ADVOCATE-TESTED RECIPE
Deluxe Weekend Dish
Serves 12. The casserole freezes well. It can be frozen uncooked, or frozen cooked and cut into squares for individual portions.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 (1-ounce) package dry onion soup mix (Some of these come two to a box.)
1 cup water
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper or to taste
½ pound thin noodles, spaghetti or macaroni
1 pound mozzarella cheese, grated
1 (1-pound) carton small curd cottage cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Brown meat in olive oil; drain off excess fat.
3. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, dry soup mix, water, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
4. Boil pasta in salted water until tender; drain.
5. Layer in casserole sprayed with nonstick coating: Pasta, mozzarella, meat, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
ADVOCATE-TESTED RECIPE
Tasty Tuna Casserole
Makes 5 servings. You can make your own white sauce instead of using the canned soup or use the low-fat or low-sodium varieties if you prefer. Cooked rice can be substituted for the pasta if you like. This is very adaptable, add more vegetables, like carrots or corn. If the mixture is too thick, thin it with a little milk. For the topping, I used fresh bread crumbs mixed with cheese and made sure they were browned and crispy. Back in the day, this casserole was topped with crushed potato chips, canned onion rings or cracker crumbs.
1 cup small shells, spirals or macaroni, cooked in salted boiling water until tender; drained and set aside
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
½ onion, chopped
¼ bell pepper, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 (6.4-ounce) pouch chunk light tuna in water OR 2 (5-ounce) cans of tuna, drained
1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed OR carrots OR corn kernels
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup OR cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste
⅔cup grated cheddar, divided
¾ cup fresh bread crumbs OR butter cracker crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray, set aside.
2. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until tender; drain and set aside.
3. In small skillet, add butter or olive oil and sauté, onion, bell pepper and celery until vegetables are tender.
4. In separate, large bowl, add sautéed vegetables, tuna, sweet peas, soup, milk, thyme, mustard, garlic powder. Season to taste with salt (be careful because soup and pasta are already salted). Add pepper to taste.
5. Add half of the cheese to the tuna mixture. Taste for seasoning and correct if necessary. It should be a bit spicy. The other half of the cheese is mixed with the bread crumbs and set aside.
6. Transfer tuna mixture to greased baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, sprinkle bread crumb and cheese mixture over the top of the casserole and continue baking for 8-10 minutes or until top is golden and casserole is heated through.
Chili Joes Over Cornbread Muffins
This dish uses a simple, spicy ground beef or turkey served over hot cornbread muffins. Make your favorite cornbread from scratch or use two packages of corn muffin mix.
Meat Mixture:
1½ pounds lean ground beef or turkey
½ cup chopped onion
¼ bell pepper, chopped
1 or 2 ribs celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons white vinegar
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, partially drained
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste
1. In large skillet, brown beef or turkey and pour off excess fat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender.
2. Add vinegar, tomatoes, tomato sauce, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder.
3. Season to taste with salt and peppers.
4. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Taste again to test for seasoning.
Cornbread Muffins from a mix:
2 (6-ounce) packages Cornbread Muffin Mix, prepared according to package directions
Optional muffin additions:
1 can cream style corn
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, reserving ⅓cup for sprinkling on top at serving time
Chopped pickled jalapeño peppers, optional
2 green onions, chopped for garnish
1. Prepare cornbread muffins according to package directions OR make cheesy, jalapeño corn muffins with the addition of cream style corn, cheese and jalapeño peppers to the 2 packages of batter. You may have to increase the baking time by a couple of minutes if you add the corn and cheese.
Buttermilk Cornbread
Serves 8. Recipe is from "More, Please!" cookbook.
1 cup flour
¾ cup cornmeal
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease 9-by-9-inch pan.
2. Whisk all dry ingredients together in bowl.
3. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and melted butter and whisk quickly into dry ingredients.
4. Pour into greased pan.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
