One Pot Lasagna

Hey there guys! I posted this recipe a while back, but I always make changes to it each time. This was the easiest one yet. Not only is it easy, it is such a huge time saver to cook lasagna, one of our families favorites. Since school is starting back soon, I thought I would get back to sharing more recipes to help out busy families like mine. This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge so that if everyone is eating at different times for different reasons (cheer and clubs, I am looking at you), they can scoop out some and zap it in the microwave. Here is how I made it this time…

Preheat oven to 375. I browned some Italian ground sausage (use ground beef or go meatless) with about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and a little bit of garlic powder and onion powder. I mixed one jar of spaghetti sauce, 1 can tomato sauce, and one can of diced tomatoes. I broke up a package of par baked lasagna noodles and mixed them in to the sauce, plus a can of water to make sure the noodles were all covered.
My husband does not like ricotta, but if I had my way, I would add in a couple dollops of ricotta as well as top with my heavy hand of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Everyone scooped out their serving, topped with more Parm, and enjoyed a nice big slice of garlic toast (white bread with a butter and garlic powder baked in the oven for about 8 minutes). Enough leftovers so I don’t have to cook one night soon 😉

Teriyaki Salmon and Cheesy Muffins

I hope everyone is doing the well. While I have been cooking, it has mostly been quick and easy things. Between the Pandemic and all the other horrible things happening recently, I have not really been in the right state of mind to cook or write, but I am slowly starting to dip my toe back in, so here is something I made the other night that was super easy and I thought I would share.

I found this teriyaki marinade at the store last week. I usually tend to make my own concoction or different Asian sauces, but this looked like a good one. Low sodium and pretty straightforward ingredients; garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, soy sauce, onion, and vinegar.

I bought this pretty salmon that was on sale at the store. I saw an interesting fact about fresh salmon- when you get it, just should smell like watermelon. Just a hint of it. It is true! Next time you get some salmon, try it out. It should not smell fishy. I marinaded the salmon for about 15 minutes. Rebecca made some cheesy mini muffins -the kind from Jim and Nicks, which you can find on the baking aisle with the cake mixes and such.

The salmon cooked the same time as the muffins, about 15 minutes. These were on the thick side, so 12-15 minutes is usually the range. The oven was at 425. I added a side of broccoli to complete the meal!

Steak Fajitas

I made these a few nights ago. Everyone was super hungry and attacked the pan and gobbled up everything before I could get a picture. I used cut up sirloin from the prepackaged meat section. I also used pre-packaged chopped up veggies in a bag from the produce section. It was a blend with every color of peppers, mushrooms, and onions. I LOVE this marinade, but if you have a packet of pre-made seasoning in the cabinet, use that! You can mix it with a bit of olive oil or water to make a marinade. During this time, you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit 😉

I also cooked everything in my cast iron skillet, so one it is also a one pan plan! Happy cooking!

Pantry Beef Stroganoff

So a few nights ago, I made this yummy pasta dish. Usually I make Beef Stroganoff in a crock pot , but this recipe is even easier!

I had these pretty pasta shells, a pound of ground chuck, frozen broccoli, a jar of Alfredo sauce, a little bit of heavy cream, and a little bit of stock leftover.

First I browned the meat, then I added the Alfredo Sauce, cream, and stock. Then I threw in the bag of frozen broccoli and mixed it up to combine. I let it cook until the broccoli was cooked through.

At first I wasn’t sure how the Alfredo sauce would be with the meat, but with the extra heavy cream and stock, it tasted just like my creamy beef stroganoff. You could use peas, mushrooms, whatever combo of veggies you have on hand. If you didn’t have stock, you could add in some Worcestershire Sauce with a little water if it is too thick. If it is too runny, you can make a little mug roux to add in to thicken it up (equal parts flour and water in a mug and mix really well with a fork or mini whisk).

What is even better, you only dirty up one pan. Less dishes always gets my vote! I will be make this again even when the quarantine ends!

One Pan Enchiladas

Good afternoon. Last night I made one of my friends and families favorite dishes, enchiladas! Usually I am cooking them for a crown, so I buy those big disposable aluminum pans or my large rectangular casserole dishes. Since it is just four of us here, I opted for a new way of cooking them. First I cooked all my ground beef with my spices listed here. Or you could use a chili spiced mix, taco spice mix; whatever you have already will suffice 😉
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Once the beef is cooked, I take it out and put it in a bowl. There will be a little grease in the bottom of the pan. You could pat it dry with a paper towel, or you could leave it there for extra flavor. Then I added a touch of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the pan, rolled enchiladas with the beef and shredded Mexican cheese, and arranged them in the pan for maximum capacity 😉

Covered it all in the rest of the enchilada sauce.
Covered the top with cheese, of course!
Baked at 350 for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. So good!