Baked Ravioli with Meat Sauce

1 lb ground chuck

Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder to taste

Splash Worcestershire Sauce

24-oz jar Spaghetti Sauce

25-oz pkg frozen cheese ravioli

3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375^F.

In a large skillet, brown and crumble the ground chuck with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste plus the Worcestershire sauce.  Stir in the spaghetti sauce and lower heat to simmer until hot through.

Spread half the sauce in a 9x13" pan.  Layer half the ravioli and sprinkle with 1 cup Mozzarella.  

Top with the remaining Ravioli and the rest of the meat sauce.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining Mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese.  Cover tightly with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil, increase the heat to 425^F and continue baking for  another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to turn a bit brown around the edges.  Remove from the oven and cool at least 10 minutes before serving.  Very good and really easy!

Variation:  Add 1 teaspoon fennel seed to the sauce and switch the ground chuck to Italian sausage.  Top with a few slices of pepperoni for a Pizza Ravioli Bake. 

You can make this in a couple of 9x9 inch pans and freeze one for later if you wish.  

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

4 bell peppers

2 lbs ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

2 cups cooked rice

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tops off bell peppers reserving them for later use, clean out the seeds and par boil the pepper bottoms for about three minutes, or when color has just started to change. Remove peppers from hot water, drain well and place in baking dish. Mix half of the ground beef with salt and pepper and some of the chopped onion, garlic & chopped bell pepper tops, form into meatballs and stuff the bell peppers. Bake 20-25 minutes or until meatballs are done.  Brown the other half of the ground beef in a skillet with the rest of the chopped onions, garlic, bell pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Drain fat. Combine ground beef mixture with cooked rice and sauce, stir well. Remove stuffed bell peppers from the oven and spoon the ground beef and rice mixture around the stuffed peppers, sprinkle with shredded cheese and return to oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese has melted.  

Variation

Par boil bell peppers a minute or two longer until color has changed to dark green, brown all of the ground beef instead of making meatballs then combine all ingredients and stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese has melted and dish is heated through. 

Donna White Johnson

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 lb thinly sliced Black Forest Ham, chopped
4 slices Swiss Cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken with Herbs soup
3/4 soup can of milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs (about 1/2 sleeve)
3/4 teaspoon dried parsley
3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350^F.  Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

Evenly distribute the chopped chicken in the buttered dish.  Layer the chopped ham over the chicken, then top with the Swiss cheese slices.

In a bowl, place the soup, milk, lemon juice, Dijon and paprika and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour over the Swiss cheese slices spreading to cover the entire dish right up to the edges.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the Ritz cracker crumbs and the parsley.  Once the chicken mixture is hot and bubbly, remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the top.  Drizzle the butter over the crumbs and return to the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Yum!!  Excellent with a side of Steamed Broccoli.

Mama D's Broccoli Casserole

Broccoli Casserole

2 packages frozen broccoli florets

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 eggs

1/2 stick butter

1 package Ritz Crackers, crushed

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook broccoli in salted water until just tender (or use the kind you steam in its own bag and cook in the microwave for 6 minutes for each bag then add salt). Drain and put in casserole dish. In separate bowl, combine eggs, mayonnaise, cream of mushroom soup and cheddar cheese. Pour over broccoli. Sprinkle crushed Ritz crackers evenly over broccoli mixture. Melt butter and pout evenly over crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Cathy's Baked Penne

1 lb sausage
1/2 lb ground chuck
Garlic Salt & Pepper to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp dried Greek Oregano
1 heaping tsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried mixed vegetables
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
24 oz jar Classico Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions pasta sauce
14.5 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 palms full grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz penne regate
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
16 oz small curd cottage cheese
8 oz Six Cheese Italian blend shredded cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
4 oz shredded Mozzarella

In a large skillet, crumble the sausage and ground chuck with garlic salt, pepper, onions and garlic until well browned and cooked through. Add oregano, basil, dried veggies, crushed pepper flakes, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in pasta sauce, tomatoes and parmesan and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, bring a large pot full of salted water to a boil and cook the penne according the the instructions until al dente. Drain well. Add butter and garlic powder to pasta and toss until butter has melted and coated the pasta. Stir in cottage cheese and the 6-Cheese Italian blend.

Spoon about 2 cups of the sauce into the bottom of a deep casserole dish. Spoon the cheese-pasta mixture on top and spread evenly in the pan. Top with remaining sauce, the parmesan and the mozzarella. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350^F for 30 minutes or until hot through. Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes until mozzarella starts to brown a tiny bit.

Yummy, cheesy, GOOD!