It’s my weekend to work in critical care. The boys will be with the Nanny today and Craig all day tomorrow so I wanted to get some meals made in advance. Here are two of my tried and true recipes the whole family will eat.
This first one is a no brainer – super easy and common recipe. I’m sure many of you will roll your eyes at this one but I think about the young reader who is just starting out and cooking on their own, maybe a newly wed or a young mama and I want to include a staple recipe for them to add to their repertoire. It’s a quick and easy pasta bake! Plus, half the battle is deciding on what to make so THERE – I made the decision for you! And also, someone once told me: just because it is obvious to you, doesn’t mean it is obvious to everyone else!
Pasta Bake
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Spaghetti sauce of your choosing (I use Prego)
- Pork sausage (I use Italian)
- Pepperoni (I use turkey pepperoni)
- 1 egg
- Cheese
- Rotini noodles (I use chick pea noodles)
What to do:
- Fry your sausage. Make sure to spice it up – add garlic or pepper or salt or onions or mushrooms – whatever sounds good.
- Boil water for your noodles – cook noodles al Dante and drain.
- Add half of your jar of spaghetti sauce to your sausage once it is cooked.
- Add the pasta to the pan.
- Add the other half of the jar of spaghetti sauce to the pasta.
- Add the egg to the pasta and spaghetti sauce – mix it around – this firms up your base of noodles.
- Add your meat sauce on top.
- Add a layer of shredded cheese.
- Add a layer of pepperoni.
- Add another layer of cheese.
- Cook until cheese is golden (it’s about a half hour at about 400 degrees)
Because that was kind of a whimpy recipe, I’ll pair it with a more hefty one. This next recipe is maybe one you HAVEN’T heard of. Think of it as a supper time egg bake – my mom always made this for us growing up. The original way to make it is to cook it in a pan on the stove so the bottom layer of potatoes forms a crust but usually it just ends up burnt because you weren’t supposed to stir it while it was cooking on the stove. This was a common complaint when I made it for Craig so I turned it into a casserole and now we love it and it’s never burnt! I introduce to you: German Pizza CASSEROLE! (or hot dish depending on what state you are from!) 🙂
German Pizza Casserole
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 5-7 potatoes thinly sliced (I use golden potatoes and my cheese grater)
- Ground pork (I’ve also used sausage which is good too!)
- Various toppings (I use peppers, onions, mushrooms)
- 12 eggs (or so)
- Cheese
What to do:
- Fry your sausage or hamburger. Make sure to spice it up – add garlic or pepper or salt or onions or mushrooms. whatever sounds good.
- Sliced potatoes go in a greased baking pan. Salt and pepper them up! Add some onions in there too!
- Layer the hamburger/sausage mix on top of the taters.
- Add a layer of shredded cheese.
- Add a layer of toppings
- Add another layer of cheese.
- Crack the 12 eggs in a bowl, whisk them, then pour them over the potatoes and hamburger.
- Cook until cheese is golden (it’s about a half hour at about 400 degrees) Usually I wiggle the pan and if the middle is wiggly I cook it some more.
This is one recipe that I have to have ketchup with! SO GOOD!
That’s all I have for today folks! I hope you try a new recipe or are inspired to try something new!
Etsy restock should be live this next week when my reorder comes in! I’ll post on the blog when it is up and ready! Thanks guys! Thanks for reading!
Oh! I almost forgot my Amazon find of the day! I’m loving these razors my mom recommended from Amazon. I went from using Bic’s single blade razors to this, and I AM NEVER GOING BACK YOU GUYS! You get 9 razors for like $11! One razor lasted me 2 full months and was just as smooth as the first time I used it! Seriously, give it a shot! These are my tried and true and I have recommended them on the blog before! Here is the link: https://amzn.to/3gcllCq
Also, thanks to Anne and Julie and Eleanor who each “bought me a few coffees!” You guys are just the best!!!
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Oh, lovely recipes and perfect for a family!! My kids’ favorite casserole was even easier – sliced hotdogs/sausage, cooked egg noodles and a can of cheddar cheese soup, not diluted. I did find the Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup was also fabulous, but that came long after my kids were grown!! 30 minutes at 350…kid-friendly and super easy. You could also add vegetables as well. I can’t wait to make your Sesame Chicken recipe…just need to figure out how much to make for just one person!!
I apologize for my questions, but I want to be sure I understand what “pan” is being used and when, in your Pasta Bake recipe.
If I understand it correctly, the sausage is cooked in a pan on the stove with spices and ingredients.
Then another pan is boiling water and cooking noodles al dente, then drained.
We add half the jar of spaghetti sauce to the sausage in the pan on the stove.
“Add the pasta to the pan” – what pan? to the sausage pan, no, to the casserole dish? Yes, I think this is the right “pan.” Then add the rest of the spaghetti sauce and then add the egg to the pasta and the sauce in the casserole dish.
Add the meat sauce. Add the shredded cheese. Add pepperoni. Add more cheese. Bake.
So am I right?