One Pot Sausage, Tomato and Basil Pasta

When I was pregnant with Marcus I planned way in advance and made a whole slew of freezer meals. I mean, I had the time. I wasn't chasing a toddler all over Kingdom Come, so prepping 15 meals was no big deal.

While I know I still have some time before M² arrives, I'm not totally sure I'll find the time to prepare as many meals (if any). So, I've been on the hunt to find tasty, easy meals that I can whip up with an infant and a personified tornado.

Recently I came across this one pot pasta and it immediately went to the When the Baby Comes food list.

It was unbelievably easy to prepare. From start to finish I think the whole meal took 25  minutes to prep and make. Amazing. I need more meals like this in my life.

Did I also mention it's action packed with flavor? And Marcus even ate some of the noodles. Hallelujah!

One Pot Sausage Tomato and Basil Pasta

What You'll Need
1 pound of spaghetti (one box)
1 package sausage of your choice - I went with smoked turkey
1 large onion thinly sliced
3 cups halved grape tomoatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How It Comes Together
In a large stock pot over medium-high heat combine spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and 4 1/2 cups water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring pot to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes.
Stir in Parmesan and serve immediately.

Viola! That's it! Dinner is ready.
Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration

Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet

 It's no secret that I don't eat red meat or pork. I haven't since I was 9. My mom often tried to sneak fast ones on me growing up (and succeeded a few times). There's a long story behind it. But not too long to share with my newer followers:

Growing up my best friend, Amy, lived on a farm. I hung out with her all the time, and spent summers with her, prepping her animals for the fair. I was a "city" girl, who lived all of maybe 12 blocks away, but a city girl nonetheless. When I went to my BFFs to play I would BEG Amy's sisters to let me do their chores. I never understood why they always gladly let me go to the barn instead of them... Feeding the animals, frolicking in the yard, it was glorious.

One day Amy and I were eating hot dogs, or hamburgers, or something along those lines. It was then I learned we were eating the animals we had been caring for. That was enough for me.

You'll see plenty of chicken and turkey dishes on here. Why eat those meats but not the swine or bovine? Well, the chickens on the farm were down right MEAN. The only chore I hated helping with was collecting eggs. Chickens pecking away at your arms and legs is not my idea of fun. So, poultry? Yes, please.

On to my point... When I happened across a one-skillet dish that actually called for smoked turkey sausage I knew it was already a winner in my world.

Did I already mention one-skillet? That also equals keeper. Annnnd, per severing this is less than 300 calories! Winner, winner spicy sausage pasta skillet dinner!


Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet

Serves 6

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
12 oz smoked turkey sausage, sliced
2 large shallots, or 1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
10 oz Rotel
1/2 cup half & half
pepper
12 oz (1 box) cut pasta
4 cups baby spinach
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet (I used a 12″ skillet) over medium-high heat. Add sausage and shallots then saute until sausage is slightly curled, about 5 minutes (do not over cook or sausage will become rubbery.) Add garlic then cook for 30 more seconds, stirring constantly.
2. Turn heat up to high then add chicken broth, tomatoes, half & half, and pepper. Mixture may look curdled, but it’s fine. Bring to a boil then add pasta and stir to combine. Place a lid on top then simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente, stirring once or twice. Add spinach then stir to combine and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

SO GOOD! Scott liked it, except for the spinach. I knew he'd pick it all out, and he did. Next time I'll probably add a little less spinach, but I like the stuff, so I'm not nixing it totally.

Nutrition info per serving (this does not include shredded Parmesan cheese):

Calories - 290

Fat - 9 g

Carbs - 38.5 g

Fiber - 5 g

Protein - 14 g

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

Every day Scott and I have the same conversation that goes something like this:
S: "What do you want to do for dinner tonight?" By the way, this usually occurs around 9:00... AM!
Me: "I don't know. What sounds good?"
S: "I don't know. What do you want?"
Me: "Nothing really stands out." Thinking to myself, I just finished breakfast. Dinner is too far away. There are a hundred diapers and two naps between now and dinner.
S: "What's in the house?"
Me: "Not sure. I'll look around and see what I can come up with."

