Slow Cooker Cheesy Tortellini

This tortellini is full of ooey-gooey-cheesy goodness!  The sauce is surprisingly different, since it has a combination of Mexican and Italian flavors.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Tortellini

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp. minced jarred garlic

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (Rotel)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried basil

Scant 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (opt.)

Kosher salt (to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

1 (9 oz.) pkg. refrigerated three-cheese tortellini

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Fresh, chopped parsley leaves or dried parsley

Heat olive oil in a large skillet (I use a 5 qt. saute pan).  Add ground beef, onion, and garlic.  Cook until beef has browned making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.  Place ground beef mixture, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and green chiles, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes into a 6 qt. slow cooker.  Stir until combined well; season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover, and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.  Uncover, and stir in tortellini; top with desired amount of cheeses and parsley.  Cover, and cook on low heat for an additional 15-30 minutes or until tender.

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Recipe adapted from damndelicious.net:  http://damndelicious.net/2014/12/17/slow-cooker-cheesy-tortellini/

Pressure Cooker Chili Mac

Dinner in 40 minutes from start to finish?  One pot?  Pressure Cooker Chili Mac is all that and more!

Pressure Cooker Chili Mac

Yield:  6 servings

Approximate Total Time:  40 minutes

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

1 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil

1 pound lean ground beef (93/7 or 95/5)

1 cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp. minced jarred garlic

1 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. chili powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 cup beef broth

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sour cream and extra shredded cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)

Preheat the pressure cooker using the SAUTE setting.  Add the oil, and brown the ground beef and onions.  Stir in the garlic, salt, chili powder, and cayenne pepper, and cook for one minute.  Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes, kidney beans, and macaroni.  Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing.  Select CANCEL, and then select PRESSURE COOK (Manual) and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.

After the 5 minutes have passed, open the steam vent to release the pressure (Quick Release).  Carefully remove lid, stir, and then stir in the 2 cups of cheddar cheese.  Season to taste with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Serve with sour cream and extra shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

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Easy Baked Ziti

Easy Baked Ziti- the name says it all!

Easy Baked Ziti

1 (1 lb.) box ziti pasta (penne or rigatoni may be substituted)
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 (24 oz.) jars pasta sauce
1 (16 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce*
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 baker with cooking spray.  Prepare pasta according to directions.  Meanwhile, brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet.  Drain, return to skillet, and stir in one jar of pasta sauce.  Keep mixture warm until pasta is done.  

When pasta is finished, drain thoroughly.  You want the pasta to be as dry as possible.  Return pasta to its pot (with heat off) and pour in the jar of Alfredo sauce.  Combine until thoroughly coated and pour into the bottom of the 9x13.  Cover pasta with ground beef/pasta sauce mixture.  Top with mozzarella cheese, cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly. 

Let rest for 5 minutes after taking from oven.  While ziti is resting, heat the other jar of pasta sauce to serve on top of individual servings of ziti.

*I highly recommend Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cheese Creations Sauce.

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If made as written and 93/7 ground beef is used, each serving has:

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Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs

Creamy and tasty...Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs is like Swedish meatballs and stroganoff combined.  And since you use frozen meatballs and make it in your slow cooker, this recipe is a hit all the way around.

Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs

Brandie of The Country Cook has many delicious, easy recipes.  The recipe for Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs can be found on Brandie's website The Country Cook:  https://www.thecountrycook.net/crock-pot-swedish-meatballs/#wprm-recipe-container-20894

Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs 101:  I like a thicker sauce, so after the meatball mixture has cooked, stir in the sour cream.  In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with just enough cold water to make the mixture a liquid.  Stir the cornstarch mixture into the meatballs, turn the slow cooker on high, and cover until ready to serve.

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Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach and Tomatoes

Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach and Tomatoes is a healthy, colorful, quick, and delicious all-in-one meal made in one pot.  Add some garlic bread, and this meal will be on your table in about 45 minutes.

Parmesan cheese for topping not shown.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach and Tomatoes

Yield:  4 servings

Approximate Total Time:  45 minutes

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

2 cups water

1/2 cup oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. dried oregano

8 oz. spaghetti or linguine

2 cups fresh spinach

Shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Add the olive oil to the pressure cooker pot, and select SAUTE. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and stir. Add the cubed chicken and cook on all sides until no longer pink--about 4 minutes. Add the water, sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and dried oregano; stir. Break the spaghetti in half, and arrange it in a criss-cross fashion like Pick Up Sticks on top of the mixture. (See photo below.) Then press the spaghetti into the sauce to submerge it as much as possible.

