Classic Beef Stroganoff

1lb beef sirloin steak or tenderloin (in a pinch, sub ground beef or ground turkey: consider getting a roast and cutting that up to be more budget friendly. I like to bake the roast before cutting up for this recipe.)
1/2lb fresh mushrooms
1/2c minced onion
2T butter or margarine
10-1/2oz beef consomme
2T catsup
1 small clove minced garlic
1t salt
3T flour
1c sour cream
3-4c hot, cooked noodles (or rice)

Cut meat diagonally in to very thin slices.
Cook and stir mushrooms and onions in butter until tender, then remove from skillet.
In same skillet, brown meat lightly.
Set aside 1/c consumme but combine rest of consumme, catsup, garlic and salt in to skillet.

Cover and simmer 15m.
Blend reserved consumme and flour, stir in to skillet.
Add mushrooms and onion, heat to boiling, boil for 1 minute.
Stir in sour cream, heat through.
Serve over hot noodles or rice.

~from an old church cookbook.

*Watch catsup and sour cream carefully for allergens, sub gluten free flour, and serve over rice for gluten free.

Sloppy Joe's

1lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
1T shortening (could probably omit)
2T flour
2T brown sugar
1T Worcesterchire sauce
1t salt
1/2t chili powder
1-1/2c. tomato juice
1/4c finely chopped onion, celery, or both (optional)

Brown meat in shortening along with celery/onion if desired.
Add flour and remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally.
Serve over hamburger buns, if desired spread with butter and brown slightly on warm pan or griddle.

~from an old church cookbook

*Sub gluten free flour and serve over gluten free bread, pasta, or rice for gluten free.

Pizza Burgers

2lb browned, drained hamburger (or ground turkey)
3/4lb shredded cheese (for lighter, use half light and half fat free cheese shreds.)
1-1/4tsp oregano
1/2tsp sage
1 can spaghetti sauce
1 pkg 8-10 hamburger buns

Mix all together and simmer for 30m.
Put on open buns and place under broiler until nice and hot. Fills up to 20 bun halves.

~from an old church cookbook

*Watch oregano for allergens, sub home-made spaghetti sauce for canned or watch ingredients carefully. Serve over rice bread for gluten free.

Spaghetti Pie

6oz spaghetti
2T butter or margarine
1/3c. grated parmesan cheese
2 well beaten eggs
1lb ground beef or pork sausage (or ground turkey)
1/2c. chopped onion
1/4c. chopped pepper
8oz can tomatoes, cut up
6oz tomato pasta
1tsp. sugar
1tsp. dried oregano crushed
1/2t garlic salt
1c. cottage cheese (sub low fat for lighter)
1/2c. shredded mozzarella cheese (sub 2% cheese for lighter)

Cook spaghetti and drain.
Combine with butter, cheese and eggs.
Form spaghetti mixture in to a crust in pan.
In skillet, brown and drain meat. Add green pepper, onions, and draim fat.
Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, and heat through.
Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti crust. Fill with tomato mixture.
Bake uncovered at 350* for 20m. Sprinkle motz cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes.

~from an old church cookbook

Chow Mein Hotdish

1c. celery and 1c. onion, sauteed in oil
2lb. hamburger, browned (or ground turkey)
1lg can bean sprouts, with liquid
1sm can mushrooms, drained
1sm can water chestnuts
1c. instant rice (sub brown rice for lighter)
garlic salt
salt and pepper
4tbs soy sauce
2 cans mushroom soup

Mix togeter and bake 30m uncovered at 350*.
Add 1pkt thawed pea pods on top and bake for another 30m.

~an old church cookbook

*Watch soup and soy sauce for allergens to be gluten free.
*Sub brown rice for lighter/diabetic

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

1 pound ground beef

6 bacon strips, diced

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Barbecue sauce and prepared mustard, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Discard drippings.

Drain pasta; add to the skillet.

Stir in the soup, beef and bacon; heat through.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Serve with barbecue sauce and mustard if desired. 

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Meghann's notes: I use more bacon and more cheese than called for, and a squirt each of barbecue sauce and mustard.

