Southwest Lasagna

I've never really been one to be that adventurous when eating out at a restaurant (of any kind). I find something I like and I get it. Every time. I'm starting to try new things as my tastes "mature" so to speak. For example, I have always hated disliked meatloaf and lasagna when my mom made it for us growing up. I'm not sure why but I think it was just because they looked so gross and messy. At any rate I've grown to love them both. Partly because they are very inexpensive meals and have lots of delicious leftovers. Also, I think they are very flavorful and the type of dish you can change almost any aspect of and it would still turn out wonderfully. Hence why I chose a lasagna theme.

I saw this recipe in an old magazine (yes, I've been digging up oldies here lately). I just had to try it because it sounded amazing. A combination of two amazing things: Mexican food and lasagna!! It turned out amazing and I even took it for leftovers my first day back to work since Camden came into our lives. It was just as tasty as when I pulled it out of the oven! You can top it with chopped lettuce, tomato and sour cream but it really doesn't need them if you don't have any on hand.

Southwest Lasagna

Adapted from: Pillsbury

Yields: 8 servings

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1lb ground beef

1 package (1.25oz) taco seasoning mix

3/4 cup water

1 jar tomato pasta sauce (28oz)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

9 oz frozen corn, at room temperature

2 tsp ground cumin

1 container ricotta cheese (15oz)

1 can chopped green chiles (4.5oz)

2 eggs

3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F and place a large, rimmed cookie sheet on the rack below middle oven rack. Spray a 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray (use a deep dish if you have one). Cook and drain lasagna noodles per package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain well.

Meanwhile, cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until brown. Drain and return to pan. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. Sauce should be thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce, beans, corn, and cumin. Cook about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until heated throughout.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, chiles and eggs.

To assemble lasagna, arrange 3 cooked and cooled lasagna noodles along the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Spoon and spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over noodles. Top with 1/3 of the meat mixture and then 1/3 cheese. Repeat layers topping with the cheese. Place dish on middle oven rack and bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Penne and Smoked Sausage

Ever get into a slump when it comes to weeknight meals? I know I usually do. When it comes to smoked sausage I have two recipes. Two. How sad is that?! I can make hundreds of things with ground beef, chicken, etc. Why should smoked sausage get ignored? Not anymore! I was inspired by some recent commercials of a woman making a pasta dish with her smoked sausage. Seemed like a great idea. This pasta turned out better than I'd expected, but my husband wasn't totally impressed. It was good enough for dinner, but not for leftovers. You can decide for yourself, but I think it was rather tasty. It has very few ingredients and is a quick weeknight dinner for those with a family!

Penne and Smoked Sausage
Adapted from: Taste of Home
Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 lb cooked smoked sausage, halved and diced
1 1/2 cups milk
1 can cream of celery soup (10.75 oz)
1 1/2 cups french fried onions, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup frozen corn

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13x9 casserole dish and set aside. In a large bowl, combine milk and soup. Mix well and add 1/2 cup french fried onions, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, corn and sausage. Mix until well incorporated.

Transfer contents of bowl to the greased baking pan. Flatten slightly with a spoon. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup of french fried onions and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is something I never really liked as a child but like many of my dislikes, I have grown to like it as an adult. I still cannot eat plain, tasteless oatmeal though. This is a great way to get your fiber and other nutrients in in the morning with wonderful taste. I made this for a pitch-in and I got some good comments on it. It wasn’t the sweetest oatmeal in the world, but I think the extra apples really helped to pull it together. This would be a fantastic breakfast for Christmas morning with the family since there is very little prep and you can just leave it in the oven while you open gifts!

Baked Oatmeal
Adapted from: Proceed with Caution
Serves: 8-10

2-3 apples, cored and chopped
1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
3 cups quick cooking oats
4 ¼ cups milk
1 egg
½ cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3.4 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish and be sure to mix will. Mixture will be very thin but as it bakes, it will thicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

If you are strapped for time in the morning, you can make this dish the night before and store it in the fridge until you bake it in the morning.

Traditional Lasagna

I posted this in the early Kelly's Kitch days and the picture was very, well, drab. It wasn't very enticing and you really couldn't see anything but the cheese on top. Since then I have gotten much better at using my point-and-shoot camera to compete with the "professional" bloggers that use a dSLR camera. They just make it look so incredibly easy! Well given my camera, I'm quite proud.

