No Tomato Sauce Lasagna

Hello, readers! Wednesdays are about the craziest day of my week. When I menu plan for the week, I make sure to include a recipe that I can prep in advance and put in the refrigerator with directions on exactly what needs done. That way, I know that dinner is still on the table, even though I might not be home - have to eat, right?


This is by far one of my favorite make ahead recipes - especially because I have issues with Italian food. A lasagna that is made with meat, noodles, and Alfredo sauce. That's it. Cook the meat and layer. Super simple and delicious. I hope that you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do! 



Ingredients

12 ounces very lean ground beef
1/2 cup beef broth
12 ounces wide lasagna noodles
2 cups low-fat alfredo sauce
1 1/2 cups grated skim mozzarella cheese


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender. Drain Well.


While noodles are cooking, brown the ground beef in a nonstick frying pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, add browned beef and broth. Toss together.


To assemble
Spread 1 cup of the alfredo sauce on the bottom of 9x13 inch baking pan.
Add 3 strips of lasagna noodles. Spread half the beef mixture on top. Lay 3 strips of lasagna noodles. Spread the remaining beef mixture on top. Add 3 strips of lasagna noodles. Spread the very top with remaining white sauce.
Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 25-35 minutes.



Source: About.com

Creamy Taco Mac

Diced tomatoes. No matter how many times I reach into my pantry on a normal basis, I always pull out diced tomatoes. If I reached blindly, four of five times typically I would pull out a can of diced tomatoes. For some reason, diced tomatoes at the store yell out to me - buy me! You want me! You need me! At any given time, I have about six cans of diced tomatoes between the two pantries.

Wouldn't luck have it that I go to make taco mac and I can not find a can of diced tomatoes anywhere - not in the main or back up pantries. Low and behold, I found a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles. A bit too spicy for my taste, but there was dinner to be made. I love taco mac. It's a play on hamburger helper. I used vegetable pasta which I always have tons of, it's delicious, and you're getting an extra dose of veggies without knowing it.  The recipe below also leads you to Annie's Eats for a recipe for the taco seasoning I use. How nice is it to know you can eat a version that doesn't leave you feeling as if you just ate an entire salt lick?

Ingredients1¼ lbs. ground meat

8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tbsp. taco seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)


Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook pasta according to the package directions.  Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.  Set aside.


Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink.  A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet.  Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.  Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Source: Annie's Eats

Sirloin Burgers

We are not really burger people during times other than summer. There's nothing like a hamburger fresh off the grill with some corn on the cob and a drink...or two. They definitely are a quintessential summer picnic food. When Michelle was coming over, I knew that I wanted to make something that could be easily made and eaten so that more time could be spent enjoying each other's company than messing around in the kitchen with a fussy meal.

Even though there was a hint of spring in the warmer air, I still busted out the Foreman grill. Our big grill didn't have any gas and I love to use my tiny grill. These burgers were delicious and are definitely a nicer version of plain old hamburger (think thawed patty) that I will make over and over again.

Sirloin Burgers
Ingredients
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 Tbs. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
4 slices cheddar cheese
4 hamburger buns, split
Sliced tomato, onion, lettuce, pickle for serving
Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard or other condiments of your choice for serving

Directions
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each 3⁄4 inch thick.

Grill the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. When done, no pink should show on the inside and should read 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. If making cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on top of each hamburger during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Serve the hamburgers on the buns with tomato, white onion, lettuce, dill pickle and condiments.

Source:  Annie's Eats

Cheeseburger with Fries Casserole

When I was in middle school, a fundraiser was done to help raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation. There was always a talent show that you had to either have a dance taught by a dance instructor or a song taught by a singing coach to get a spot in the show. This was about the same time that the movie Sister Act came out. My mom, along with a few other parents, decided that it would be a cute idea to have some of us dress up as the choir of nuns and perform the final song of the movie, "I Will Follow Him." I remember practicing and practicing, as I was the small red head that had the solo and didn't want to mess it up.

We made it through the auditions without anyone hearing of our routine. We attended private rehearsals with the director of the talent show as not to be seen by the other groups ahead of time. This was the best kept secret and everyone wondered what we would do.

So the time comes and the announcer says, "and please welcome to the stage, Sister Act." The crowd howled with laughter at all of us in our little nun habits (which were done respectfully, since it was a Catholic school). Everyone loved it - our routine was a hit.

The one thing that I clearly remember from that night was in the first act, fellow school mates dressed as cheeseburgers and fries, dancing to the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise." Silly I know, but the first thing that comes to mind when I saw this recipe. Leave it to me to remember the food items from the evening.

I adapted this recipe to add a few more veggies into the mix and lessen the amount of canned products that were added. I loved the fries on top of the meat mixture, it was perfect. This made a great weeknight meal that was easy to pull together and didn't dirty too many dishes. Give it a try!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pepper, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen French fries
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine the ground beef, onion, and pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until beef is no longer pink, the onion is translucent, and the peppers are soft. Drain off excess grease, and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
3. Return to the heat, and stir in the diced tomatoes and cheese soup until well blended. Heat through, and remove from stove. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover the ground beef mixture with a layer of frozen French fries.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven. When the fries are golden brown, remove the casserole from the oven, and sprinkle cheese over the top. Return to the oven, and bake just until cheese has melted.

Source: Bettina_J, Allrecipes