Creamy Hamburger Noodle Bake

This was so delicious and easy!
I made it this morning, to enjoy after church and
I was one happy camper as I sat down to lunch with my husband.

• 1-¼ pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• 1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese or I used cream cheese instead
• ½ cups Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese.
Add a lot of freshly ground black pepper.
Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.
To assemble, add noodles to baking dish
Top with hamburger/sauce mix. Finish with cheddar cheese.
Cook for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly

Lasagna Roll Ups (Similar To Olive Garden's Special Dish)

 The Filling
1 container of Ricotta cheese
1 and 1/2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
2 large palm-fulls of  grated Parmesan
1 egg to bind it all together.
1 cup cooked spinach (Very dry)
Basil, Cracked pepper, and garlic to taste

One pack of Lasagna noodles.

For the Cream Sauce 
2 tblsp butter
1 tblsp flour
1.5 cups half & half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp pepper

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Take all the ingredients for your filling and combine them in a large bowl.
Note-Beat the egg before adding it to mixture, it will distribute best this way. 

Once the pasta is finished, drained and cooled, you are ready to get to work!

Take several small spoonfuls of the mix and place it down the noodle.

Looks fun right?

Next, take and roll up your noodle like a little jelly roll
and place it seam side down in a well greased casserole dish.

Here are all my little guys lined up

I love the look

You too can have this!

So, once you are finished with all that fun!
(It was fun, wasn't it?)

It is time to make a nice cream sauce.

• Melt butter on med-low heat in medium saucepan, then stir in flour and whisk till smooth
• Gradually add half and half cream and mix well
• Stir in Parmesan, pepper and nutmeg and heat through
• Remove from heat or continue to stir on low/simmer - don't let it burn on bottom

Pour over and around all of your lovely little rolls. 

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. 

For mine,
I will be grilling sausages, slicing them into rounds
and will be placing them on top of each serving.
It is similar to Lasagna Rolitini from the Olive Garden.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

This is a great recipe to make a little bit more and freeze them in a casserole dish.
When things get busy you are all ready with a meal.
Enjoy!

18 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
3/4 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, drained
1 can (15 oz) chili beans in sauce, undrained
2 jars (16 oz each) Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)


Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on package.
Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in cilantro, cumin, chiles and beans.

In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of the salsa. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons beef mixture into each shell. Place shells, filled sides up, on salsa in dish. Pour remaining salsa evenly over shells. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; let stand 10 minutes before serving.