Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is one recipe I plan to make again. I grabbed it from Canadian Living.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
salt
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (I just omitted this)
1 lb spaghetti, cooked

Meatballs
1 egg
1/2 cup onion
garlic
1/4 cup each breadcrumbs (or use crushed crackers) and Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp each basil, oregano, salt, pepper
1 lb ground beef

Meatballs: Mix all except meat, then mix in beef. Shape into 16 balls. Bake 400F on foil lined sheet for 10 minutes. Put in slow cooker.
Meanwhile: In skillet heat olive oil over medium heat and cook onion, garlic, oregano, salt, stirring occasionally till onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
Stir in tomatoes. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Add parsley. Serve with spaghetti (and toast and salad).

Spaghetti Squares

Ok, I found this recipe on Kraft and since I had some leftover green pepper and cottage cheese in my fridge I needed to use up before it went bad, I figured... why not? Of course, as usual, I modified it a bit. I divided the recipe into two containers and froze one for later...

Spaghetti Squares

serves 8

Ingredients
300g (1/3 pkg 900g) spaghetti, uncooked.
1 lb ground beef
red or green pepper
1 jar pasta sauce (700ml or 3 cup) OR, since I don't have that I used 2 cups worth of tomato sauce, some tomato paste and ketchup to make the remaining 200ml
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter
2 eggs beaten
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350F. Cook spaghetti. Brown meat in the pan, drain, add peppers and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add pasta sauce.
Drain spaghetti. Toss with Parmesan, butter, eggs, and place in a greased 13x9 pan (or two smaller pans). Top with cottage cheese, then meat mixture. Add mozza to the top.
Bake 20 minutes until heated through. Serve with salad
From frozen: Bake at 400F for 40 minutes until heated through.

Lasagna

I've made this recipe a number of times now from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, and I really enjoy it. Of course, mine is a bit different from theirs, but that's OK. It tastes real good and is great for freezing. I like to divide the recipe in thirds and freeze 2/3 of it while cooking one portion. I forgot a photo yet again... this has been a bad week for that. However, I figure it's lasagna, and lasagna looks the same no matter how you cook it. ;)

Lasagna

Ingredients
Meat sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 pressed garlic clove, or enough garlic powder to your liking (not too much!)
1 16oz can whole tomatoes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried basil leaves
dash salt

Cheese Mixture
2 cups creamed cottage cheese (or ricotta)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

9 uncooked lasagna noodles (or however many you need for layers... I use 12)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Cook and stir meat, onion, and garlic clove until light brown, drain. Add tomatoes with liquid, sauce, parsley, sugar, basil and salt (if using garlic powder, add here instead of with onion). Heat till boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered until consistency of thick spaghetti sauce, about 1 hour. Reserve 1/2 cup.

2. Cook noodles unless using those that don't need it (I love those noodles). Mix cottage cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, and oregano. Layer in pan(s) 1/3 of noodles, 1/3 of sauce, and 1/3 mozza cheese and 1/3 of cottage cheese mixture. Repeat 2 times. Spoon reserved sauce mixture on top and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cook uncovered at 350F for 45 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. 8-10 servings.

Freezing: After cooking, lasagna can be covered and frozen up to 3 weeks. Cook uncovered in 375F oven for 1 hour or until bubbly.

Leftover Casserole

Today my parents and sis came over for lunch and I needed to make something that would be ready after church. We had burritos the night before, and there was so much meat left over (we always do 1 lb hamburger with 1 can of beans... last night we used black beans) that I decided to make something with that instead of trying to defrost meat... as I forgot to take some out the night before. Oops. And oops again as I don't have a picture... hey, it's a casserole! Kind of resembles Shepherds Pie.

Leftover Hamburger Casserole

Ingredients
-3 cups leftover meat mixture (thick chili)
-8 medium potatoes, mashed (I like to add a bit of butter, some milk, and any sour cream, salt and pepper to taste)
-frozen mixed veggies of your choice

1. Cook the veggies in the microwave. I like using 1/2 cup per person (I had 3 cups). Usually takes only 5 minutes. Drain.

