Cream Cheese & Swiss Lasagna

1.5lb lean ground beef
1lb bulk Italian sausage
1 med onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15oz ea)tomato sauce
1 can (14.5oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
2tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried basil
1tsp Italian seasoning
1/2tsp sugar
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper
9 no cook lasagna noodles
12 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Over med heat cook the beef, sausage, onion & garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, tomato past, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30mins.

2. Spread 1 cup sauce in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top with three noodles. Drop a third of the cream cheese by teaspoonfuls over the top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella & 2/3cup each of Parmesan & Swiss; spoon a third of the remaining sauce over the top. Repeat layers of noodles, cheeses & sauce twice (dish will be full). Place dish on a baking sheet.

3. Cover & bake at 350 for 45minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10-15 mins longer or until bubbly & cheese is melted. Let stand for 15mins before cutting.

Crab Pasta Salad

by Taste of Home




This does not look good to me at all but Dustin really wants to try it so Ill give it a whirl!

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked tricolor spiral pasta
2 cups imitation crabmeat, chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 cup fresh cauliflowerets

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a bowl, combine the crab, sour cream, mayonnaise, celery seed, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the pasta, broccoli and cauliflower. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Honey Orange Chicken

by Taste of Home



Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, halved
Hot cooked linguine

Directions

In a large skillet, saute chicken in 2 tablespoons butter until chicken is no longer pink. Sprinkle with the salt, paprika and pepper. Remove and keep warm. In the same pan, saute the onion in remaining butter until tender.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, ginger, nutmeg, orange juice and honey; gradually pour over onion. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add olives and chicken. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through. Serve with linguine. Yield: 4 servings.

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

by http://stolenmomentscooking.com

1 lb. spaghetti, fully cooked and drained
1 – 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
salt & pepper, to taste
2 c. chicken stock
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. hot sauce (more or less, depending on desired intensity. 1/4 c. will be mild to medium in flavor.)
1 c. Ranch or Bleu cheese dressing

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a skillet with chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken and reserve 1/2 c. cooking liquid.

2. In a saucepan, combine the cream cheese, hot sauce and reserved cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted. While the sauce is cooking, shred or cube the cooked chicken.

3. Add the dressing and chicken to the saucepan, stir to combine, and then toss with the cooked spaghetti.

I tasted this right after I made it and noticed that the heat increased a little after it had been sitting in the refrigerator for a few hours. So if you are making this ahead of time, you might want to keep that in mind.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

by Recipezaar

Ingredients
12-18 large pasta shells, cooked
1 lb ground beef
3 tablespoons taco seasoning, I use recipe # 4292
1/2 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 cup grated cheese, divided (jalapeno Monterey Jack is especially good, but cheddar will work well too.)
750 ml tomato sauce
chili powder, to taste
green onion, for garnish

Directions

1 Brown ground beef and drain.

2 Add seasoning, water, onion, and 1/2 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup cheese.

3 Mix together remaining salsa, tomato sauce,and chili powder.

4 Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking pan.

5 Fill each shell with the ground beef mixture and place in pan.

6 Pour remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese on top and garnish with green onion. Cover and freeze at this point.

7 Defrost overnight and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. (Cook from frozen for 2 hours at 300°F).

8 If desired sprinkle additional cheese on top after baking and return to oven for 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

by Laura's Blog which she got from myrecipes.com

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Rich'n' Cheesy Macaroni

by wwww.Tasteofhome.com

6-8 ServingsPrep: 30 min. Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups milk
8 ounces process American cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1-1/3 cups 4% cottage cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs (Ill probably just used crushed Ritz Crackers)

Directions
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, salt and sugar until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Reduce heat; stir in American cheese until melted. Stir in cottage cheese and sour cream. Pour over macaroni. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Melt remaining butter and toss with bread crumbs; sprinkle over top.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken & Bacon Pasta

This is another recipe I got from Taste & Tell blog.

serves 8 - 10

6 chicken breast halves
1 12-ounce bottle Lawry's Mesquite marinade
1 pound bacon, cooked and diced
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pepper
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for the top
1 pound small cut pasta, cooked and drained
a few handfuls of frozen peas

Put the chicken breasts and the marinade in a crockpot. Cook until chicken is done - about 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low. When cooked, cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks.

In a large pan, combine the cream, pepper, butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Whisk over medium heat until combined and thickened.

