Beef Enchilada Skillet

This dish is so easy and you can have it on the table in a snap.  When you read the ingredients list I know you are going to ask...."I thought you didn't buy canned creamed soups?"  I don't.  However, in this case I do.  I use Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato soup.  The first draw was that it doesn't contain flour for a thickener.  The second, that the other ingredients besides tomato are water, cream, sugar, onions, salt and black pepper.   That's all, no funky preservatives or funny names. 

Someday I will try my home canned roasted tomato sauce to see how to re-create this dish using that.  I am thinking that it will be really good!

Ground pork would be a good substitution in this dish or maybe a mix and match with the ground beef. 

Beef Enchilada Skillet                                                          

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 small can condensed tomato soup (use Amy's Organic for gluten free)

3/4 to 1 cup salsa

1/4 cup water

6 - 6" corn tortillas

1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexi blend cheese

Carl's Crazy Skillet Meal

My husband throws together some crazy concoctions.  They aren't always my favorite but my kids seem to like them. This one, though, I do!  Since he came up with the dish I'll give him the credit and name it after him. 

It's a pretty simple dish to throw together and until the ground beef is ready to be broken up the dish is hands off.   If you or your kids aren't big fans of chunky veggies, whack them up a little more before you cook them.   Feel free to change them up as well.  These are what we had on the hand the day he took over the stove top!

Carl's Crazy Skillet Meal                                                                            Printable Recipe

10-12 medium carrots, cleaned (peeled if needed) and cut into 1/4" slices
2 small onions, chopped
3 cups water
2 pounds ground beef

2 cups whole sweet corn (or 1 can drained)

salt and pepper to taste
Mayonnaise
Parmesan

Unstuffed Pepper Soup

If you saw my Unstuffed Green Peppers recipe you learned that I prefer my green peppers chopped up rather than used as cups.  One day here recently I thought that I would try it with a bit more liquid and made it in a soup.  It's a nice change up from the casserole style meal.

The canned tomatoes and sauce can be salty it was good to use my homemade broth where I can control the salt.  You can use water (which I have done in a pinch and it is still delicious) or use a lower sodium broth.

After eating it as a meal and making lunch portions with what was left there weren't any for the freezer.  Next time I will double the recipe and put some away for quick meals. Another afterthought I had was to use the crock pot next time.  I'll work on that and update this when I do!

Unstuffed Pepper Soup                                                                          Printable Recipe

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

2/3 chopped green peppers

2/3 cup chopped onion

28 ounce can diced tomatoes

8 ounce can tomato sauce

1-1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

1-2 cups beef broth (or water)

1/2 cup instant brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's)

Spaghetti Bolognese

I wasn't expecting to be served spaghetti bolognese in the German speaking part of Switzerland, but I was and it was delicious!  If I hadn't been so full from the first plateful I would have had another serving or two!  After a talk with our waitress and the chef from the hotel I quickly wrote down the ingredients and steps to make this delicious dish.  It is an easy dish but please allow time for it to simmer.  It's well worth the wait!

Our waitress told me that if you have other vegetables on hand you need to use your can throw them in as well.  She gave red and green peppers as examples.

Spaghetti Bolognese                                                                                     Printable Recipe

1-1/4 pounds steak*
olive oil
2 carrots
1 small onion
1-2 stalks celery
15 ounces tomato puree or plain sauce (some canned sauces has spices in it)
1 bay leaf
5 whole cloves**
2-1/2 to 3 teaspoons dried Italian Herbs (generally a mix of: oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, savory, thyme)
salt and pepper to taste
up to 4 cups of water (divided)
cooked spaghetti
grated Parmesan

Top 10 Recipes of 2014

2014 is drawing to an end and I thought we should take a look back at some of the fan favorites.  Most of them are from this year but a few from last year snuck in. 

I hope you enjoy the look back with me. Click on the title to see the recipe or click on the "pin it" link to go right to Pinterest to re-pin for later!

Sloppy Joes

No more sandwich from a can.  This mixture is juicy and packed with flavor.  I added a little bit of dry tomato powder and WOW!...even better!