When all else fails for dinner and I really can't think of anything to cook, I always reach for this recipe that my mom handed down to me. It is a no-fail and delicious dinner .. no matter what. I just am getting lazier with my cooking (in my eyes anyways) and don't want to make sides. However, this would go very well with traditional garlic bread, breadsticks, or even cheesy garlic bread.

Traditional Lasagana
Kelly's Kitch original
Serves: 6-8

1 pound ground beef
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1/3 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/4 lb lasagna noodles, cooked
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
1/2 tub ricotta cheese (4 oz)
parmesan cheese

Boil and drain the lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Set aside.
Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet. Add the onion and cook until tender (about 4-5 minutes). Stir in tomatoes, paste, water, garlic and seasonings. Cover and simmer on low 25 minutes. In a 12x8 greased baking dish, layer the lasagna in this order: noodles, meat sauce, racotta cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers. Bake uncovered in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

This recipe makes two layers. Double it for a deep-dish three layered lasagna for a large party!

Hamburger Pie

At first glance, this looks kinda gross and overwhelmingly high in fat and calories. Don't judge a food by it's look. Trust me! This recipe has: 376 calories, 8 g saturated fat and so forth (per 1/2 cup potatoes and 1 cup meat mixture). It's really not as bad as you think it might be. I made it for my husband who is on this new kinda-health-kick with me and he said that it doesn't sound or look healthy but there are vegetables hiding in there. He did find some andput them aside, but at least I tried, right!? This was a huge dish and I would only suggest making it for more than 3-4 people. Otherwise, halve the recipe for just you and your spouse. It was delicious and next time I will make homemade mashed potatoes instead of the boxed stuff (no judging .. I had some leftover and needed to get rid of it). ;)

Hamburger Pie

Adapted from: New Cookbook, Bridal Edition

Serves: 6-8

24-ounces mashed potatoes

1 1/4 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp salt

dash black pepper

2 1/2 cups frozed cut green beans, thawed

1 can condensed tomato soup (10.75 oz)

1/2 cup shredded American cheese

Prepare mashed potatoes as desired and set aside. In a large skillet, cook the meat about halfway and then add in onions. Cook until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain off fat and rinse with water. Add salt and pepper. Stir in green beans and soup. Mix well. Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish or casserole.

Spoon mashed potatoes in mounds on top of the beef mixture. Using an ice cream scoop helped. Don't smear it around too much or the mixture will mix with the meat. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and cheese begins to brown slightly.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

I won't lie. These were messy. Messy usually means delicious in my book! I usually make a "normal" lasagna but I was feeling extra spicy this past week and so I was inspired by a fellow blogger to make lasagna in a different way. My husband knows his meat, and unfortunately he knew that it tasted "different". Well, I tried to sneak in some ground turkey but he cannot be fooled! It's back to ground beef .. for now. ;)

These were messy to make and messy to eat but they were a very traditional lasagna in an untraditional display. I love making things over again, but in a different way and these turned out great! I just used my regular lasagna recipe, halved (I didn't want too many leftovers) and it seemed to work perfectly.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

Inspired by: Homemade by Holman, Recipe original to Kelly's Kitch

1 pound ground beef
1 small can tomato/spaghetti sauce (14-16 oz)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1/3 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/4 lb lasagna noodles, cooked
1/2 tub racotta cheese
mozzarella cheese, for topping
parmesan cheese, for topping

Brown meat in large skillet. Add onion and cook until tender (about 4-5 minutes). Stir in tomato sauce, paste, water, garlic and seasonings. Cover and simmer on low 25 minutes. Once eveything is cooked, take lasagna noodles (halved) and spread 1-2 tsp ricotta on the noodle. Place 1-2 tsp of the skillet mixture on top and place in a 8x8 greased baking dish. Cover with remaining meat mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese to cover. Cover with foil. Bake, covered, in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole

I know that this doesn't look like much, but usually that means it makes up for it's lack of beauty by having wonderful flavor. This casserole does just that! I love chicken and cheese and my carbs. This puts all of my favorites in one dish. It was really hard for me to have just one serving (see, I am a health coach and I know what size dinner really should be). Also, I haven't ever admitted it before, but I am completely obsessed with tomatoes. I could eat them on anything .. trust me. I think they bring a ton of wonderful flavor to any dish, especially something so cheesy and carb-loaded. Come to think of it, this would be a great dinner before a workout (about an hour is ideal).

Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole

Adapted from: New Cookbook, Bridal Edition (Better Homes and Gardens)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup long-grain white rice

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 can chicken broth (14 oz)

2 cups water

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 cup chopped, seeded tomato (2 medium)

3 tbsp canned diced green chile peppers, drained

1 tsp dried basil

1.5 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz)

For the cooked chicken cubes, I chop the uncooked chicken into cubes and boil with 80% water and 20% chicken broth. Once boiling, I cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

In a saucepan cook onion in hot oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in rice, oregano and paprika. Cook, stirring often for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. The liquid will not all be absorbed, which is fine.

Transfer the rice mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the chicken, tomato, chile peppers, chili powder, basil, cumin and pepper. Transfer to a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. Uncover and sprinkle cheese on top and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Quick Skillet Lasagna

It's really not often that I venture away from my traditional lasagna that is so delicious and has wonderful layers of pasta, cheese and beef. This week, however I had asked my husband to find recipes and cook them for me. It was somewhat out of frustration of my always cooking (and he rarely does the dishes to help out) and partially because I wanted to see what he would come up with. I need more ideas of things he might like. On a side note, I very much love my husband and even though he might not do the dishes, he does a lot around the house in terms of fixing it up/construction and what I like to call 'manly duties'.

This was one of the recipes that he had picked out for the week. I knew he liked lasagna but this was a quick and easy recipe with only a few ingredients. I'm sure he thought to himself, "Why doesn't Kelly make this lasagna recipe instead of the one she slaves for hours over?" Well .. the traditional lasagna is an impressive culinary dish for large get-togethers of our friends and family. This dish is something I can whip together in 30 minutes or less just for the two of us and there isn't too many leftovers that will get wasted. PERFECT for us!

Quick Skillet Lasagna

Adapted from: Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals

6 oz dried mafalda noodles (mini lasagna)

1.5 lb ground beef

1 jar marinara/pasta sauce (24-26 ounces)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large 10-inch deep-dish skillet cook ground beef until browned. Strain the ground beef and wipe skillet out with paper towel.

Layer half of the cooked pasta in the skillet. Cover with half the pasta sauce and meat. Cover with cheese. Repeat layer with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until cheese on top has melted. Remove from skillet and let stand for 3 minutes and serve.

Mexican Lasagna

This was the perfect combination for me and my husband: he loves Mexican food and I love lasagna. Perfecto! My dad and step-mom were up in our area and ate this too and had absolutely no complaints from anyone. I also had ZERO leftovers because my dad liked it so much he wanted to take the rest home with him! This was the last littl piece and I am surprised I remembered to snap a picture of it! If you are a fan of Mexican food then this is definitely something worth trying. It was very different from the usual enchilada's, burrito's, etc. I liked it but would have loved it even more if I could have figured out how to make the corn tortillas more soft and easier to cut through. Maybe next time I will cook them a little?? I dunno.

Mexican Lasagna

Adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures

10-12 corn tortillas

1 lb ground beef (or chorizo if you are feeling spicy)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 tbsp taco seasoning

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cans refried pinto beans (28 oz)

1 tub ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 cups mexican shredded cheese blend

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)

1 jar salsa (16 oz)

sliced gree onions, for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan on medium-high heat, brown your meat. Once cooked through add the garlic and onion. Stir and cook until softened. Add salt, pepper and taco seasoning and mix well. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. Place a layer of 4 corn tortillas on the bottom (the edges may overlap which is fine). Then layer as follows: 1/2 refried beans, 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 beef mixture, 1/2 shredded mexican cheese, 1 can diced tomatoes. Add another layer of 6 corn tortillas. Then repeat next layer topping with salsa instead of diced tomatoes and extra cheese on top of that.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to cool about 5-10 minutes out of the oven. Garnish with green onion and serve warm.