That's pretty much every.single.day. Yesterday was no different. And, I searched the house high and low for something that would be deemed an acceptable meal.

I spotted some frozen hash browns and turkey sausage in the freezer. Those were purchased after eyeballing a crockpot breakfast casserole that sounded too easy, and good, to be true.

*Light bulb moment*

A-ha! Breakfast for dinner. Done and done.

Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

1 - 30 oz bag frozen hash browns
12-14 oz breakfast sausage (I went with the turkey variety)
12 eggs
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
6 green onions
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. I used a crock pot liner for easier clean up, and just sprayed the liner.
Brown your sausage in a medium skillet.
Slice the green onions.
Place half the hash browns in the bottom of the crock pot.
Top hash browns with half the browned sausage.
Add half the onions and half the cheeses.
Repeat with hash browns, sausage and cheeses.
Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together.
Slowly pour eggs over casserole.
Four hours on high, or 8 hours on low and you're good to go.
Prior to serving sprinkle the remaining green onions on top of the casserole.

This was a great change up in our dinner routine. I loved it, and I'm not generally a breakfast-any-time-of-the-day type person. Scott liked it, but would probably throw a little salsa on his next time.

I'm thinking this would be absolute perfection on Christmas morning!  (Hint, hint Mom!:))

Enjoy!!

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Mom's Meatloaf

"Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beatloaf. I hate meatloaf." Except for this one.

Please don't go running from this post. Please. I'm begging. Yes, I agree, meatloaf isn't the most appetizing sounding dish. Couldn't there be a better, prettier, name for it? I've been thinking of all sorts of different names, but I've got nothin'. If you have any "a-ha" moments and come up with something more creative and appealing, please, let me know.

Alright, let's get back to the topic at hand. Meatloaf. Growing up (before I knew what ground beef really was) my mom made this meatloaf. It. Was. So. Good. Served up with some mashed potatoes and string green beans, DELISH! When I retrieved this from the archives I knew switching up ground beef with ground turkey would be no problemo. I was spot on.

This dish is not too ketchup-y, it never comes out too dry, and it's action packed with flavor.

Mom's Meatloaf

2 lbs ground turkey (or ground beef)
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tsp salt
1 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp ketchup

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients, mix well.
Put meat mixture in 9x13 pan.
Poke holes in meat (a wooden spoon works well).

Topping
1 small can tomato soup
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

Combine all topping ingridents into a sauce pan.
Heat sauce on medium-high until well blended, just before sauce begins to boil.
Pour sauce over meat loaf.
Bake meat loaf for 1 hour.

It'd be a cardinal sin if you didn't serve these with mashed potatoes, so don't forget those.

When I prepared this my mom was in town, and she commented on how great the turkey worked. Scott wants to find a topping that doesn't contain tomato soup. Can someone please tell the man that there isn't a meatloaf recipe out there that doesn't have tomatoes incorporated into it somehow?! This will be made again (and again, and again), tomato soup and all.

Please try this. You just might change your tune when it comes to meatloaf.

Source: Grandma D

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa: pronounced keen-wah. The only reason I know this is because I may have indulged in a terrible TV show on Bravo - ever seen Million Dollar Listing, Los Angeles? No? You're not missing much, but without the show I'd still be pronouncing it kin-OH-uh, so I guess it wasn't a total waste of 30 minutes of my life. I digress...

On my search for this seed it took me 30 minutes of hunting, and two grocery associates to find the ONE box in the store. I thought this stuff was all the rage?! One stinkin' box. Might have to try another store next time. And, according to one of the employees, quinoa is making appearances all over fitness magazines. I told him I was working on getting "swoll." Again, the digression...

