Easy Hamburger Pasta Casserole

 Easy, fast, and yummy.  We really like this casserole!

Hamburger Pasta Casserole

1/2 - 1 lb. medium shell pasta or other individual pasta of choice

1 lb. ground beef

2 cans tomato soup (if you use the full pound of pasta, you may want to add 3 cans)

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Optional seasonings:

Salt and pepper or season salt 

Garlic salt

Onion salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 13 x 9 pan (you can use a smaller casserole if using only 1/2 lb. of pasta)

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water according to directions to el dente.  Do not overcook.

While the pasta cooks, brown the beef and season in a large pan. Add seasonings of your choice: salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, seasoning salt, etc.  Add the soups, pasta, 1/2 cup pasta water, and half of each of the cheeses.  Stir well and put in the prepared pan.  Top with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil or casserole lid.  Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.  If you want browned cheese, remove the foil and turn on the broiler.  Watch closely!

Minestrone Soup

 

I recently revived my old recipe for minestrone soup.  It is easy and yummy and smells so good as it simmers all day.

Minestrone Soup

3 cups beef or chicken stock

28 oz. diced or crushed tomatoes

1 can white beans, drained (you can substitute small red beans)

2 or 3 carrots, diced

1-2 stalks celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. sage

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

2 cups ditalini pasta cooked el dente

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a crockpot, combine all ingredients except pasta, zucchini, spinach, and cheese.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Thirty minutes before serving, add the zucchini and spinach.  Ten minutes before serving, add the pasta.  Serve with parmesan cheese.

Grandma Libby's Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

We (our daughters and Ken and I) read my Grandma and Grandpa Peterson's history written by my sister, Patty for our online book club.  Afterward, both Shonna and Michelle made these cookies.  The recipe was printed in the back of the book.  They both said they were delicious.  I can't wait to try them!

 Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening

2 beaten eggs

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups applesauce

4 cups flour

2 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups quick oats

 1 cup raisins

2 cups nuts

chocolate chips (opt.)

Cream sugar and shortening.  Beat eggs and add to mixture.  Add soda to the applesauce and then add to the mixture.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to the wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Stir in oatmeal, raisins, and nuts.  Drop by Spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until desired doneness.  This is a double batch.

Grandma Libby

Lazy Lasagna

 

When our children were young, I made a version of this on many Sundays.  At that time, you could buy bags of frozen stuffed shells at Costco.  I would put a bag of those in a pan, pour a jar of spaghetti sauce over the top and sprinkle on cheese.  I would cover it and set the time bake feature on our oven so that the food would be hot and ready when we got home from church.  Everyone really liked that dish.

But then Costco quit selling the stuffed shells and I kind of forgot about that recipe.  Recently, I saw this recipe, basically the same thing, only made with frozen cheese ravioli rather than stuffed shells.  It tastes a lot like lasagna but is much, much easier to make.

Lazy Lasagna

1 24 oz bag frozen cheese ravioli

1 jar marinara sauce

2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray a 13x9 pan.

Spread a layer of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Then layer 1/2 the ravioli, half of the remaining sauce, half of the cheese.  Then repeat.  Put a small amount of water (maybe 1/3 cup) in the marinara sauce jar and swirl to clean out the jar. Sprinkle the red water over the casserole. Top with Parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbly- about 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.    Let set a few minutes before serving.