake another night. I love great double duty recipes! Thanks Janet!

Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb hot Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups diced green peppers (I used frozen chopped green peppers)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1, 12 oz can tomato paste
1, 15 oz can tomato sauce
1, 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup sugar
2 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Makes about 12 cups of spaghetti sauce.

Mostocioli Pasta Bake

This is a great Italian casserole using the 6 cups of Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce. I got the recipe from my friend Janet. I have a feeling we'll be using this recipe a lot. You could also use any other thick spaghetti sauce to make this dish. Also you can split the recipe into 2, 8x8 baking pans if your family is smaller and freeze the second for another night. This dinner is great with garlic bread and Caesar salad.

Mostocioli Pasta Bake

6 cups premade Crockpot Spicy Spaghetti Sauce (or other thick spaghetti sauce)
16 oz Mostocioli pasta (penne would also work)
12 oz (or 3 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook mostocioli pasta for about 14 minutes in boiling water, drain. In a large bowl combine cooked pasta and spaghetti sauce. Turn half of the pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Layer half of the mozzarella on top. Top with remaining pasta mixture, remaining mozzarella and then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and cheeses are melted. (Make sure to test the middle to make sure it's nice and hot).

Breakfast Casserole

This is my go-to breakfast casserole. I love it! You can use sausage, bacon, or diced ham for the meat or even sausage and bacon. yum. It's important to use 4% fat small curd cottage cheese to give it the right texture. I served it with a quick fruit salad. I just tossed together some halved strawberries, sliced Asian pear, and pomegranate seeds. My littlest loves pomegranate seeds or "granite seeds" as she calls them.

Breakfast Casserole

10 eggs, beaten
24 oz frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus a little more for topping
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 cup 4% fat small curd cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or a few drops of tabasco sauce)
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (red or green)
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled sausage, bacon, or diced ham

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together eggs, hashbrowns, cheese, green onions, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, cayenne, bell pepper, and sausage. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Top with some shredded cheddar and bake an additional 3 minutes.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

What a great fall soup this is! Yum! I got the recipe recently from my friend Jenny and I think it is great!! My whole family really liked it and I took secret pleasure watching all my children happily eating unrecognizable zucchini (its shredded and they never guessed!). Thanks Jenny for another great recipe!

Tortellini Sausage Soup

1/3 lb Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup water
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider
16 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated
8-10 oz cheese tortellini (frozen or fresh)
1 tablespoon dried parsley

In a large saucepan or pot cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add onion and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onion are translucent and sausage is cooked. Add water, chicken broth, cider, tomatoes with juices, tomato sauce, carrots, basil, and oregano. Cover ad simmer for 30 minutes. Add zucchini, tortellini and parsley and cook for another 15 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through. Serve with grated Parmesan topping individual servings if desired.

Meatballs and Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

This recipe is from the current edition of Betty Crocker Casseroles magazine. My family really liked this one and I love how easy casseroles are for busy days. I made this casserole earlier in the day and put it in the fridge until that evening when I was ready to bake it. I did adapt the recipe slightly from the original - I made the white sauce myself rather than using a package of white sauce mix (honestly I've never even seen white sauce mixes in the store and white sauce is so easy to make). It was a great twist on macaroni and cheese and because I usually have these ingredients on hand I have a feeling I'll be making this again soon.

Meatballs and Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

16 frozen Italian meatballs, thawed and cut in half (or you could use smoked or Italian sausage cut into slices)
3 cups rotini pasta
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons Italian style bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
2 green onions chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

Heat oven to 350. Spray a 8" square pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Add milk slowly, whisking, and heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheeses and stir until melted. Stir in pasta and meatballs. Spoon into baking dish.

In a bowl combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, green onions and melted butter. Spread this mixture evenly over the pasta. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden.

Sweet and Sour Pineapple Meatballs (Freezer Meal)

This recipe is from Put a Lyd On It and it was yummy! I liked the flavor of the meatballs a lot. The whole thing froze really well. How I love finding new freezer meals! I'll probably be posting another sweet and sour meatballs recipe sometime soon. I'm getting ready to make a huge batch for my freezer meal swap and I'm trying out a couple different ones to see which one I want to make in bulk.

Sweet and Sour Pineapple Meatballs (Freezer Meal)

Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb sausage
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup quick oats
1, 8 oz can crushed pineapple (drained, reserve juice)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 1/4 cups cold water
about 1/3 cup pineapple juice (juice from crushed pineapple)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoon vinegar

Directions for making right away
Combine meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl. Form mixture into balls. Place in a non-stick sprayed 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

While meatballs are baking combine sweet and sour sauce ingredients, whisking well, in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Sauce will thicken. When meatballs are done baking, pour sweet and sour sauce over them and bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Freezer Meal Directions
Freezing Meatballs:
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl. Form mixture into balls (I use a medium cookie scoop to make them all the same size). Place on a non-stick sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove meatballs from cookie sheet and put on a clean non-stick sprayed cookie sheet and freeze until meatballs are frozen solid. Package meatballs in a gallon size ziplock, squeezing out as much air as possible. Freeze.