I was pretty much petrified of this stuff. It looks kind of funny, it sounds weird (see above), and I was totally certain Scott wouldn't try the stuff to save himself.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. (Except for the pronunciation.)

As I made this I was anxious. Scott was going to hate it. I was going to hate it. I was going to have five beautiful peppers that would have to be tossed.

Whelp, I didn't tell Scott what it was until he'd cleaned his plate, and proceeded to help me clear my plate as well. This stuff is GOOD! There are several other recipes that are now in the "must make" list, and expect to see more quinoa from me.

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

1 lb ground white turkey meat
4-5 green peppers, seeds and flesh removed
1 cup rinsed quinoa (apparently if you don't rinse the stuff there is a bitter taste)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup marinara sauce (I dumped a whole jar of my fav:)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 large white onion, diced
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Fresh mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400.
In a large skillet bring chicken broth to a boil.
Add quinoa to boiling broth.
Stir quinoa continuously until all the liquid is absorbed.
In a sperate skillet brown turkey and onion.
Add Italian seasoning and garlic to onion/turkey mix and saute for approximately 2 minutes.
Add meat mixture to quinoa, add marinara sauce and mix well - there's your filling.
Spoon filling into peppers.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove peppers and top with fresh mozzarella.
Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Delicious, and healthy!

Go grab yourself some quinoa and jump on this super food train.

Source: Never Trust a Skinny Cook

Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Another delightful dish from Iowa Girl. I'd apologize for recreating her recipes, but then I'd just be lying to you. I'm not sorry. In fact, isn't the greatest form of flattery copying reproducing another work? Well, that's just what I'm doing.

Secretly, I kind of want to be Iowa Girl. Or, just spend a week with her, in her kitchen, watching her whip up deliciousness and taking amazing photos as she goes.

Iowa Girl enjoys running, and I enjoy running. She likes to cook/bake, I like to cook/bake. She blogs about her food, so do I. She's from Iowa, I'm from Iowa. And she hates Lima beans as much as me! All this makes me think we should just go ahead and become BFFs!

Alright, I'll stop obsessing about Iowa Girl (but, seriously, if I'm ever in Iowa and see her I might run up to her, give her a huge hug and babble on about how much I love her and think we were destined to be best friends) and get on with the meal at hand.

It's been a hot minute since I've busted out the crock pot. The second I saw this I knew I'd be making it.   When it comes to spaghetti sauce I usually always take the easy route and grab my fav jar of Ragu Light, but something about this looked too amazing to skip over.

Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground turkey (yeah, yeah, use beef if you really must)
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, minced
28oz can crushed tomatoes
8oz can tomato sauce
6oz can tomato paste
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, minced,
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp butter*

Season ground turkey/beef with salt and pepper.
Brown meat with minced onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Drain, then add to large crock pot.
Add all ingredients except for the butter*, stir to combine, then cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Remove bay leaves, stir in butter*.
Serve over cooked pasta.

*I just could not find it in me to add 2 Tbsp of butter, and the sauce was outstanding without it. I'm sure the taste would be kicked up a notch with the butter, I mean, everything is better with butter - right?!

Oh goodness did we enjoy our pasta. I'm not sure I'll ever buy the store sauce ever again.

Nutrition Info for sauce only:
Serves approximately 6; nutrition info for one serving (about 3/4 cup sauce)
Calories - 116
Fat - 1.5g
Carbs - 19g
Fiber - 5g
Protein - 6.5g

Enjoy!!

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Taco Pasta Bake

When I think California I do not think excessive heat and humidity. However, that's just what we've been having. It's so gross. As much as I miss all the comforts of home I can't say I miss the hot, sticky summers that are synonymous with the Midwest.

With all that being said I've been doing my best to avoid the oven. The last thing we need is one more thing heating our house to intolorable levels. But, I caved. This looked too good to wait to make till cooler weather.