Spinach Lasagna

Lasagna is my favorite thing to make. I always make the traditional meat, ricotta, tomato sauce. I found this one on another blogger's website and the pictures just looked amazing! My pictures aren't the best, but I am working with a point-and-shoot. I do see a dslr in my near future though.

Anyways, this lasagna was FULL of ricotta and other cheeses. I usually love cheese but this was cheese-overload. I would have happily halved the recipe and baked in a smaller 8x8 pan. Based on most recipes with ricotta and my experiences with Lasagna, I used only 2/3 of what the original called for. It still was too much. The parmesan cheese, however brought a wonderful taste to the palate. I might use more of that next time. My husband was not fond of this at all! Most people say they are a 'meat and potatoes' person. Well, he is just a meat person. He loves his meat. Me? My cholesterol is over 300 and I need to eat better! It's a really good thing I don't like red meat at all anyways.

If you do like lasagna, spinach and ricotta then you will love this one!! I have adapted the recipe below to what I made. I will post another adaptation as I begin to make it suitable to what my carnivorous husband will eat.

Spinach Lasagna

Adapted from: Smells Like Home, sauce from Giada de Laurentiis, Everyday Pasta

Bechamel Sauce:

6 tbsp butter

4 cups warm milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

salt and pepper, to taste

pinch of nutmeg

In large saucepan on medium heat melt butter. Add the milk and flour and whisk together. Add seasonings and mix well. Reduce heat a little to make sure sauce does not boil! Cook for about 10 minutes until thickened. Place in heat-proof bowl (I placed in a mixing bowl), cover and put into the freezer* for later.

*If you make this sauce well ahead of time you may just place it in the refrigerator instead.

Lasagna:

8 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 recipe Bechamel sauce (above)

1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained (10 oz)

20 ounces ricotta cheese

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese, for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large stock pot boil water and cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package. Meanwhile, in medium mixing bowl combine ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup parmesan, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Once noodles are cooked and drained, line bottom of greased 9x13 pan with noodles. Then add a layer of ricotta mixture, half of the mozzarella, 1/3 of the Bechamel sauce. Repeat layer. Cover with nooles again and top with remaining Bechamel sauce and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes then serve.

Spicy Sausage & Rice Casserole

First things first .. I didn't actually make this dish, my husband did. I prepped everything and he did the bulk of the work. Either way, it is the spiciest thing I have ever made!! I think it had a lot to do with the extra spicy sausage I got from the grocery. It was on sale so I stocked up and made some for breakfast with my eggs too. It was delicious!

Well this recipe did not disappoint. I loved every single aspect of it. I loved the spiciness of the sausage, the peppers, onions, and especially the rice. I have never purchased or used long-grain rice before but it seems to take longer to cook in the oven. I think I might have liked it better if it was partially cooked beforehand. Some of it was still a little crunchy, but not much. I also put some cheese on top which the original recipe didn't call for. I am a cheese person .. what can I say. This was definitely a dish I could have kept going back for seconds and thirds and so on.

Spicy Sausage & Rice Casserole

Adapted from: Joelen's Culinary Adventures, originally All Recipes

28 oz spicy pork sausage

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

3/4 cup onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bell peppers chopped (I used 75% green, 25% red)

2 cans diced tomatoes (14 oz)

1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper

shredded cheese, to taste (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown the sausage on medium heat while chopping into smaller pieces. Drain grease and return to skillet on medium-low heat. Add rice, onion, garlic, and peppers. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well and pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 55 minutes making sure the rice is completely cooked. Top with cheese as desired and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

You can also cover the casserole and freeze for a later day and time at this step.

Baked Ziti

I originally was going to make this for my husband's friends that were going to help us move a few weeks ago since it's such a huge dish. Well, our closing was delayed indefinitely and I still had all the ingredients. I knew we would eat the leftovers anyways so went ahead and made it. Plus I fully took advantage of having Brad pre-test it for when we do finally move.

My husband loved it and so did I. What a winner! I might even cut this recipe in half and make in a smaller dish just for us from now on. Now that I have a fabulous new garlic bread recipe I think it will go very well with this. The boys are gonna love this!

