Confetti Spaghetti

1-1/2 pounds ground chuck

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 can (14.5-oz) diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 can (8-oz) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 pkg (16-oz) spaghetti, cooked and drained

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350^F and lightly grease a 9x13" casserole dish.

In a large skillet, cook the ground chuck, chopped peppers, onions over medium-high heat until the meat is browned and crumbly.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne.  Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and brown sugar.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the meat sauce and stir to combine.  Transfer the mixture to the greased casserole.  Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.  

Excellent, easy and great for potluck dinners!  I prefer the stewed tomatoes, which I whirl in the food processor before adding to the meat.  I also use a half package of frozen peppers and onions instead of chopping fresh....cause I'm a lazy cook!  

John prefers it without cheese, so I usually only put cheese on half the dish.  In my opinion, the cheese makes this even better!

Chopped Cheeseburger Sliders

Chopped Cheeseburger Sliders


















1 lb ground sirloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onions
Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 cup chopped pickles
2 tablespoons pickle juice
1 1/2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese (divided)
12 pack Hawaiian rolls
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat the oven to 325^F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Keeping the Hawaiian rolls in one large piece (all the rolls are still attached to each other) carefully slice the tops off horizontally.  Place the bottom section of rolls on the baking sheet.

Meanwhile, brown and crumble the ground sirloin, Worcestershire, onions, garlic salt and pepper in a skillet.  When the meat is nicely browned, drain any fat and then reduce heat to low and stir in the pickles and juice and 1 cup of the cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes and remove from heat.

Spoon the meat mixture over the bottom half of the rolls and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Place the top half of the rolls over the meat mixture and brush with melted butter.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until hot through.

These were the easiest Sliders I've ever made, but just OK taste-wise.  I probably will never make these again but if I did, I'd reduce the amount of pickles and the cheese by about half.

Adapted from a recipe found on Pinterest that linked to the Cooking For Keeps blog.

Korean Beef

Korean Beef

1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper
1 tsp minced roasted garlic
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (to desired spiciness)
Hot Cooked Rice
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Brown and crumble the beef, salt and pepper and garlic in the sesame oil in a skillet.  Stir in the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and crushed red pepper flakes.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.  

Serve over rice.  Garnish with green onions.

My opinion....I did not like the sesame oil.  At all.  John liked it though.  Not that he'll ever get it again if I have to cook it!  Poor John.

Recipe found on Pinterest.

Croatian Sarma Soup

Croatian Sarma Soup

• 1 lb ground beef, browned
• 2 slices bacon, browned and crumbled
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup tomato juice (I used V-8)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium beef bouillon cubes
• 14 ounces reduced-sodium diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 -3 cups cabbage, sliced thin
• 2 cups cooked rice

1. Cook bacon in frying pan until crisped, remove from pan to drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
2. Add ground beef to pan and brown in turkey bacon drippings until almost cooked through.
3. Add diced onion and cook 4-5 minutes until onions are transparent.
4. Add garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
5. Drain meat mixture.
6. Place all ingredients except rice, including meat mixture and turkey bacon, in a large pot and cook over medium heat until it boils. Turn heat down and cook for at least 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is cooked. Add a little water if it gets too thick for your liking. Stir in the hot cooked rice just before serving.  

Adapted from a recipe found at Food.com.  The original stated to cook the soup for 2-3 hours, but since I detest overcooked vegetables I reduced the time to suit my personal preferances.  This was quite good and my husband loved it!  I think it needed a little something extra, so next time I'll throw in some diced bell pepper and see how that works.  