2. In a greased 9x13 pan place the meat, then layer the veggies on top with the mashed potatoes on last. Sprinkle some cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top.

3. Cover and bake in 350F oven for 30 minutes. Serve with green salad and bread/buns. Makes enough for 6... at least in my family! ;)

Mix-&-Match Potato Dinners

Here's a recipe I really like to make. I make a double batch using one pound of hamburger, then freeze one and bake the other. It keeps in the freezer for 3 weeks, and each recipe is good for 2-3 people. I got this recipe from Kraft.

Mix-and-Match Potato Dinners

1. Mix 2 cups frozen hashbrowns and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese in a 9x13inch baking dish

2. Layer with 1 cup each of cooked meat, your favorite sliced veggies, and sauce. Sprinkle with more cheese.

3. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

Here are the combos Kraft suggests:

boneless skinless chicken breasts with onions and peppers, and barbecue sauce

ground beef with corn and green onions, and salsa

pepperoni with mushrooms and onions, and pizza sauce

meatless with broccoli, zucchini, and peppers, and canned tomatoes.

I prefer the ground beef with mixed frozen veggies and salsa myself.

Recipes Part XI: Hamburger Biscuit Bake (feb 28, 2008)

I know, it's been awhile since I "published" any recipes. I decided to put up one of my faves which I just made 2 nights ago.

Hamburger Biscuit Bake

Ingredients
- 1lb lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozza cheese
- 1/4 cup mayo (I like to add a little more... last time I doubled it
- 2 Tbsp parsley
- Biscuit dough

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cook beef and onion. Stir in cheese, mayo, & parsley.
Make biscuit dough (see recipe following). Roll out into two circles. Put one in a round casserole dish (should come up sides of dish, like a crust), place meat inside it, and place the second circle over top (smaller circle usually).
Bake 20-25 minutes. Serve with Sauce (recipe below)

Biscuit Dough
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp lard
- salt
- 1 1/4 cup milk

Cut lard into dry ingredients (till resebling fine crumbs). Stir in milk so that dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a ball. Knead dough on slightly floured surface. Roll out 1/2 inch thick. (continue with recipe above. To bake on their own, cut, place on pan and bake at 425F for 10-12 minutes)

Sauce
- 1 tin cream of mushroom soup
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (depends how thick you like it)
- 1 cup (or more) frozen veggies.

Boil soup and milk. Add veggies (you can cook them seperate. I microwave them for 5 minutes in a plastic container).

Recipes Part IV: Spegghetti Squash and Meatballs (jul 19, 2007)

Today's supper was really good. I made a recipe I saw on tv while flipping through channels. Spegghetti squash and for meat, meatballs! It was really good! Unfortunetely, I forgot to take a picture of it, so I don't have one. Sorry.

Spegghetti Squash

-1 medium spegghetti squash
-14oz can stewed tomatoes (diced tomatoes work too)
-1 tsp oregano
-1 can mushrooms (recipe asked for 1/2 cup chopped pimento stuffed olives, but I prefer mushrooms)
-little salt and pepper

Take a medium spegghetti squash, cut down the center lengthwise. Scoop seeds out of center, and place the halves in a slow cooker. Mix remaining ingrediants, and place into the scooped out centers of the squash.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
To serve, cut each in half again and pull the spegghetti squash from the peel, trashing the peel.
Makes four servings

Nutritional Information
Per serving
Calories - 128
Protein - 5.5 g
Fat - 0.6 g
Carbs - 27 g
Fiber - 5.3 g
Sodium - 631.8 mg

Meatballs

-1lb ground beef
-2 slices bread, in crumbs
-1/3 cup finely chopped carrots
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1 egg
-1/4 cup bbq sauce
-pepper

Mix all ingrediants, roll into 1 inch balls (about 30), bake 20 minutes at 400 F.
1 serving is 5 meatballs (or total makes 6 servings). I baked 1/3 of the recipe and froze the rest on a baking sheet before bagging.

Nutritional Information
Calories - 172
Protein - 18.4 g
Fat - 5 g
Carbs - 5.1 g
Fiber - 0.7 g
Sodium - 86.9 g