Missionary Casserole

8-10 oz pkg. egg noodles
1lb. hamburger
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
1 onion (or onion powder and garlic powder/salt)
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
1 C cottage cheese
¼ C sour cream
1 T butter
Mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles as directed in salted water. Brown hamburger and onion in a skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomato sauce. Simmer on low. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream. Beat or stir until smooth. When the noodles are cooked and drained, stir butter into noodles to prevent sticking. Pour half the noodles into 8x13 casserole dish. Spoon a little hamburger mixture over noodles. Next spread the cream cheese mixture over noodles. Layer the rest of the noodles and hamburger mixture on top. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes

Large Shells Italiano

1 package (16 oz) of Large Shells, uncooked noodles
1 lb of ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup water
2/3 cup (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms drained, (optional)
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large skillet over medium heat until thoroughly cooked; drain. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except pasta and cheese; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Toss hot pasta and sauce; sprinkle with cheese.

Make 8 servings

Note: My kids loved this recipe!!!!!! I also got this off of the back of the noodles package (American Beauty brand)

Easy Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

1 package (12 oz) Bow Tie noodles, uncooked
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup of milk
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt; cook 2 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Add milk and heat just to boiling; stir in cream cheese and basil. Reduce heat, stirring constantly until cream cheese is completely melted and chicken is thoroughly cooked. Removed from heat, stir in Parmesan cheese. Toss hot pasta and sauce; serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 servings
NOTE: I would double the milk and cream cheese to make more sauce. We like lots of sauce with our noodles. Really enjoyed this recipe and got it off the back of the noodles package.

Crock Pot Spaghetti

I usually do horrible at crock pot recipes but this really turned out good. I did add 1/2 cup of water with all the other ingredients at the beginning and then an extra 2 cups of water when I added the noodles. I didn't want the spaghetti to burn. Just be careful not to add toooo much water or the noodles will taste weird.

CROCK POT SPAGHETTI
Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tbsp. dry onions
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms
3 c. tomato juice
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (4 oz.) pkg. spaghetti, broken in pieces

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef in skillet. Place in crock pot.
2. Add all remaining ingredients (except dry spaghetti) and stir together.
3. Cook on high 4 to 5 hours. Add dry spaghetti and stir in. Cook on high for 1 hour more.
AND of course coat with Parmesan Cheese to make it "Cheezy".

Serves 3-4. See comments on how to double this recipe.

Baked Spaghetti Squash, Lasagna-Style

I really enjoy spaghetti squash. If you haven't tried it, it's very mild, and takes on the flavor of whatever you put on it. There are simpler, lighter ways to eat it than this that are also delicious, but this recipe is family-friendly (and the presentation is pretty cool). It's good and cheesy, and healthier than lasagna or baked ziti, though it tastes similar. If I'm going to consume vast amounts of cheese, I feel better if it's on top of a vegetable! This recipe includes a homemade sauce, but you could absolutely use your favorite pre-made spaghetti sauce for an easy, great meal.

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 T. minced garlic

1 sm. can mushrooms

1 28 oz can stewed or diced tomatoes, drained well

1 c. tomato sauce, or your favorite spaghetti sauce

1 T. dried basil

2 t. sugar

black pepper

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray sheet cake pan with cooking spray (I lined my sheet with foil first for easy clean up). Add a small amount of water into your baking dish. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet. *Be careful when cutting your squash--it can be pretty tricky to cut through the hard outer shell.

2. Bake squash approx. 45-60 minutes, or until squash easily can be scraped out of the shell with a fork. Squash should be soft, not crunchy when it's done. Remove from oven, and cool.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pan, use your olive oil to saute the onion and garlic until golden. Add in mushrooms, then tomatoes, sauce, sugar, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 15 minutes until your sauce has cooked down and is not watery.

4. Remove squash pulp with a fork, placing in a bowl and reserving the shells. Layer each shell with a spoonful or so of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash, then cheese. Layer another layer of sauce, then squash, then sauce again, ending with a good layer of Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan and basil. If your shells didn't survive baking, you can use a casserole dish.

Bake for 20 min. in preheated oven, or until cheese is melted.

Makes 8-10 adult servings.

*It would be nice to make this dish ahead of time, as it takes so long for the squash to cook and it's hard to predict when it will be done. It's challenging to time the whole thing if you like to eat at a certain time. Next time, I would just cook the squash ahead of time, pull the pulp from the sides (leaving it in the shells) and refrigerate it till I was ready. I would probably add 10-15 min. to the cooking time once I layer it with cheese and bake it again. You can also choose to freeze half of this recipe if it is too much.

Chicken and Orzo with Mushroom, Peas, and Parmesan

Orzo is new to me: it's a type of pasta that has a rice shape to it. It's very light, delicate, and yummy! It can be found in the pasta section of the store. This dish has no sauce, but with the parmesan cheese it's got a slight creamy quality that tastes a little like alfredo, but without all the fat and calories. I opted to serve chicken with this dish, but you can leave out the chicken for a vegetarian option.

3 small chicken breasts, sliced

1 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced (opt.)

salt and pepper

1 lb. box of Orzo pasta

chicken bouillon granules or salt

6-8 mushrooms, sliced

1/2 small onion, minced

1 c. frozen peas, thawed

1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated

2 T. chopped fresh parsley (I used 1/2 T. dried)

Cook Orzo according to directions, but add your chicken bouillon and/or a good amount of salt to your water to give the orzo flavor. While you're waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, warm garlic and oil in a pan over med-high heat. Add in chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned and juices run clear. Remove from pan and set aside (my above-the-stove microwave is a perfect place to put it and keep it warm).

Add more olive oil into pan if needed, and sauté the mushrooms and onions, seasoning with salt, till golden brown. When they are almost done, add in your thawed peas to warm them, just for a minute or so.

Whenever your orzo finishes cooking (after about 10 min.), drain it and put it back into the pot or into your serving bowl. Add in the Parmesan cheese while the orzo is hot, stirring well so it will melt. Add in your mushrooms, onions, and peas, salt and pepper as needed. Mix thoroughly.

After serving up the orzo, I placed a few chicken slices on top, then garnished with Parmesan cheese, and served with a green salad. Enjoy!

Makes 4-5 adult-sized servings.

Below is a picture of the minced garlic that I love, and pasta box--the lid is up, so it looks bigger than it really is. You buy the garlic already minced, and store it in the fridge. It lasts a LONG time, and while not as fresh as the real stuff, is really easy to use and perfectly adequate in cooked dishes.