Stuffed Shells

I start with my spaghetti sauce

Otherwise a jar/can of spaghetti sauce will work too, I just add:
garlic and italian seasoning to taste
1 green pepper sliced and sauteed
1 onion sliced and sauteed
Mushrooms sliced and sauteed

Then you'll need:
1lb ground beef, browned and drained (when I prepare my spaghetti sauce to freeze, I don't always include the meat. Obviously your jarred stuff won't have meat either.)
1 box large pasta shells
8oz cheese - cheddar, motz, parmesean, etc. all work

Heat oven to 350*.
Cook pasta according to directions.
Drain pasta and rinse with cool water (so you don't burn your fingers when you stuff the shells!)
Once your ground beef is browned and drained, add your veggies if you are using jarred sauce or your spaghetti sauce if you made it ahead of time.
Heat through.
Take a cooled shell and stuff with approximarely 1/4 cup of sauce/meat mixture.
Place in baking dish.
Repeat for all shells/sauce. If you run out of shells before you run out of sauce, pour the extra over the top.
Cover the top of the shells with the cheese.
Bake at 350* until heated through and cheese is melted.

Baked Ziti

1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2.In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4.Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Lazagna

I start with the spaghetti sauce recipe, and usually will use half of that batch for lazagna.

Otherwise, if you don't make the spaghetti sauce, for the lazagna sauce you'll need:

1lg bround beef (I often use italian sausage for more flavor.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1T parsley flakes
1T basil
1-1/2t salt
1lb canned tomatoes
2 6-oz cans tomato paste
green pepper, mushrooms and sliced ripe olives, optional

Brown meat, drain fat. Fold in next 6 ingredients. Simmer about 30m in a large pot, stirring frequently.

1pkg lazagna noodles - cook according to package directions and rinse in cold water.
3c small curd cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, or a combo. Low fat/light works fine.
2 eggs slightly beaten
2T parsley flakes
2t salt
1/2t pepper
1/2c grated parmesean cheese
1lb (2 8oz packages) motz cheese, sliced thin

Combine cottage cheese, eggs, parsley flakes, salt, pepper, and parm cheese.
Place half of the cooked noodles in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish.
Spread half of the cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the motz, then half of the meat sauce.
Repeat layers, ending with the meat sauce.
Decorate top with motz cheese, it is best if the whole top is covered.

Bake at 375*, 30-45m. Let stand 10m before serving, serves 8-10p.

*Best if made the day before and stored in the fridge overnight - add 30m to baking time if cold. Can also be frozen - assemble but do not bake, then cover with saran wrap and tin foil tightly. Defrost before baking - 24h in the fridge works well.

Spaghetti Sauce

1 lg can crushed tomatoes
1 lg can tomato puree
1 lg can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1lb ground beef (or italian sausage)
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1lg green pepper, chopped
1lg onion, chopped
1 container mushrooms, chopped
Minced garlic
Italian seasoning

Brown hamburger, drain.
Sautee pepper, onion, and mushrooms in a pad of butter, add to a large pot with hamburger.
Add all other ingredients - garlic and italian seasioning to taste, about 1T  each for us. Fresh garlic can be sauted with the vegetables.
Simmer for 3h, stirring frequently.

We use for spaghetti, lazagna, goulash, etc. Freezes well.

Diabetic friendly: carb free! Serve over whole wheat noodles.
Gluten free: check seasonings for allergens. Serve over rice noodles, or make meatball sandwiches over rice bread.

Kevin's Inside Out Pizza

Serves 8

1/2c. ground beef
1sm onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1c pizza sauce
16oz thawed, frozen bread dough
2c. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400*
Brown beef, onion, and garlic - drain.
Add sauce.
Press 1/2 dough in to 11" circle.
Spread beef mixture then cheese on top.
Add 2nd half of bread dough to top, pinching edges to seal.
Fork-pierce center of top.
Cook 20-25m.

Sue's Bean Casserole

2 cans lima beans or butter beans, drained
2 cans kidney beans, undrained
2 cans pork & beans, undrained
1lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1lb ground beef, cooked
1 onion, chopped and cooked with ground beef
1/2c. ketchup
1tsp vinegar
1tsp dry mustard
1tsp salt
1/2-3/4c. brown sugar

Heat oven to 350*
Mix everything together and bake 30 minutes covered and then 30 minutes more uncovered.

Crock pot: put on high 1h, stirring frequently.
Gluten free: check ingredients of beans for allergens, especially Pork & Beans. Buy HFCS free ketchup.

Cold Taco Salad

1lb hamburger
2 tomatoes
8oz Doritos/Fritos
1/2pkg onion soup mix
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 onion, raw - chopped
5tbs taco sauce
1/2c grated cheese
1 sm can tomato sauce

Brown hamburger and drain.
Add soup, taco sauce, and tomato sauce (some people use French dressing?) Sauce will be thick.
When meat is cool, add onion and lettuce.
Just before serving, toss with cheese and add crushed chips to the top.

