Lasagna Cups

My husbands favorite food on this planet is Lasagna. I'm fairly certain that if I allowed it he'd probably eat it morning, noon, and night day in and day out. I'm not kidding when I say I've gone to visit family for a week or weekend and before I leave I'll make up up a pan of lasanga and he'll spend the next few days eating it. This man LOVES his lasagna. So when I found this recipe on Pinterest I knew it'd be a hit.

While I was planning out meals for the next while a couple weeks ago I decided I would try this out for Valentine's Day as a special treat to the hubby. Man was he glad to see me making lasagna, even if in a different form. He's even asked me to make it again for his birthday next week! We'll have to see about that one... ;)

So without further adieu, I bring you...

 

(Not my picture or my recipe. Click on title for original.)

Lasagna Cups

Ingredients:

Sauce:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 large onion

1/2 lb. lean ground beef, cooked and drained

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small zucchini, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (+ 1/2 can water to wash out can)

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Filling:

1 10 oz. tub Philidelphia Italian Herb & Cheese cooking cream

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated and divided

1/3 c. ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 egg

21 Lasagna pasta sheets

Directions:

Sauce: Heat oil over medium heat and saute onion, pepper, zucchini, and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in cooked ground beef and tomato paste until well incorporated. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes or so. (The longer it cooks, the better it will taste!) This will be very thick.

Cheese Filling: Stir all ingredients together excluding half of the grated mozzarella cheese, set aside.

Pasta: Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta sheets 2 minutes less than package directions and drain. Place pasta on greased baking sheet until you are read for assembly.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 jumbo muffin tins (I just did 18 regular) with squares of parchment paper. If they don't stay in on their own, that's okay - the pasta will help wihtthat. Line the edges of the muffin tins with 1 pasta sheet per cup (sheet will overlap about 2 inches). Spoon about 1/2 Tbsp. of sauce into the bottom of each cup. Next cut 9 pasta sheets into quarters and press one of these pieces of pasta into the bottom on top of the sauce. Top pasta sheet with a generous tablespoon of sauce and then a generous tablespoon of cheese filling. Repeat this pasta-sauce-cheese layerong one more time being sure to press out any air bubbles. Top these lasagna cups off with a third piece of pasta, more sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

If you love lasagna, I'm sure you'll love this as much as us!

For the pin, click here!

Until next time,

Amanda

Pizza Casserole

We're super busy around my house. I know we're not alone. Monday-Friday (and some Saturday's) my husband and I work. From there it's trying to keep things up around the house, pay bills, be parents to our son and fur-babies, alongside projects for our new house and various other small side things going on. We're always doing something or going somewhere so quick, easy, and filling meals are a must in our day-to-day life. If they bring on leftovers? Even better! It means we have lunches and that I may not have to cook supper the next night!

I came across this Pizza Casserole through Pinterest. I've actually seen a number of them over time and finally decided to give one a go, despite my being nervous with using pepperoni (I'm not afraid, I just can't have spicy food and pepperoni can be iffy with my stomach). It turned out fantastic! My husband told me he definitely wants me to make it again. Even our four year old loved it! And since I got plenty of leftovers with it, we had supper for the next night and lunches for the next two days!

(Not my picture or recipe. Click title for original.)

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (26 oz.) jars spaghetti sauce
16 oz. rotini pasta, cooked and drained
5 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz. sliced pepperoni

Directions:
Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic in oil. Drain. Stir in pasta, spaghetti sauce, and 3 cups of cheese.

Place mixture in two greased 9x13 pans. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with pepperoni. Cover and freeze or bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.


Told you it was really simple!

To see the pin, click here!

Until next time,

Amanda

BLT Pasta Salad

Every time we all get together with my in-law's it's kind of a fight of what to bring because with so many of us, we can only have so many fruit and veggie trays or some sort of salad. I'm always looking for some sort of new salad or dessert or something for these kind of events just so I know we're not eating the same thing or I'm not the one bringing the same thing every time, or if I am that it gets an added creative twist.

When I stumbled across this recipe (thank you Pinterest!) I knew we had to try it because it's something that would be great for our big group, and I love me a BLT, so getting it in a salad form was just an added plus! So here, I bring you with a salad version of a delicious lunch item!

(Not my picture or recipe. For original click on title.)

BLT Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

12 oz. corkscrew-shaped pasta

1/2 c. milk

12 oz. lean bacon

3 medium rip tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 c. mayo

1/4 c. sour cream

4 Tbsp. chopped chives or scallion greens

5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 c. chopped romaine lettuce

Directions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with milk in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over med-high heat until crisp (I always bake my bacon). Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 Tbsp. of pan drippings. Add the tomatoes, thyme, and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-sized pieced; set aside 1/4 c. for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and tomato mixture with the pasta.

Mix the mayo, sour cream, and 3 Tbsp. chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 Tbsp. chives. Serve at room temperature.

I hope this works as well with your family as it does ours. I know I'll definitely be making this next time we're all together!

To view pin, click here!

Until next time,

Amanda