Indian Tacos

Indian Tacos

For the Frybread:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup water
• Additional ¼ cup flour for shaping
• 2 cups oil for frying

For the Indian Tacos:

• 4 cooked frybreads
• Cooked pinto beans  (I just added a can of chili beans to my taco meat)
• Taco meat (I used 1 lb of ground chuck with a packet of Taco Seasoning)
• shredded cheese
• lettuce, tomato, onion
• hot sauce, pickled jalapenos, sour cream

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Combine milk and water in a separate cup.
2. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir with a fork to mix well. You will have a soft dough.
3. Flour your countertop well with the remaining ¼ cup flour and coat your hands, too.
4. Shape the dough into a cylinder and cut into 4 pieces.
5. Pat each piece out into a circle about ⅓" thick (1 cm) and 6" across.
6. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F and fry breads one at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side.
7. Drain upright.
8. Serve topped with beans, meat, cheese, and vegetables of your choice.

Recipe from http://hilahcooking.com/indian-taco-recipe/

I was a little worried about making the Frybread since I usually don't have much luck with biscuit/pie doughs.  I'm too heavy handed I guess, but this recipe was easy and they turned out great!  I highly recommend Hilah's Video (see page link above)...she made me feel very comfortable with the dough and frying it!  

Bottom Line....these are great and I will be making them again!  

Cottage Pie

Cottage Pie

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp beef base
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups water
2 lbs peeled and cubed red potatoes
Salt to taste
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, heat the oil.  Add the chopped onions and crumble in the ground beef.  Season lightly with salt and pepper and brown the meat, stirring often.  Stir in the thyme, Worcestershire sauce, beef base, flour and water and reduce heat to low. Simmer the meat for about 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes and salt in a pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork (about 20 minutes).  Drain off the water and return the potatoes in the pot to the heat for a couple of minutes to dry them.  Mash the potatoes and stir in the butter and cream.  Set aside.

Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a large earthenware casserole dish.  You want to use the slotted spoon to lift just the beef, leaving any of the remaining sauce in the skillet. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the beef to cover it completely, then use a fork to fluff the potatoes into little ridges.  Or, if you're fancy, you can pipe the potatoes using a large star tip.

Sprinkle the grated Cheddar over the potatoes and the bake in a preheated 350^F oven for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Quite good!

Tater Tot Bake

Tater Tot Bake

1 lb ground chuck
2 tsp dehydrated minced onion
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 (10-oz) pkg frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup water
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 (32-oz) pkg tater tots
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar

Preheat oven to 350^F.  Spray a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown and crumble the ground chuck with the minced onion, salt and pepper over medium-high heat.  Stir in the Worcestershire sauce then add the mixed veggies and water.  Cook, stirring about 10 minutes until the water has evaporated.

Spoon the beef and vegetable mixture into the prepared dish.  Arrange the tater tots evenly over the beef.  In a small bowl, whisk the soup and milk until smooth and pour over the tater tots.  Sprinkle the Cheddar evenly over the top.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

My husband loves tater tots.  Me, not so much.  This casserole tasted really good, but the texture of the tater tots just did not work for me personally.  It was very flavorful though and John loved it!

Adapted from a recipe at allrecipes.com

Quick and Easy Mexican Stroganoff

Quick and Easy Mexican Stroganoff

1 lb ground chuck

1/2 lb Jimmy Dean sausage

1 tsp minced dehydrated onions

Garlic Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

1 pkt taco seasoning mix

1.5 cups water

1 can mushroom soup

1/2 carton cream cheese with chives

1/2 jar medium salsa

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

Hot cooked Egg Noodles

Brown and crumble the ground chuck and sausage in a large skillet with the dehydrated onion flakes.  Season with garlic salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  Add the taco seasoning mix, water, and mushroom soup and stir to blend well.  Simmer a few minutes then stir in the cream cheese with chives, salsa, cumin and oregano.  Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes and then stir in the cooked noodles.  

This was very tasty!  I saw a similar recipe somewhere but couldn't find it so I just threw this together one night and really liked it.  

Spicy Cuban Picadillo

1.5 lbs lean ground round
Garlic Salt & Pepper to taste
1 small minced onion
2.5 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried cilantro (or 2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro)
14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
10 oz can Original Rotel tomatoes with chiles
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup catsup
1/4-1/2 cup raisins
Hot, cooked rice

Brown and crumble the ground beef with the onion, garlic salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Drain.  Add remaining ingredients (except rice).  Reduce heat and simmer about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over hot rice.