Meghann's notes: I add taco seasoning to the meat when I make this, and use less onion or skip it.

Cheeseburger Soup

Serves 8.

Cooking spray
1md chopped garlic clove, minced
1md onion, chopped
1md celery rib, chopped
1lb lean ground beef
2tbs flour
3c chicken broth
1c LF evaporated milk
8oz Velveeta-type cheese
1/2tsp paprika
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp pepper
24 baked tortilla chips, crumbled

Saute garlic, onion, and celery in cooking spray 5-10m until tender.
Spray a 3-1/2qt crock pot with cooking spray.
Add vegetables.
Brown beef and add.
In a small cup, mix 1/2c. broth with flour.
When lump free, add to ground beef pot then add remaining broth.
Heat to simmer and add to crock pit.
Add remaining ingredients to crock pot except chips.
Heat on low in crock pot for 2 hours, serve with crumbled chips.

Mock Chow Mein

1lb ground beef
1/2c. onion
1c. uncooked regular rice
1/3c. soy sauce
1 can cr. mushroom soup
2 cans water

Brown ground beef and onion.
Mix remaining ingredients and put into casserole dish.
Bake 1h at 350*.

Peggy's notes: I chopped 2 stalks and added in with the beef and onion. Yum!

Plaza III Steak Soup

1 stick butter/margarine
1c flour
1/2 gallon water
2c. lean ground beef
1c. chopped onion
1c. chopped carrot
1c. chopped celery
2c. frozen mixed veggies (we did 1c each frozen corn and frozen green beans.)
1 lg can diced tomatoes
1T Accent seasoning (good, but not essential)
2T beef base
1T or less black pepper (2t. is more my taste, 1T is pretty peppery)
1T salt (I use way less.)

Melt the stick of butter in a pan and whip in 1c flour to make a smooth paste.
Stir in 1/2 gal water a little bit at a time - heat for a few minutes to create a thicker soup. Saute seperately 2c. lean ground beef (I used 1lb) and add to soup.
Add remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until vegetables are done.

Freezes extremely well! Next time I might add some potato, unless I was planning to freeze some.

Chicken Taco Soup

3 FROZEN chicken breasts
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 medium onion, diced
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can black beans ,
1 can cannelli (or any white) beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can vegetarian baked beans
1 can kernel corn

Put everything in crockpot in order listed.
Do NOT rinse or drain beans.
DO NOT STIR.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Take chicken out and shred with two forks.
Put chicken back in, stir, and eat.

Meghann's notes: I often make this on the stove top also, and have used ground turkey or ground beef instead of the chicken. If making in the crock pot with ground beef or ground turkey, I brown first before putting in crock pot.

Cheaper: buy taco seasoning and ranch seasoning in large containers at Sam's Club. BSCB is also available there for much cheaper than even most grocery store sales. Some of the beans can be purchased dry and reconstituted.

Kraft Taco Bake

1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (1.25 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
1 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Mild Salsa

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
Prepare Dinner as directed on package.
Cook meat with taco seasoning.
LAYER seasoned meat, Dinner and salsa in 8-inch sq. baking dish.
BAKE 20 min.

Lighter: sub ground turkey for ground beef.

Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef

1 can enchilada sauce
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can sliced black olives
1 can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 350.
Brown ground beef, drain.
Mix in a can of enchilada sauce and a small can of tomato sauce.
Then add a small can of sliced black olives.
Cut up the refrigerated biscuits and stir them in.
Then you just dump it all in a greased casserole and bake until the biscuits are brown - 25 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  6 sevings

Meghann's notes: I skip the olives and use whatever cheese I have on hand. Cut biscuits in quarters. I layer biscuits in bottom then pour other ingredients over the top, vs. mixing all together.

Lighter: sub ground turkey for ground beef.

Bubble Up Pizza Casserole

1 pound 96% lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped
32 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 t. dried basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. Italian seasoning
17 slices Turkey Pepperoni
15 oz. refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (I use 2 of the 7.5 oz cans)
1 1/4 c. part skim milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
Veggie Topping *(mushrooms, peppers, olives, any of your favorites. BE CREATIVE)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In skillet, brown meat over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in onion powder or onion, tomato sauce, basil, garlic and Italian seasoning.
2. Add veggies (mushrooms, peppers, black olives, etc?whatever you like) and pepperoni. Add quartered biscuits; stir gently until biscuits are covered with sauce. Spoon mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lighter: sub ground turkey for ground beef.