Showing posts with label quick meal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quick meal. Show all posts

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Weeknight Lasagna

Some nights you want something special, but don't have time to make sauce from scratch.  Here's a yummy alternative using prepared sauce.  If your garden is in full swing, add sliced or julienned squash, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and onions.

48-64 oz. prepared spaghetti sauce (I used Hunt's Garlic and Herb)
2 large cans sliced mushrooms
prewashed baby spinach
2 pounds ground meat, browned and drained (I used 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound Jimmy Dean pork sausage)
1 jar alfredo sauce
12 oz. ricotta
1/4 t. garlic powder (or more to taste)
1 1/2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. salt
1 t. salt (for boiling noodles)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons shaved parmesan
9 lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, fill deep pot with water and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, cook noodles until al dente.  While waiting for water to boil, brown meat then drain.  Mix together ricotta, garlic powder and parsley.  Prepare an 11x13 baking dish with cooking spray (I really prefer Watkins Cooking Spray).  Ladle about 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce into baking dish and spread to cover.  Spread 3 cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce in the baking dish.  Spread half of meat on noodles, half of ricotta on meat, one can of mushrooms, half jar of alfredo sauce, a layer of spinach, and about one third remaining sauce.  Layer three noodles on top, the repeat previous layer.  Finish with a layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan (in that order).  Bake a 350 degrees for one hour.  Let stand for about 30 minutes before serving.

This makes a huge lasagna which contains eight generous portions.  Serve with salad, a baguette, and your favorite wine!  (It's even better the next day!)

Thursday, October 27, 2011

What a Waffle!

Who wouldn't like waffles for breakfast?  A while back I had the idea to use one of my favorite kitchen staples, Martha White muffin mixes, to make waffles!  As muffins, you can't beat the value of Martha White mixes--one envelope makes a half-dozen muffins for less than $2.  Just imagine what kind of waffles they would make!  Well, this past Sunday I tried out two of my favorite flavors:  Apple Cinnamon and Banana Nut.  I dumped the mix into a bowl with a pour spout and added 1/2 cup plus 1 or 2 tablespoons evaporated milk.  Stir until just mixed.  Let sit for a few minutes to thicken before cooking in a pre-heated waffle iron until golden.  (Don't forget to spray your waffle iron with cooking spray!)  These are very tender so be careful when removing them from the waffle iron.  Drizzle a little melted butter over and keep warm until serving with your favorite syrup.  I can't wait to try out Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chocolate Chip.  Wow!