Combine the pasta, bacon, chicken and sauce. Toss in the frozen peas and stir to combine everything. Pour into a baking dish (you might need 2 dishes, because this makes A LOT!), top with more Parmesan, and cook in a 350F oven until the cheese is melted.

Three Cheese & Chicken Stuffed Shells

I got this recipe from a blog a follow, taste & tell. Which she got from allrecipes.com


Serves 4

6 ounces large shell pasta
1 chicken breast half, cooked and diced
8 ounces ricotta cheese
3 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water, then add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, ricotta cheese, 2 ounces of mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, bread crumbs, parsley and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray and cover the bottom of the dish with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Fill each large shell with the chicken/cheese mixture and place in the dish. Cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake in the preheated oven uncovered for 40 minutes; serve warm.

Penne Gorgonzola w/ Chicken

Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups (8 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and minced fresh parsley

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil on all sides. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan.
Add cream and broth; cook until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the Gorgonzola cheese, sage, salt and pepper; cook just until cheese is melted.
Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley. Yield: 8 servings.

Hearty Chicken & Noodle Casserole

We tried this and Dustin said it was a keeper. Its super easy and good!

Ingredients
1 can (10 3/4) Campbells Condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. milk
1 c. frozen mixed veggies
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
2 c. med. egg noodles cooked, dranied
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400. Stir the soup, milk, veggies, chicken, noodles, parmesan cheese & black pepper in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
Bake 25mins or until bubbling. Stir & top with cheese

Spaghetti w/ Zesty Bolognese

Ingredients
1 small onion
1/4 c. Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb ground beef
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
2 Tbs Cream Cheese
3/4 lb spaghetti uncooked
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese

Directions
Cook & stir onions in dressing in large skillet on med heat until tender. Increase heat to med/high. Add meat: cook on med/high heat until brown. Stir frequently: Stir in tomato sauce & tomatoes. Bring to a boil: simmer on med/low for 15mins. Stir occasionally.
Cook noodles.
Remove sauce from heat. Add cream cheese. Stir until melted. Drain pasta top w/ sauce & parmesan cheese.

Chicken Spaghetti

Thank you Pioneer Woman! This ladies website is amazing!! She shows you pictures of each step of the recipe!
Dustin, Jillian and I loved this recipe! Since its just him, Jillian and I I used to break my recipes in 1/2...until I realized I could make the whole recipe, bake 1/2 and freeze 1/2! DUHHH!! :) This will be nice on days I dont want to cook I can just go and grab a delicious meal out of the freezer, thaw and bake! Anyway I made this whole recipe and gave the other 1/2 my brother and his wife. They had just had a baby so I know she didnt feel like cooking. They loved it also! Its a must to try:)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Baked Ziti

Ingredients
1 lb ziti pasta, cooked al dente
1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and chopped
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons parsley
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce, divided

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2 Cook ziti according to package directions; drain; set aside.

3 Mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1-1/2 cups of the mozarella cheese, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.

4 Mix cooked sausage and pasta in with ricotta mixture.

5 Mix in 3/4 jar of sauce.

6 Transfer mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.

7 Top with the rest of the sauce and mozarella cheese.

8 Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

9 To freeze: Cover dish with foil and freeze. When frozen you can pop it out of the container and put in a freezer bag if desired.

10 To heat: Thaw. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more.

Beef n Noodles

I got this recipe from my friend Roxanne's Blog & cant wait to try it. I love anything pasta!

Makes 4 servings (I doubled the recipe), Prep time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 1 3/4 hours

1 lb beef, boneless beef round or chuck roast (cut into 3/4" cubes)
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 c beef broth
8 oz. frozen noodles (I used whole grain dried noodles)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp basil

Once the beef is cut into cubes, coat it with flour. Then brown the
meat in a pan with a little oil in the bottom. The recipe said to do 1/2
the meat first and set aside and the other 1/2 with the chopped onion &
chopped garlic, then combine all the meat again. Add broth & spices
then bring to a boil. Once to a boil, turn down to simmer for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours
(until the meat is tender). Then, add the noodles and bring to a boil
again, and then once again reduce to simmer to cook off the extra broth and to
allow it to thicken up & walla! Or BaM! as Emeril says :)

Nutrition Facts (per 1 1/4 cups): 351 kcal, 31 g PRO, 29 g CHO, 12g Fat