Freezing Sweet and Sour Sauce:
Mix together brown sugar, salt, beef bouillon, and cornstarch. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients until well blended. Pour into a 3 1/2 cup tupperware container (I used a ziplock plastic storage container). Freeze.

Heating Instructions:
Thaw sweet and sour sauce in fridge overnight. When ready to bake, put frozen meatballs into a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Mix sweet and sour sauce in container with a fork to blend everything well, then pour into a saucepan and heat to boiling stirring constantly - sauce will thicken. Pour sauce over meatballs and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Lasagna

This is Pioneer Woman's "Best Lasagna Ever" and frankly I agree. Mmm. Mmm. It is a hearty lasagna with great flavor. And it's not fussy. No strange ingredients or expensive cheeses, it uses cheapo, green bottle, Kraft Parmesan cheese! This will be my go-to lasagna recipe from now on.


Lasagna

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 lb Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2, 6 oz cans tomato paste
2, 14.5 cans whole tomatoes, with juices
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried basil
salt
10 oz package lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups low fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan Cheese
4 tablespoons dried parsley
1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a skillet combine ground beef, sausage and garlic. Cook until browned, draining off half of the fat. Pour in the cans of whole tomatoes (I squished up the tomatoes in my hands before adding), tomato pastes, 2 T. parsley, basil and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix together thoroughly and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes; stir occasionally.

In the meanwhile boil the lasagna noodles. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the water. Cook according to package directions to "al dente". When noodles are finished, drain, rinse with cold water, and lay the noodles flat on a sheet of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

While meat and noodles are cooking, in a bowl mix: cottage cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 2 T. parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Set up your assembly line: meat mixture, sliced mozzarella, cottage cheese mixture, lasagna noodles. Lay 4 noodles on the bottom of a deep 9x13 pan (I have a stoneware 9x13 that worked great) that has been sprayed with non-stick spray; overlap the noodles a little to make them fit. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Lay 1/2 pound of mozzarella slices on top of the cottage cheese.

With a spoon make a line through the meat mixture so you'll distribute it evenly. Spread a little less than half of the meat mixture over the slices of cheese. Spread the meat around to distribute it evenly over the mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the layering process, begin with another layer of 4 noodles, top with remaining cottage cheese, top cottage cheese with another 1/2 pound of mozzarella slices, and finish with the rest of the meat mixture.

Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella on top and then generously sprinkle with Kraft Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Uncover and bake an additional 3-5 minutes to brown cheeses on top.

** You can cover and refrigerate unbaked lasagna for 2 days. Lasagnas also freeze incredibly well so if you could make it in a disposable foil 9x13, cover with plastic wrap, then cover with foil and freeze it. Frozen lasagnas usually take at least 2 hours to cook through.

Creamy Fettuccine with Italian Sausage

I made this last night and can I just say it was DELICIOUS. I can say these things about my recipes because they are rarely actually mine. This particular one is from Simply Recipes (over there it's called Fettuccine with Creamy Tomato Italian Sausage Sauce). I don't use a whole lot of Italian sausage so this one was a new twist to pasta for us and it was great. I think it will go into permanent rotation on our menu.

Creamy Fettuccine with Italian Sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb Italian sausage
1 cup heavy cream
2, 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon dried sage
3/4 lb fettuccine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add shallots and garlic and saute until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the sausage as it cooks. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and sage. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta but reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.

When sauce is ready add pasta to the sauce and toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta. Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and toss. Add cooking water as needed if the mixture is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle additional Parmesan on top and serve.

Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza

This is a great breakfast casserole that the whole family likes, even our youngest (2 1/2) who hates casseroles of all types (well except for Lazy Lasagna) loves this one. And breakfast for dinner is about the only way I eat breakfast food - the only thing I'm able to get down in the morning is a breakfast shake or a bowl of cornflakes. I have a sensitive morning tummy... Um, sorry for the tmi.

Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza

1 tube cresent roll dough (I used the reduced fat kind because it doesn't have trans-fats)
1/2 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled (can substitute ham or bacon)
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
salt and pepper
2 cups frozen hash browns
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Arrange crescent roll dough in the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Press seams together. Sprinkle sausage over the crescent rolls. Beat the eggs with the milk and set aside. Layer the hashbrowns over the sausage, season with salt and pepper, then pour the egg mixture over the hashbrowns. Top with cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.