Taco Pasta Bake

1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 recipe of homemade taco seasoning
14.5 oz can tomato sauce
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
A few dashes of hot sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (canned, fresh, frozen)
4 oz can chopped green chilies
8 oz macaroni shells, cooked and drained
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Any additional toppings you so desire (chopped tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, Greek yogurt)

Cook ground turkey and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
Drain, return to skillet.
Add water, homemade taco seasoning, tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, and hot sauce; stir to combine.
Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook macaroni shells n salted, boiling water until just under al dente.
Drain shells and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350.
Turn stove off and add 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese to the tomato mixture, stir until smooth.
Add corn, chilies, and cooked shells, stir to combine.
Pour mixture into a non-stick sprayed 8x8 baking dish.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Top with crushed tortilla chips and remaining cheese.
Bake for additional 10 minutes.
Serve with desired toppings.

This one is fab, and it makes A LOT. Yep, the leftovers were just as good as the first go around. 

Next time you've got company make this. It's sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Enjoy!! 

Source: Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats 
Original recipe, AllRecipes,com

Taco Casserole - A Freezer Meal

Just when you thought I was done with freezer meals... Think again! There are four more meals staring me down in my freezer as I type. 

This meal piqued my interest the minute I laid eyes on it. You see, we love Mexican food around here. I could probably eat Mexican every other night. But, to keep things fresh I have to throw in other meals that don't end in "-chalada" or "-rrito."

If you're looking for an easy meal to throw together, and even easier to prep the night of your meal, this is just the thing.

It's taco-y, and casserole-y, and it's eas-y. What's not to love?!

Taco Casserole

1 box Rotini noodles, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup (2 packets) taco seasoning

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar, or Mexican, cheese

Brown ground turkey and onions. Drain if necessary.

Mix taco seasoning and tomato sauce with turkey/onion mix.

Mix together noodles and sour cream.

Place noodle mix on bottom of greased 9x13 pan.

Top noodles with turkey mix.

Sprinkle top with shredded cheese.

Cover and freeze.

To bake:

Thaw.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Source: Slight adaptations from Joyful Momma's Kitchen

A Pretty Awesome Burger

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but when Scott complimented my burgers the other night I couldn't help but do a little happy dance.

More often than not our burgers are sprinkled with some Lawry's, a little salt and pepper, and a dash of Worchestire sauce (and seriously, can anyone actually pronounce that correctly?!). Not this time around. I decided to grill outside the box, and lucky for me, I didn't need to head to the grocery store for any of the ingredients.

A Pretty Awesome Burger

1 lb ground turkey or beef (I used lean turkey)
1/4 cup Parmesan
3/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 packet dry Ranch
*1 egg
*If you're using regular ground turkey or beef, you shouldn't need the egg; if you're having a hard time keeping your patties together add the egg.


In a large bowl combine all ingredients together.
Go ahead and get your hands all up in this stuff. If you can figure a better way to mix this stuff up, I'm all ears!
Form 4 patties.
Grill until cooked through. If you're grilling with beef, grill to desired done-ness.
Top with your favorite condiments.

Enjoy!

I do believe part of what made these burgers so flippin' good was the bun. If you've never tried Royal Hawaiian hamburger buns You. Are. Missing. Out! Holy geez the buns were good. I may, or may not, have eaten the buns plain for lunch the following day. Yes, they are that good.

Have a killer burger recipe of your own? Leave me a note, I'd love to try it!

Upside Down Fettuccini Bake - A Freezer Meal

I just want to take a quite second to reflect on how thankful I am that I had enough forethought to make freezer meals before Chunky Monkey arrived. If it weren't for the freezer meals I'm pretty sure cereal would become a quick dinner staple around this house. 

"This tastes like something from Cheesecake Factory." Not sure I totally agree with that, but I'm not picky, I'll take that compliment! 