Yum!

Adapted from recipe at tablespoon.com

BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf

BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf

2 pounds lean ground beef

3 slices white bread, torn into small pieces

1 tbsp. dehydrated onion flakes

3 Tbsp heavy cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
Salt & Pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 7- x 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

 

In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, bread, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until well blended. Place on a 12- x 16-inch piece of wax paper and pat firmly into a 10- x 12-inch rectangle.

Sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over ground beef mixture. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting from the short end, by lifting with the wax paper and removing the paper as you roll. Seal the end well.

Place seam-side down in prepared baking dish. Pour barbecue sauce over the roll and bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until no pink remains in beef and juices run clear.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Good meatloaf!

Adapted form a Mr. Food recipe.

Hearty Meatball Soup with Spinach

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef, 7% fat

1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

1 heaping Tbsp mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided

1 tablespoon canola oil

8 oz carrot trinity mix (fresh diced onions, celery, carrots)

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 cans cannellini beans (15–16 oz), drained

1 (32-oz) box unsalted chicken stock

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, tomato pesto, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until blended. Shape into 1-inch meatballs (about 25–30); wash hands.

Preheat large stockpot on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place oil in pan, then add meatballs (in batches); cook and turn 6–8 minutes or until browned. Remove meatballs from pan and set aside.

Add trinity mix and garlic to pan; cook and stir 2–3 minutes or until onions soften. Add spinach; cook 2–3 minutes or until spinach begins to wilt.

Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in beans, stock, meatballs and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; simmer 5–7 minutes or until meatballs are 160°F and soup is hot. Top with cheese and serve.

Adapted from Publix recipe.  Yum!

Amazing Bolognese

4 strips bacon, diced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 stalk celery, finely choppd
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1 tsp minced roasted garlic
1.5 lbs ground chuck
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 cup beef broth
1 cup dry white wine
28-oz can crushed tomatoes
4-oz can V-8
1 tsp honey
Salt & Pepper to taste
3/4 tsp rubbed sage
1 Tbsp oregano
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1 lb pasta of choice

In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crispy.  Remove and set aside.  Drain the bacon grease.

In the same pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until frothy.  Add the celery, onion and carrots and cook about 10 minutes (until onion is translucent).  Add garlic, ground chuck and sausage and cook, stirring often, until meat loses its red color and is crumbled finely. 

Stir in the reserved bacon, the beef broth and the wine and continue cooking until most of the liquid evaporates.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes, V-8, honey, salt and pepper, sage, oregano, pepper flakes and nutmeg. Simmer very slowly for 2-4 hours partially covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. 

Stir in the parmesan cheese and milk 10-15 minutes before serving over cooked pasta.

This makes more than enough sauce for 1 lb of pasta!  The leftover sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months.  Very tasty sauce!

Adapted from recipe at www.justapinch.com.

Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp parsley
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup water
32 oz carton beef broth
32 oz bag frozen cubed or shredded hash browns
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
2+ cups milk

In a large soup pot, brown beef and crumble chuck with onion, celery, carrots, basil and parsley.  Drain if necessary (I used really lean meat and actually had to add a teensy bit of olive oil).  Add broth and hash browns (I only used about 3/4 of the bag - personal choice!), bring to a boil and simmer 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk the flour and water in a small bowl until smooth.  Stir into soup.  Simmer and then add the cheese, stirring until it melts.  Add milk, according to desired amount of creaminess you prefer.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

This was really good soup!  From e-Meals. 