Lock pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing. Select CANCEL, select PRESSURE COOK (Manual), and cook for 9 minutes on High pressure. Once the 9-minute cooking cycle is complete, open the steam vent to release pressure (Quick Release).  Carefully remove lid. Stir spaghetti, add spinach, and then stir until the spinach is wilted. Serve with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese.

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Note: Break the spaghetti in half, and arrange it in a criss-cross fashion like Pick Up Sticks on top of the mixture. This will reduce clumping:

If made as written, each serving has:

Tuna Mac and Cheese Casserole

Impress your family with a quick and easy cheesy tuna casserole topped with French-fried onions.  Tuna Mac and Cheese is hearty comfort food.

Tuna Mac and Cheese Casserole

1 (7-1/4 oz.) box macaroni and cheese 

1 (12 oz.) can water-packed tuna, drained 

1 (10.5 oz.) can mushroom soup

1-1/3 cups milk

1 (12 oz.) pkg. frozen peas

1 (4 oz.) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 (6 oz.) can French-fried onions

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions.  Don't overcook the macaroni.  Add the tuna, soup, milk, peas, mushrooms, and 1 cup of the French-fried onions.  Salt to taste.  Place in a 7x11 baker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining fried onions; bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are toasted and casserole is heated through.

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Sloppy Joe Pasta

Sloppy Joe Pasta is not the prettiest dish, but how can you go wrong with the combination of shell pasta, sloppy joe ingredients, and three kinds of cheese?

Sloppy Joe Pasta

1 pound ground beef

1 envelope sloppy joe seasoning mix

1 cup water

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

2 cups dry small shell pasta, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups 4% cottage cheese

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 5 qt. saute pan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the sloppy joe mix, water, tomato sauce and paste; heat through.  Remove from heat; stir in cooked pasta.  Spoon half into a 2.5 qt. baking dish (I use a 7x11 baker) sprayed with cooking spray.  Top with cottage cheese and then the remaining pasta mixture.  Liberally sprinkle desired amounts of cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.  Serve with additional grated parmesan cheese.

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Southwestern Goulash

Southwestern Goulash tastes like fresh Tex-Mex!  With the exception of the cilantro, all the other ingredients are ingredients you probably have on hand making this a quick, easy meal.

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese not pictured.

Southwestern Goulash

Taste of Home has been around for a long time, and there's a reason why!  All the recipes are tested in a test kitchen and feature common ingredients found in most grocery stores.  You can find the Southwestern Goulash recipe on the Taste of Home website: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/southwestern-goulash  Before serving, I top with lots of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and allow it to melt.

 

Frieda's Thick & Easy Spaghetti Sauce and Tutorial

Your kitchen will smell like an Italian restaurant with this rich, thick, meaty spaghetti sauce!  If you only make one recipe from my blog this year, make this one.  Ready from start to finish in a little over an hour in your pressure cooker, it tastes like it's been simmering on the stove twice that long.

Sea salt is shown, but I usually use table salt.  1 pound of sausage is shown, but you will only use half of it.  Spaghetti not shown.

Frieda's Thick & Easy Spaghetti Sauce

Yield:  6-8 servings

Approximate Total Time:  1 hour, 15 minutes

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

Frieda Franchina created the perfect meaty spaghetti sauce recipe. The recipe can be found on Frieda's website Frieda Loves Bread: http://www.friedalovesbread.com/2018/06/friedas-thick-easy-spaghetti-sauce.html

Thick & Easy Spaghetti Sauce 101:

Prepare and measure out all ingredients but cheese and spaghetti and set aside. This is important, because once the recipe is started, ingredients are added quickly:

Stages of spaghetti sauce:  before cooking, after cooking, and after stirring/ready to serve:

Enjoy!

Grandma's American Goulash

This flavorful skillet meal is perfect for weeknight dinners.  It's easy, fast, and made with pantry ingredients.  

A 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes is shown.  I use half of it and freeze the remaining portion.

Grandma's American Goulash

Brandie of The Country Cook has many fantastic, easy recipes.  The recipe for Grandma's American Goulash can be found on Brandie's website The Country Cook:  https://www.thecountrycook.net/grandmas-goulash/

Notes:

*I use 1 cup of small shell pasta instead of the macaroni and use 93/7 ground beef.

*Recipe can easily be doubled.

