Creamy Pasta and Beef Casserole Recipe

I'm not normally a casserole person. In my mind, they tend to be unhealthy, too cheesy, too fattening, too mix-it-all-together-can't-tell-what's-in-it. But this casserole blows those biases out of the water. It's healthy, creamy (without too much cheese), and super flavorful. I think the flavor of the basil is just a beautiful addition to the beef and vegetables. I think your whole family will love this! 

Creamy Pasta and Beef Casserole

recipe adapted from my mom's recipe card (no source)

Makes 4 servings 

Ingredients
3 cups short cut pasta, cooked
1/2 pound ground beef
1 celery rib, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar or Muenster or mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Cook pasta in boiling water, leaving it just shy of al dente (a little tougher than you would normally want your pasta to be cooked. It will continue to cook in the oven).

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Begin browning the ground beef. Add in celery, carrot, onion, garlic and green pepper while beef is still cooking. Sprinkle in basil, pepper and salt and cook until vegetables are tender and meat is no longer pink. Sprinkle in flour and stir until it is no longer visible. Add in soy sauce and gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil and stir in cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add the cooked (and drained) pasta to the beef mixture.

Transfer to a 2-3 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

(This may also be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Just remove from the oven about an hour before baking to bring back to room temperature. Bake until bubbly.)    

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Spicy Beef Burgers

This is the perfect follow up to the Light Brioche Burger Buns. YUMMO!

I have become a bit of a burger queen thanks to Rachael Ray. Before a couple years ago, I never realized burgers could be so delicious, so versatile, and so exciting. The possibilities are endless! We have burgers and (some form of) potatoes for dinner once a week--typically Wednesday or Thursday. I love changing things up with the flavors I choose to infuse inside the burgers. It keeps Kevin guessing. :) This week, I went with a simple spicy variety that I think you'll love! Place this burger between the most amazing Brioche Bun and you'll have a table full of happy people.  

Spicy Beef Burgers

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or shredded

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp spicy steak seasoning blend

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Provolone cheese, optional

Directions

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients with your hands, being sure not to overwork the meat (this is lead to tough burgers.) Score the meat into four equal sections and form into patties. Make the center of the patties  thinner than the edges to allow for even cooking. 

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once preheated, add burgers to the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side. During the last minute or two of cooking, top with provolone (or other) cheese. 

Serve inside a delicious Brioche Bun with a side of Zesty Potato Wedges.  

Classic Meat Lasagna

I'm proud of my Italian heritage. Almost everything I prepare starts with sauteing onions and garlic--a pretty good way to start any meal from the Italian perspective. Unfortunately, I had NEVER made a lasagna. Ok, that's kind of a lie. I've made Eggplant Lasagna and that was delish. But I've never attempted a classic meat lasagna. With my pastor's wife recovering from surgery, we thought this would be the perfect dish to bake and take to their family. Everyone loved it! This is a time-consuming meal, but it's not difficult and it's totally worth the effort!

Classic Meat Lasagna

serves 6-8

Ingredients

12 lasagna noodles

1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage (or half and half) 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tsp parsley

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

salt

pepper

1- 4oz can tomato sauce

1- 28 oz can whole tomatoes

15 oz ricotta cheese

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained/squeezed

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 cup grated mozzarella

Directions

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook to al dente. 

In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the ground beef/sausage. Drain and rinse. Set aside. Wipe out the skillet, reheat over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil or canola oil. Saute onions and garlic until softened and fragrant. Stir in seasonings and cook a minute longer. Stir in meat, tomato sauce, and whole tomatoes (with their juices). Crush tomatoes with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Simmer 20-30 minutes. 

In a medium bowl combine ricotta, spinach, parmesan, and egg. 

Heat over to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. Top with 3 noodles. Spread a 1/3 of cheese mixture on top of noodles. Top cheese layer with sauce, then noodles, then cheese, ending with the sauce mixture and topping with mozzarella cheese. Baked for 35-45 minutes, until bubbly and heated throughout. 

Homemade Sloppy Joes

on homemade hamburger buns.

Now THAT'S a combination you can't beat. 

Neither my husband nor I are huge Sloppy Joe fans. But I have come to realize that it's because we've never had really good Sloppy Joes. THESE are really good Sloppy Joes. I'm so glad I stumbled upon it over at Ezra Pound Cake. They are meaty and full of flavor and texture and...interest. :) Garlic, tomatoes, onions, chili pepper flakes, and Worcestershire. The perfect combination of heat and tang, sweet and spicy. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!  

Note: I cut the recipe in half and found we had enough for 3 larger sandwiches or 4 small ones. But that's just us. :) I'm assuming leftovers will just get better.

::Kevin likes his overflowing to the point of forcing him to eat with a knife and fork::

whatever floats your boat.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

for the hamburger base:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped finely

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 pound ground sirloin

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for tomato sauce:

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Salt and Pepper to taste

4 hamburger buns

Butter, for spreading on hamburger buns

Directions

A piece of advice Rebecca offers (which I neglected to follow) is to make the tomato sauce ahead of time, refrigerate at least an hour, and allow the flavors to meld together yielding even tastier results. 

In a large skillet, heat the oil to medium-high. Add onion and salt, lower heat to medium, and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add beef, and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up as you stir. 

In the meantime, grab a medium bowl, and combine the tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard and red pepper flakes. Add the tomato mixture to the beef. Stir in the tomato paste. Simmer for at least 10 minutes, or until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. (If it seems a little “wet,” just keep simmering or add small amounts of tomato paste.)

To make your sandwiches that much more delicious, toast hamburger buns. Warm a skillet over medium heat. Butter the insides of the buns, and place them butter-side down in the skillet. Toast.

Taste the Sloppy Joe mixture, and adjust the seasonings. Sandwich the mixture in the hamburger buns, and serve.

Adapted from Rebecca Crumb's recipe at ezrapoundcake.com