Mexican Meatball Soup

Mexican Meatball Soup

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup salsa
1-2 Tbsp water
1.5 lbs meatloaf mix (ground chuck + ground pork)
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped chunky
1/2 small red onion, chopped chunky
1 packet taco seasoning mix
6 oz can tomato paste
1 carton beef broth
2 cups water (or more if needed)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can vacuum packed whole kernel corn
1/2 cup long grain rice

Combine crushed tortilla chips, Worcestrshire sauce, salsa, and 1-2 Tbsp water in a large bowl.  Allow to soak for about 5 minutes. 

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat.

Add the meat, salt, peppr, chili powder and cumin to the tortilla chip mixture and mix well.  Form into meatballs (about 18-20) and brown in the oil on all sides.  You'll have to do this in 2 batches because you don't want to crowd the meatballs.  Remove them to a plate and set aside.  It's OK if the meatballs aren't totally cooked through yet. 

Add the bell pepper and onions to the remaining oil (should only be a tablespoon or so if you used good lean meat - if not then drain of the excess oil!) and cook until the onions are translucent, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.  Add about 1 cup water, the taco seasoning mix and the tomato paste and stir until well combined.  Stir in the beef broth and then add the meatballs gently back to the pot.  Gently stir in just enough water to cover the meatballs.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Add black beans, stir and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the corn and rice and simmer about 20 minutes or until the rice is done, stirring occasionally. 

Serve in bowls with diced avocado, crumbled queso fresco and a bit of chopped cilantro to garnish.  This soup is awesome!  We all loved it and I will be making this again!

This soup was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest of a similar soup which I would love to try one day.  I had to make this heartier version or my husband would have accused me of starving him to death because the original recipe only had meatballs in broth.  Personally, I would love this with just the meatballs and broth. 

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground pork
Garlic Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fennel seed
24 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I used Barilla Marinara)
Drizzle of honey
8 oz cream cheese (I used about 6 oz of the reduced fat variety)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used lite sour cream)
1/2 lb Cottage Cheese (I used about 6 oz Ricotta)
1 stick butter (I only used half a stick)
8 oz noodles, pre-cooked until al dente and drained (I used 16 oz Spaghetti)
Bag of shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350^ F.

Brown and crumble the meats in a large skillet with garlic salt, pepper, basil, oregano and fennel.  Drain and add the spaghetti sauce and honey.  Simmer about 15 minutes. 

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage (or Ricotta) cheese until well mixed.

Slice the butter into pats and place in a 9x13" pan or casserole dish.  Add half the spaghetti noodles and spread the cheese mixture evenly over that.  Top with remaining noodles (the original recipe say to add the rest of the butter at this point) and then the sauce.  Bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven and top with the shredded Cheddar.  Bake for another 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let sit about 15 minutes before cutting.

This was absolutely delicious and I'll most assuredly make it again!

 Adapted from a recipe at http://ashleykaitlin.blogspot.com/2011/01/million-dollar-spaghetti.html

Dirty Rice

3 slices thick cut bacon
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp minced roasted garlic
1 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno
1 lb ground round
1/2 lb ground sausage
Good splash Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
Garlic salt, to taste
1 tbsp beef base
2 cups water
4-5 cups hot cooked rice
Hot sauce, if desired

Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to paper towel. Saute the onions, celery and bell pepper in the bacon drippings for 5-10 minutes or until soft. Stir in the garlic and jalapeno and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the ground round and sausage and cook, crumbling the meats until completely cooked. Stir in Worcestershire, Cajun seasoning, pepper and garlic salt. Add beef base and water and bring to a boil, stirring until well combined. Cook until the water is reduced by half. Stir in the rice until well mixed and serve with Hot Sauce if desired.

John loved it...I thought it was OK. Nothing with this much rice will ever be a favorite of mine. It was bland - even with the hot sauce.

