Cheesy Spinach Pasta Casserole

A friend of mine gave me this recipe after I just raved over it at a girly luncheon we had. I've managed to tweek it a little bit to make it even more fabulous and fattening though. On a healthier note its a great way to incorporate a little spinach in your diet. This is a great dish to be able to mix up together several hours before your dinner, but I would suggest that you wait to add the cracker crumbs on top until just before baking it.

Ingredients:

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cooked and torn

3 cups bowtie pasta noodles, cooked al dente

16 oz sour cream

1/2 cup butter

1 - 10 oz package of frozen or 1 large bag of fresh spinach, chopped

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

3 cups mild chedder cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup***(optional, but makes it fabulous)

Topping:

2 cups of butter crackers (like Ritz), crushed

1/2 cup butter, melted

Method:

While you are cooking your pasta, cook up your chicken and tear it apart with forks on a big cutting board. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 1/2 cup of butter on medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until soft.

Add mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes until soft. Then add in spinach and toss until wilted.

Turn heat down to medium. Add in shredded chicken, sour cream, and cheese and stir together.

If you want an extra creamy casserole, add in that can of cream of chicken soup. The casserole tastes pretty good without it, but it is killer with the extra creaminess. (If it makes you feel better, use the low fat, low sodium version.)

Mix all together and taste. Add salt and pepper to season to taste.

Pour al dente cooked pasta in 9x13 inch baking casserole dish. Pour chicken, spinach, mushroom mixture on top of pasta and lightly mix together.

Top with a mixture of the crushed cracker crumbs and melted butter. Bake at 350F/180C for 35-40 or until bubbly and golden brown on top.

My Mom's Lasagna

Lasagna is a great comfort food and this is my modified version of the recipe my mom used to make for us when I was growing up. She used to make her own spaghetti sauce which I haven't learned to make yet so I used the jarred sauce, but it definitely brings me back to simpler days.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 medium sized carton of cottage cheese

5-6 mushrooms, sliced

9-10 lasagna noodles (cooked or non-cooked variety)

8 oz mozzarella cheese

Method:

Brown hamburger in fry pan. Add onions and cook until soft. Add in sliced mushrooms and cook a few minutes more.

If you use traditional lasagna noodles you will want to cook them according to the directions on the box, but I used the no-cook variety to save me some time. Gather your meat/mushrooms sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, and mozzarella around your baking dish. This recipe makes a thick 9x11" pan or a thin 9x13" pan.

Lightly grease the pan. Lay down a layer of noodles to cover the bottom of the pan. Next spread a layer of the meat/mushroom sauce.

Dollop on tablespoons of cottage cheese and sprinkle about 1/4 of the cheese on the first layer.

Continue with a second and third layers as done before, but use up the rest of the mozzarella cheese on the top. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 F/180 C. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Crustless Broccoli and Ham Quiche

A dish that could be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner depending how you fix it. This is a great savory version with broccoli and ham that is tasty and good for you. I liked using cheddar and Red Leicester cheeses, but a nice swiss would be great to add in as well.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup onion, chopped

10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed or 1 cup chopped fresh

1/2 cup chopped ham slices

6 eggs

1-1.5 cups shredded cheese

1/2 cup low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Spread out broccoli and ham at the bottom of a 9" pie pan. Mix together eggs, cheese, yogurt and salt and pepper. Pour mixture over broccoli and ham. Bake at 350F/180C for 45-50 minutes.

***Note: This recipe is okay for the South Beach Beach Diet Phase 1.

Bacon Cheese Burger Quiche

1 lb very lean hamburger
1 small chopped onion
4 slices crisp-cooked turkey bacon chopped in bits
3 eggs
1/2 c low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 c fat-free half-n-half
8 oz shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Swiss cheese
garlic powder to taste (optional)
white pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brown hamburger in skillet with onion. Remove and mix in bowl with bacon pieces breaking up any larger clumps with a fork or pastry mixer until you have a fine mix. Drain well of any excess grease and press into the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan. Set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients in mixer bowl and whip well. Pour mixture over beef 'crust' and bake 40-45 minutes until top is browned and 'set'.