Upside Down Fettuccini Bake 

1 lb Italian turkey sausage

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 - 8 oz package fettuccini

1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp Oregano

2 Tbsp parsley

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

3 eggs

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 aluminum pie tin

Prep: 

Brown the turkey sausage, add onion. Drain if necessary.

Meanwhile, cook fettuccini according to package directions.

Add tomatoes and their liquid to sausage/onion mix. Add oregano and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. 

Stir in mozzarella.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan over tomato mixture.

In a medium mixing bowl, combing eggs, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, butter, parsley and garlic.

Toss cooked noodles in egg mixture.

Spread noodle mixture in bottom of pie tin.

Pour turkey/tomato mixture on top of noodle mixture.

Freeze (or eat immediately:).

To make from frozen state:

Thaw. 

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25 minutes, or until bubbly.

This is on the rotation for future freezer meals (be on the lookout for another freezer meal post in the very near future)!!

Enjoy!!

Source: Slight adaptations from Dreaming of Poultry

Lasagna - A Freezer Meal

This may be my favorite freezer meal thus far. It's cheesy, and meaty, lasagna-y, and makes a lot. The left overs are just as good, if not better, than the dish right out of the oven. I'm making this again, and I'm not freezing it before I pop it into the oven!

Lasagna

1 package lasagna noodles
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb Italian turkey sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 16 oz can tomato paste
2 - 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp Parsley
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp salt
24 oz cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 cup + 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 cups Mozzarella cheese

Prep: Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.
Drain noodles and lay noodles out flat.
In a large skillet combine ground turkey, turkey sausage, and garlic; brown.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 Tbsp Parsley, basil, and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer for 45 minutes.
In a medium mixing bowl combine cottage cheese, eggs, 1 cup Parmesan, 1 Tbsp Parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir well.
To assemble: arrange noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, meat mixture.
Repeat layers, ending with meat.
Sprinkle the top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Freeze (or make it right away and enjoy!!).

To make from frozen state:
Thaw.
Preheat oven to 350.
Bake until bubbly, approximately 60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Source: Dreaming of Poultry

Slow Cooker Herbed Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole - A Freezer Meal

This one didn't quite come out like I expected. However, it was good! I will be making it again, in it's "incorrect" form. :)

I was expecting something more casserole-y. This ended up more soupy. Both Scott and I were ok with the soup. Scott commented how "this would be a great meal in Kansas, on a cold day." And, we both noted how filling one bowl was. Plus, the leftovers were pretty scrumptious, maybe even better than the first go-around.

Slow Cooker Herbed Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole (Soup)  


1 turkey breast tenderloin, sliced approximately 1" thick
1 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup carrots chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
28 oz chicken broth (if you're going for a casserole instead of soup try cutting the amount of broth in half)
1/4 tsp Marjoram
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup wild rice, uncooked
1 cup sour cream (label and set aside!)
2 gallon size zip locks
1 sandwich size zip lock

In a gallon zip lock bag place turkey breast, celery, carrots and onion.
In a separate gallon zip lock bag place chicken broth, marjoram, salt and pepper.
In sandwich size zip lock place wild rice.
Be sure to label and save sour cream for future use.

To make meal:
Thaw all contents.
Place broth, turkey, and rice in crock pot, on low for 8 hours, or until rice becomes tender and liquid is absorbed.
Stir in sour cream.

This one was good, so good we ate it, all, before I could snap a blog-worthy photo. Many apologies. I know how crucial visuals are. But, please take my word, this is some good stuff!!
Enjoy!

Source: Betty Crocker

Taco Soup - A Freezer Meal

Before we'd put a spoon to our mouths Scott said, "I haven't even had any of this and I know I'm going to like it." A winner before we'd even eaten it - yesssss!

This soup reminded me more of a chili. It was thick, and hearty, and not really "soupy" at all. I'm quite certain this is one of the reasons Scott enjoyed it so much... It was so much like the way he appreciates his chili.