Sloppy Joes                                                                                              Printable Recipe

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 2/3 cups canned crushed tomatoes (or 1 pint home canned chopped tomatoes)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
buns

Pizza Zucchini Boats

I have to give credit to my husband for this one.  He came up with the idea on his own.  I helped him carry it out.  We used small zucchini here but you can use larger ones.  You will need to cook them longer to get them soft.  Change up all the toppings as you like them.   I will give you a guide as to how we put our tasty dish together.

Pizza Zucchini Boats

Small Zucchini
Pizza or Marinara sauce
Ground Beef
Pepperoni Slices
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese or Italian Blend Cheese

20 Ground Beef Meals for the Freezer are as easy as 1-2-3-4

Having a stockpile of freezer meals is invaluable especially when you get sick for a few days, are having surgery, had a baby, or don’t feel like cooking. 

Freezer meals are also a great strategy for saving money (when foods are bought or grown in bulk,) saving you prep time, and feeding our families nutritious home-cooked food.

Unstuffed Green Peppers

When I was a child, my mom made stuffed green peppers.  I didn't like green peppers (except for raw) at the time so having a large cup made out of cooked green peppers didn't appeal to me.  I don't mind cooked peppers now but I find it much easier and faster to make this way.  If you want freezer meals for later this is the route to do it.

It is also a great way to get the green peppers into the dish for the picky eaters.  You can cut them as small as you like or even blend them.  They'll disappear even more after you add the tomato sauce. 

I use brown rice any more in my dishes so I'll give you the white rice version and you can change it up to match your brown rice/water measures and cooking times since brown rices can vary from brand to brand.

Unstuffed Green Peppers

1 pound ground beef

2/3 - 1 cup chopped green peppers

2/3 cup chopped onion

8 ounce can tomato sauce

1-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

1-1/2 cup water

3/4 cup minute rice

1 -2 cup shredded Mexi blend cheese or 4 ounces Velveeta (optional)

Walking Tacos

Food in a bag is fun.  Our church makes walking tacos to sell at our church "tent" in late summer at a local event in a nearby town.  They don't use tomato sauce in theirs but I like it saucy so I added it to mine.  It helps everything blend together when you stir.  If you really want to ditch the clean up, use a plastic spoon or fork instead of a metal one you have to wash. 

Walking Tacos

1 pound ground beef

2/3 cup diced green peppers

2/3 cup diced onion

8 ounce can tomato sauce plus 1 can water

2-1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning

4 dashes cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy!)

4- 1 ounce size bags of Fritos corn chips or Doritos Nacho Cheese chips

Toppings:

shredded Mexi-blend cheese, cheddar, or Chihuahua cheese

thinly sliced lettuce

sour cream

salsa

cheater's guacamole

Cook beef, green pepper, and onions until veggies are soft and the beef is cooked through. 

Add tomato sauce to pan then fill can with water and dump that into pan also.

Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid is almost gone.  It still needs to a be a little saucy.

Time to start layering. For individual bags of chips* open them on their side with a pair of scissors.   They put so much air in bags anymore you will have plenty of room for your toppings.   If you are using Doritos you will want to give your chips a smash to break them up a little.

Sprinkle in some cheese.  I like to add cheese now so when I add the meat the heat will melt it!

 Next is the meat mixture.

 Lettuce. 

 Sour cream.

 More cheese.

 Salsa and guacamole if you feel like it.

Stick a fork or spoon in it, stir and enjoy!  

If you don't want to buy the bags you can layer all your yummies into a bowl.  Just as good, just not as fun!

*(The best I could find for a single size sack was larger (4 oz) without buying several bags together so I had to cut it in 1/3 and dump out some chips to make it equal an individual size.)

Spaghetti Meatballs

Please see new posting here:

http://www.inthekitchenwithjenny.com/2014/11/spaghetti-meatballs-with-gluten-free-options.html

Thank you!!

Roasted Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin, pumpkin, what to do that changes it up a bit?  How about a chili? While I was at it I changed up the traditional beans from kidney to black.  My family liked this chili.  After trying his first bowl, my husband added a drop or two of honey to his next bowlful and gave it a stir.  I must say, it added a dash of sweetness that was a nice compliment.