Cool 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Divan (with Turkey)

I ended up putting a bit of a different twist on this dish because I was in a crisis to use up some frozen vegetables in my non-working freezer and to use up some leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. It turned out awesome, so feel free to try out your own variations as well.

Ingredients:

2 - 10 oz pkg frozen brocolli (or mixed veggies)

2 cups sliced cooked chicken or turkey

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/3 cup half and half or evaporated milk

1/4 to 1/2 tsp curry powder (I don't usually use this)

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or colby or Red Leicester

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 Tbsp melted butter

Method:

Cook broccoli or vegetables until almost tender. Drain and put into bottom of greased 9x13 inch pan. Put chicken or turkey on top.

Combine mayonnaise, soup, lemon juice, and curry powder. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle on topping made from the bread crumbs mixed with melted butter.

Bake at 350 F / 180 C for 30 minutes.

Goulash

Another childhood favorite of mine and such an easy one to just through together. My husband and I differ in opinion on what should actually be included in a goulash, as I believe it's great to have veggies like carrots, corn, and celery, where he thinks they shouldn't be there. Since I'm the chef I make it they way I like it but I think I've got him converted because he said this was the best goulash I've ever made. Also we both have to agree that the best way to eat this kind of goulash is spooned up on a slice of well buttered bread. Trust us!!!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1/2 lb hamburger

1 1/2 cups uncooked pasta

1 large carrot, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 - 1 cup sweet corn (depends on your taste)

2 cans finely chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp sugar

Method:

Brown hamburger then add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until veggies are slightly tender.

Add tomatoes, salt, garlic powder, celery salt, sugar and pepper and heat until bubbling.

Stir in uncooked pasta and cover for 15-20 minutes until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed.

Finally add in sweet corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve up with some soft and well-buttered bread. We like to scoop some goulash up on the bread and eat it like a little open faced sandwich.

***Note: I found that dicing the vegetables to a finer consistency will give the goulash a smoother texture and make them less noticeable especially if you have a picky eater. If you all don't mind the vegetables cut them a little more coarsely. They do add a lot of the flavor in the dish and if you have other vegetables that you like don't be afraid to chuck them in the pan with it all.

Meal-in-One

My mom used to make this ALL the time when we were kids and for the first time in my adult life I have made it myself. I had to call my mom to have her explain exactly how she made so I could replicate its great taste, but like all great moms she didn't give very exact measurements. What I put together turned out great and tasted just like mom's. It is such a great to have this entire "meal (meat, veggies, and potatoes together) in-one" pot.

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 lb hamburger (500 g beef mince)

3-4 large potatoes, sliced (skin on)

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

3-4 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

2 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Slicing your carrots, potatoes and onions can be done very quickly if you have a slicer like this but if not you can slice them by hand very thinly.

Fry bacon in the bottom of heavy stewing pot.

Form hamburger into small 3 inch sized patties.

Fry the patties in the bacon grease until both sides are browned.

Next, add one layer of potatoes, carrots and then onions, then add salt and pepper. Repeat 2 more times for 3 layers total salting and peppering each layer. Pour two cups of water over the top and then pour 3-4 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce over the whole thing.

Put a lid on it and continue cooking it on medium low heat for about 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. To serve, scoop through the layers to make sure you get a beef patty with your vegetables.

***Note: You could also bake in a covered casserole dish in the oven at 350 F/180C for 1 hour or put in a crockpot for 4-5 hours on high, but be sure to first fry bacon and hamburger patties for your first layer.

German Pork Chops

I dug deep in the St. Patrick's Catholic Church Cookbook from my hometown in Iowa for this great recipe. I really like the extra German zing that the caraway seed gives the whole dish and how the potatoes soak up the sauerkraut juices. Yummy!

Ingredients:

3 - 4 potatoes (pared and sliced)

2-3 cups drained sauerkraut

6 pork chops

1/2 cup water

2 tsp caraway seed, divided

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C.

Place potatoes in bottom of greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 tsp caraway seed.

Top with pork chops; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp caraway seed.

Cover with sauerkraut. Pour water over the top of all the ingredients.

Cover and bake for 1 hour or until meat and potatoes are done.