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*If made as written and 93/7 ground beef is used, each serving has:

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chunky homemade sauce and Italian meatballs?  Yes, please!  Words cannot describe how good this is!  As a bonus, I've also included directions on how to make meat sauce instead of meatballs.

uncooked meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp. minced jarred garlic
3 (14.5 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups water
1 recipe UNCOOKED Everyday Italian Meatballs (recipe link below)
1 (16 oz.) package spaghetti
Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (opt)

In a 5 or 6 qt. Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook until tender.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano, basil, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.  Stir in the water.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or till sauce is of desired consistency, stirring occasionally.  Remove bay leaf.  

While sauce is cooking, prepare the Everyday Italian Meatballs according to the directions, but DO NOT COOK.  Set aside.

Add UNCOOKED meatballs to the sauce the last 20 minutes of cooking.  Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions while the sauce and meatballs are simmering.  Taste sauce to see if additional salt is needed.  Serve meatballs and sauce over hot cooked spaghetti and serve with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Meat Sauce Variation:  Omit vegetable oil and meatballs.  In a 5 or 6 qt. Dutch oven, cook 1.5 pounds of ground beef, sausage, or a combination of the two with the onion and garlic till meat is browned and vegetables are tender.  Drain off fat.  Return to Dutch oven and continue with sauce preparation as directed.  Before serving, add additional salt to taste.

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Everyday Italian Meatballs:  http://easyaspiecanbe.blogspot.com/2014/02/everyday-italian-meatballs.html

Notes:  Because the meatballs aren't cooked before adding to the sauce, it is imperative that 93/7 lean ground beef be used.

To crush the herbs, just put them in the palm of one hand and use the thumb of the other hand to crush them by moving your thumb back and forth on them while applying pressure.

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Pizza Pasta Casserole is everything you would want in a casserole by that name, and it's easy to boot!

Pizza Pasta Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tsp. minced jarred garlic
2 (24 oz.) jars marinara sauce
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cups rotini, cooked and drained
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 (4.5 oz.) package sliced pepperoni

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat; drain.  Stir in the marinara sauce, salt, pepper, and cooked rotini.  Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Cover with mozzarella cheese, and arrange pepperoni (see photo below) over the top. (You won't use the whole package.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

Arrange pepperoni so that the pieces are touching as they will shrink during baking.

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Mexican Spaghetti

Mexican Spaghetti is easy, quick, and yummo!  Made with pantry ingredients, it is perfect for a busy weeknight...or anytime!

A 16 oz. pkg. of linguini is pictured but only 8 oz. is needed.

Mexican Spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

1 (1 oz.) packet taco seasoning mix

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa*

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (8 oz.) pkg. spaghetti or linguine, cooked 

Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Sour cream

In a large skillet (I use a 5 qt. saute pan), brown ground beef and drain.  Stir in taco seasoning, salsa, and tomato sauce.  Simmer, adding water if needed, until the desired consistency is reached.  Mix cooked noodles into the sauce and heat through.  Cover with lots of sharp cheddar cheese; then cover with a lid until the cheese melts.  Serve with sour cream.  If desired, spaghetti may be transferred to a casserole dish and then covered with cheese.

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*Use your favorite brand/heat of salsa.  My favorite is On the Border Mild Salsa, but I sometimes use Taco Bell Mild Salsa.

Several years ago, an acquaintance told me about a Mexican Spaghetti she liked to make and rattled off the list of ingredients.  I couldn't remember all the ingredients she mentioned, but through trial and error, came up with this recipe that must be close to hers, because it is delicious.

 

Crock Pot Ravioli

Slow Cooker Ravioli is easy, delicious, and satisfying...perfect for a busy day!

Crock Pot Ravioli

Brandie of The Country Cook has many delicious, easy recipes.  The recipe for Crock Pot Ravioli can be found on Brandie's website The Country Cook:  http://www.thecountrycook.net/2014/12/crock-pot-ravioli.html

Notes:

*I only use 1 (25 oz.) bag frozen ravioli (cheese or beef).

*I use 3/8 tsp. pepper and a slightly rounded 1/2 tsp. of salt.

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Crunchy Beef Casserole

Crunchy Beef Casserole is great for a filling weeknight meal.  All the ingredients can be kept on hand to have at a moment's notice, and dinner can be on the table in about an hour.

A 6 oz. can of French's French Fried Onions is pictured, but a 2.8 oz. can will be plenty. Salt not pictured.

Crunchy Beef Casserole

Christy Jordan of Southern Plate has many mouth-watering, simple recipes.  The recipe for Crunchy Beef Casserole can be found on Christy's website:  http://www.southernplate.com/2009/07/crunchy-beef-casserole-and-my-casserole-dish-collection.html

Notes:

*Use a 2.8 oz. can of French fried onions.

*I add additional salt to the mixture before baking.

*I use a 7x11 baker.

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