Monthly Archives: May 2009

Ground Beef, Make Ahead, Mexican, Pasta

Taco Spaghetti

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10 ounces dried spaghetti or linguine or fettuccine, broken
2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning mix
2 (11 ounce) cans corn mixed with chopped peppers, drained
1 1/2 cups Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese or cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup favorite salsa
2 (4 1/2 ounce) cans diced green chili peppers, drained
4 cups lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, chopped

Cook pasta according to pkg directions, drain.
Meanwhile, cook ground meat and onion until meat is brown, in a dutch oven.
Drain off fat. Stir in water and taco seasoning mix. Bring to boiling and reduce heat.
Simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, salsa and chili peppers Divide mix evenly between 2 lightly greased 2 qt casseroles. Package up, label and freeze up to 3 months.

To serve remaining casserole, cover and bake in a 350F oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with lettuce and chopped tomato.
If desired, pass broken tortilla chips and dairy sour cream as additional toppings.

To serve the 2nd casserole, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Bake, covered in a 375F oven for 1 hour or until heated through, stirring once about halfway through baking time. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Serve with 4 cups shredded lettuce and 1 medium tomato, chopped.

12 Servings

Homemade Mixes, Mexican

Taco Seasoning Mix

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1 1/4 Teaspoon Chili powder
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Teaspoon minced onion
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon Sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Ground oregano
1 Tablespoon Flour

Combine all of these dry ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an air tight container.

To prepare the meat filling for tacos, preheat a large skillet.
Brown 1 pound ground beef; drain the fat. Add your Taco Seasoning
that you prepared previously and 2/3 cup water to the beef; mix
thoroughly. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook,
uncovered, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve taco filling with warmed taco shells or tortillas. Top with
shredded lettuce, grated cheddar cheese and chopped tomato or fresh
salsa.

This recipe makes enough meat filling for 12 tacos.

Cajun, Ground Beef

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

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1 pound lean ground beef
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in its own juice

Combine first 4 ingredients; mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet. Brown meatballs; drain and set aside.
Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepan. Add meatballs; stir to coat with sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Beef, Mushrooms, Noodles

Sweedish Meatballs

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1 package meatballs
1 12 oz. jar mushrooms, gravy
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon allspice
8 ounces egg noodles, cooked and drained – toss with butter.

Heat mini meatballs – refrigerated or frozen – in mushroom gravy. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and allspice.
Serve over egg noodles.

4 Servings

Chicken Breasts, Italian

Stuffed Chicken Marsala – Olive Garden Official Recipe

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Cheese Stuffing:

1/2 cup smoked shredded cheese (provolone or gouda)
8-oz package mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomato flakes (drain first if in oil)
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sour cream (6 oz)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce:

1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced lengthwise
24 fl oz Marsala wine
8 fl oz heavy cream
2 small containers button mushrooms, thinly sliced (6 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 fl oz olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Combine all cheese stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Butterfly thickest section of chicken breasts to create 2 lobes. Pound each breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until ¼” – ½” thick. Place flattened chicken breasts on a plate and place desired amount of stuffing on one lobe of each chicken breast. Gently press stuffing down so it resembles a hockey puck. Fold over other lobe of chicken breast; does not have to seal.

Heat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Place flour in a shallow pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Dredge stuffed chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess. Saute chicken breasts with preheated oil, cooking until each side is golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and place in a baking dish. Bake for 10-20 minutes, or until juices run clean and center of chicken reaches 165°F.

Add onions to sauté pan, and stir to loosen chicken drippings. After 2 minutes, add mushrooms and sauté until onions are translucent. Deglaze pan with Marsala wine – make sure to incorporate drippings from bottom of pan. Heat wine to a simmer and add heavy cream. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half.

Place cooked chicken breasts on a plate and top each with onions, mushrooms and sauce.
Serve with your favorite garlic mashed potato recipe.

4 Servings