Oh and just to give you a visual, here is a picture of my very full 9x13 inch glass dish. I followed the recipe from the website as-is. If you have a deep dish pan, I highly suggest using that.

Baked Ziti

Adapted from: Annie's Eats , originally Cook's Illustrated, March & April 2009

1 lb cottage cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1.5 cups grated parmesan cheese

1 lb ziti

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

20 oz turkey Italian sausage (1 pkg)

1/2 cup chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large can tomato sauce (28 oz)

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp basil (dried or fresh)

1 tsp sugar

salt and ground black pepper, to taste

3/4 tsp cornstarch

1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)

8 oz low-moisture mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup parmesan together in medium bowl and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until it begins to soften but not completely cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and crumble sausage cooking until nearly brown. Add onion and garlic and continue to cook until sausage is completely browned. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup basil, sugar, salt and pepper.

In small bowl, combine cornstarch and heavy cream. Transfer mixture to now-empty stock pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from heat adding the cottage cheese mixture, 1.5 cups of tomato sauce mixture and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add pasta and toss to coat evenly.

Transfer pasta mixture to 9x13 dish and spread remaining tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil and cook 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and continue cooking another 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and sprinkle with basil to garnish.

Lasagna

Why Italian food is such a staple in my household, I will never know. Neither of us are Italian. I think we are just carb-lovers. Me having a degree in Exercise Science, I should know better. I say that because my husband won't let me substitute white for wheat noodles hardly ever. He is slowly coming around though. There is always that saying, "Do as I say, not as I do." That might just become a staple in our household too as we have kids .. just kidding!

My mom always made the best lasagna on the block. I never tried it until I was an adult. Why? I have no idea, but it's so delicious! It's a recipe from her mother's mother and so on. This one is another one of my family recipe's so please let me know how it turns out for you. I absolutely love this recipe although I do tweak it a bit as I am only cooking for two and not a big family yet. I made this a few weeks ago for my husband's friends (and groomsmen from the wedding) as they were all in town. I also had side salad and garlic bread too. They all went home and I'm sure I have now raised the bar for their wives now. I swear that wasn't my intention! I just like to feed people!!

When you make this, know that the ricotta cheese comes out in chunks but if you take the time to do so, you can spread it; it is possible. This past time I was lazy and hungry so I just did it in a rush and piled it on in chunks. Brad didn't like them so much and maybe next time I will use less. Also I have tried to leave the pasta whole or break it in half. I prefer to break it in half. It is more manageable that way. A few tips from classic mistakes I have made: put the lasagna noodles on the bottom of the dish or you will have a MESS. Also, top with the cheese covering. If you have exposed noodles, they will harden in the oven. Nobody likes crunchy lasagna.

Lasagana

1 pound ground beef
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1/3 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/4 lb lasagna noodles, cooked
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
1/2 tub racotta cheese
parmesan cheese

Brown meat in large skillet. Add onion and cook until tender (about 4-5 minutes). Stir in tomatoes, paste, water, garlic and seasonings. Cover and simmer on low 25 minutes. In a 12x8 greased baking dish, layer the lasagna in this order: noodles, meat sauce, racotta cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

This recipe makes two layers. Double it for a deep-dish three layered lasagna for a large party!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Having lots of leftover spaghetti squash I had no idea what to do with it. Someone on The Nest website's What's Cooking board had posted this recipe. Two words: easy and delicious. Neither of those words does it justice. Just make it!!

I used extra cheese just because I love cheese. I also omitted the water (totally by accident) so I just didn't include it on my recipe below. Turned out perfect anyways! The girl on the website that gave me the recipe said that she omitted all the cheese and added a little parmesan to the top. Make it your own...

Spaghetti Squash Casserole:

1 small spaghetti squash, cooked

1 lb ground beef

1/2 C chopped onion

1/4 C chopped green pepper

1/2 C chopped red pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 tsp oregano

2 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

In large skillet, cook the beef, onion, peppers and garlic until meat is browned. Drain fat, return to pan with tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper and squash. Continue cooking 2 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Transfer mixture to large casserole dish and mix in 1.5 cups of the cheese. Bake at 350 (conventional) for 25 minutes. Top with additional 1 cup of cheese and bake until melted.