Never mind it wasn't what I'd consider soup, it was good. And, I will be making it again (and I will probably skip the freezing step and make it right away)!

Taco Soup

1 lb ground turkey
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet dry Ranch dressing
1 small onion, chopped
1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Brown ground turkey in a large skillet.
Drain fat off turkey, if necessary.
Add all other ingredients with turkey into skillet.
Simmer 1-2 hours.
Allow soup to cool. Freeze.
Set cheddar cheese aside for future use (optional step).

To prep from frozen state:
Thaw soup.
Place in large pot, bring to boil.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheddar cheese (optional).
Serve with tortilla chips or tortillas.

This makes enough to feed about 6 hungry mouths. We had left overs... once :)
Enjoy!

Source: Dreaming of Poultry

Tater Tot Casserole - A Freezer Meal

Another freezer meal!

This one is your traditional tater tot casserole. There's nothing too wild or crazy about this. It's just hearty. And good. A total comfort food, which is perfect for the cool weather we've experienced the past few days.

Make this one and freeze it. Or just pop it in the oven when you're done prepping it. Either way, this casserole will leave you smiling and full.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground turkey (use beef if you so desire)

1 small onion, chopped

1 - 14.5 oz can Cream of Chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

8 oz sour cream

1 - 16 oz package frozen mixed veggies

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used the 2% reduced fat)

1 medium package Tater Tots

1 9x13 foil pan

Prep: Brown turkey (or beef) and onion.

In a bowl mix soup, milk, and sour cream.

In 9x13 pan layer ingredients evenly as follows: turkey/onions, frozen veggies (break up any clumps), soup mixture, cheddar cheese, tater tots.

Freeze (or immediately bake).

Meal prep: Thaw.

Preheat oven to 350.

Bake, uncovered at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until tater tots are brown and casserole is bubbly.

Source: Dreaming of Poultry

Spasagna

A creamy, cheesy cross between lasagna and spaghetti? Sounded too amazing to pass up!

At first I was just going to make this a freezer meal for when Baby M arrives. I took a second look at how easy this recipe is and decided I'd make a freezer meal AND make it for dinner, all in the same afternoon. Stellar move on my part.

Spasagna

12 oz spaghetti noodles
1 (15 oz) jar of Garlic Alfredo sauce (if you can find it used the light sauce)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (use 2% to scale back the fat/cal)
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (do yourself a favor and use the reduced fat kind)
1 (15 oz) jar spaghetti sauce (Ragu makes a light sauce that we really enjoy)
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, or ground turkey (I used 1/2 lb turkey sausage -casings removed- and 1/2 lb ground turkey; beef for those who fancy the bovine)

FREEZER MEAL ADAPTATION

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain.
2. In a large bowl, stir together Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, milk, and Italian seasoning. Add spaghetti and toss until well coated.
3. Pour spaghetti in a 9x13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spry. Top spaghetti with parmesan cheese.
4. Brown meat in a skillet. Drain and return to skillet. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15-20 minutes.
5. Allow sauce to cool, place in gallon zip lock bag.
6. Cover 9x13 pan and freeze spaghetti and meat sauce.

To bake out of the freezer:
Allow spaghetti and sauce to thaw.
Preheat oven to 350.
Cover spaghetti dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
Place sauce in a pan, cook on medium, until heated through.
Remove pasta from oven. Cut into squares and top with meat sauce.

COOK AND SERVE IMMEDIATELY 

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain.

3. In large bowl, stir together Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, milk, and Italian seasoning. Add spaghetti and toss until well coated.

4. Pour spaghetti mixture into 9x13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Top spaghetti with Parmesan cheese.

5. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
6. While pasta is baking, prepare meat sauce. Brown Italian sausage in skillet. Drain and return to skillet.
7. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer.
8. Remove pasta from oven. Cut into squares and top with meat sauce.

P.S. This makes A LOT of food. YAY for leftovers!

Source: Plain Chicken