Roasted Pumpkin Chili                                                                            Printable Recipe

2 pound (approximate) pumpkin for baking (usually says " for pies")
olive oil
salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 - 3/4 cup diced onion
2/3 - 3/4 cup diced green pepper
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 can water (use tomato sauce can)
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Halve your pumpkins, scoop out the seeds, peel using a vegetable peeler or a paring knife. Cut pumpkin flesh into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes. The pumpkin should yield about 4 cups. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Arrange cubes into single layer. Sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 15 minutes, flip pieces, continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until soft. 

In a large pot, cook onions, peppers, and ground beef until meat is done and veggies are tender. 

 Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes. 

Stir in pumpkin chunks and cook for another 5 minutes until everything is heated through.

You can use canned pumpkin.  It will be a smoother, thicker chili so you may need more water to get it to a consistency you like. (Picture here shows canned pumpkin chili on left, roasted pumpkin chunk chili on the right.)

Baked Spaghetti

Eating spaghetti this way is much easier than slurping up the noodles.  Lately we've been using the spaghetti squash from the garden in place of the pasta.  We love it! 

Baked Spaghetti                                                                                       Printable Recipe

8 ounce pkg spaghetti noodles* (I used GF)

1 pound ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce (or approximately 3 cups homemade marinara)

2 eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 to 3/4 cup garlic cream sauce

1 to 2 cups shredded mozzzarella

Pizza Casserole

After I made this, my husband said it reminded him of a pasta dish a popular pizza place makes.  I hadn't thought of it but now that he had mentioned it, yes it does.  It was never one I ordered since the veggies were always still crunchy.  We like soft veggies.  If you like the add ins be sure to cook them first unless you like them crunchy. They also used assorted pasta. Mix and match as you like!

Pizza Casserole

8 ounce box of pasta (I used gluten-free elbow macaroni)
2 - 14 ounce jars pizza sauce (or 3 cups of homemade)
1 pound cooked ground beef
1/2  of a 7 ounce package pepperoni slices (use 2/3 cut in half for in the casserole and 1/3 cut into quarters on top)
2 cups shredded mozzarella (or Italian Blend Cheese)

Other options for stir ins:
mushrooms
green peppers
onions
sausage

Cook and drain pasta.  Mix together all of the ingredients except for the cheese and 1/3 of the pepperoni slices.

 Dump into 9 x 13 pan (you can grease if you want - I never seem to remember to.) If you want to freeze it, slide it into a bag, when ready to use, thaw, dump in dish and bake.

Sprinkle on mozzarella.  I made two dishes, one with and one without mushrooms.

Top with pepperoni slices.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and the pepperoni is nice and crispy on top.

Taco Pasta Shells

Taco Pasta Shells

1 pound ground beef
taco seasoning
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
4 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup whole corn (optional)
1/3 cup drained cooked black beans (optional)
15 jumbo pasta shells (gluten free works great too!)
1 cup salsa
1-1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese ( I use my homemade mozzarella)
sour cream

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon cumin
chili powder (or a blend of cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder) -this is to taste depending on how spicy you like it

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black beans made into refried beans or a can of refried beans

1 cup salsa (as hot as you want it)

1 can enchilada sauce

1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch (omit if you not making your own refried beans)

9 corn tortillas

6 ounces Chihuahua cheese or Mexican Blend cheese, shredded

To garnish:

Sour Cream

Chopped Tomatoes

Guacamole

In large skillet cook beef, green peppers, onions, and seasonings until beef is no longer pink. Drain as needed.

Make your refried beans (see link above on how I make mine.) Add them, your drained black beans, salsa, and enchilada sauce to the meat. Stir to combine. 

My refried beans were not as thick as what comes out of the can so I put a 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in the middle of the mixture, stirred well and heated it up.  It was still not thick enough to my liking so I used another tablespoon of cornstarch. Then it was good enough for me.


Spread a little bit on the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish.

Add 3 tortillas here, tearing to cover.

Add about 1/3 of the meat mixture next.

Then 1/3 of the cheese.

3 more tortillas.

More meat.

Cheese.

The last tortillas.

Spread the last of the meat being sure to cover the tortilla completely.

End with cheese.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.

Let rest for 5 minutes or so then cut into lasagna to serve.  Garnish with guacamole or chopped avocado, tomatoes, and sour cream.