Sunday Gravy and Macaroni (Spaghetti, Really)

1 pound spaghetti
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 thin cut pork loin chops, 1/2-inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 each sweet and hot Italian sausage links
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup Marsala
1 pound meat loaf mix, ground beef, pork and veal combined
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for tossing pasta and to pass at table
1 loaf crusty Italian bread, heated just before serving to crisp crust

Heat a deep skillet or medium heavy bottomed sauce pot over medium high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Remove skin and cut sausages into 1" chunks. Add 1 tablespoon, 1 turn of the pan, extra-virgin olive oil to pan or pot. Place chops in pan or pot and brown 2 minutes on each side, remove. Add another tablespoon oil, 1 turn of the pan, and sausages. Brown sausages 2 minutes on each side and transfer to plate with pork. Add pepper flakes, 3 cloves chopped garlic and onion to the pot and saute 1 minute. Add broth to the pan and scrape up drippings. Add tomatoes and herbs and bring sauce to a bubble. Add meats back to the pot and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer sauce over a very low heat for a couple of hours, gently stirring every once in a while.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Lightly mix the ground meat, mayo, garlic salt, 1/4 cup cheese and some black pepper. Gently roll into balls, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Place balls on nonstick cookie sheet. Roast meatballs 10 minutes, then slide into Sunday sauce.

In the meantime, heat water for pasta to a boil. Salt and cook pasta 7 to 8 minutes, to al dente.

To serve, place pork, sausages and meatballs on serving dish. Pour 1/2 of the sauce into a serving dish to ladle over pasta and meats at the table. Toss cooked spaghetti with remaining sauce in sauce pot, adding a few handfuls of grated cheese to the pot as you toss it. Transfer pasta to a serving dish.

Adapted from the Rachael Ray recipe. This stuff is GOOD!

Beef Fried Rice

Beef Fried Rice

8 oz ground sirloin
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp crystallized ginger
1 tsp Five Spice Powder
16 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, snap peas, water chestnuts are my favorite)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
2 tsp chili paste
2 cups cooked Rice

Brown and crumble the ground sirloin in a large skillet with the onion and garlic. Stir in the ground and crystallized ginger, five spice powder and the frozen vegetables. Add water, stir, cover and cook on medium high heat about 5-10 minutes or until veggies are nearly done (crisp tender). Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and chili paste and cook another minute or two, stirring. Mix in the hot cooked rice and serve. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Makes aboout 4 servings. 6 PointsPlus per serving. This was really tasty and John loved it! From the Weight Watchers website.

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb ground chuck
1 packet taco seasoning mix
16-oz can seasoned pinto beans, drained
15-oz can black beans, drained
16 oz jar taco sauce
1 cup water
10-oz can Ro-Tel tomatoes (I used Original)
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded Pepper-Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
1 cup shredded medium Cheddar cheese
Sour cream and chopped cilantro, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350^ F.

In a large skillet, brown and crumble the ground chuck. When the meat is nearly cooked through add the taco seasoning mix and the pinto beans, stirring and mashing the beans until well mixed and meat is completely cooked. Stir in the black beans and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the taco sauce, water and Ro-Tel tomatoes. Set aside.

In a 9x13" pan, place 4 uncooked noodles in the bottom. Pour about 3/4 cup of the taco sauce mixture over the noodles and spread half the meat mixture over that. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses and repeat layers, ending with 4 noodles and the remaining cheese and taco sauce.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the noodles are tender. Let set about 30 minutes before cutting.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves.

Pretty good. Didn't take long to put it together either.

Adapted from allrecipes.com "Mexican Lasagna I"

Catalina Taco Salad

Catalina Taco Salad

1 lb ground chuck
1 pkg low sodium taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz can chili beans
8 oz Catalina salad dressing
1 bag assorted salad greens
1 large tomato, chopped
Shredded Cheddar
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Salsa

Brown and crumble ground chuck in a skillet over medium-medium high heat, stirring often. Add taco seasoning, chili beans and Catalina dressing and stir well. Simmer over low heat until all ingredients are hot.

Serve over salad greens with tomatoes, Cheddar, tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.

This was good, but a tad sweet for my taste...John liked it better than I did. I'd rather have spicy taco meat personally.

Adapted from Taco Salad I at allrecipes.com