Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce
Set For Life Cookbook

1/2 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp instant minced or 1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pkg spaghetti sauce seasoning or 1 Tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 28 oz can tomatoes, slightly blended
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
1 4 oz can mushrooms

Brown ground beef and onion.  Drain fat.  Add seasonings, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and mushrooms.  Stir to mix.  Simmer 25-30 minutes.

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

Meatballs with Cream Sauce
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe, adapted from Lesli D

MEATBALLS:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 T. ketchup
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3 T. flour

CREAM SAUCE:
2 T. butter
3 1/2 T. flour
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
14 oz. can chicken broth (If you want your sauce thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup)
2/3 cup milk
2 T. minced fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients EXCEPT the beef and flour. Add beef and mix well. Shape into balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs, bake 8-10 minutes longer or until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. If using the full can of chicken broth, the sauce doesn’t thicken overly much, but it is delicious that way. If you want it slightly thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup. Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce and parsley. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Hamburger Soup

Hamburger Soup
From Set for Life Cookbook

1/2 pound Ground Beef
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks Celery, diced
4 Potatoes, cubed
3 Carrots, diced
2 16 ounce cans Tomatoes
2 cups Cabbage, chopped (optional)
1 c. Corn
1/4 c. Brown Rice, Noodles or Macaroni
4-6 cups Water
1 large Bay Leaf
2-3 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
Pepper to Taste

In larege pan brown ground beef with onion.  Drain well.  Add reamining ingredients.  Soup should not be too thick so add more water if needed.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, and simmer about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

Slow Cooker:  Brown ground beef with onion.  Drain well.  Put all ingredients in slower and simmoer on low all day.

Approximately 12 servings.  

Taco Soup with Black Beans

Taco Soup with Black Beans
Fix it and Forget It Cookbook

1 lb. ground beef
Small onion or 1-2 T. dried onion
28 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes
15 1/4 oz. can corn, undrained
15 oz. can black beans, undrained
15 1/2 oz can red kidney beans or pinto, undrained
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 envelope dry taco seasoning

Toppings:
Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream

Brown ground beef with onion, drain fat.  Combine all ingredients and cook on low in crock pot for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.  If you forgot or don't have time to use the crock pot, just combine in big pot and simmer on stove for about 15 to 30 minutes.

Dottie's Creamy Steak Soup

Dottie's Creamy Steak Soup
Fix It and Forget It Cookbook
(I don't know why the title is what it is because it uses hamburger not steak)

1 lb. ground beef (Smith's 1.59/lb)
half of onion, chopped (Smith's .50/lb)
12 oz. can V-8 vegetable juice
2-3 medium potatoes (.99 10 pound bag Ream's)
Can of cream of mushroom soup
Can of cream of celery soup
16 oz frozen mixed vegetables or vegetable of your choice
2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Saute hamburger and onion, drain fat. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Simple and Meaty Skillet Lasagna

Simple and Meaty Skillet Lasagna
from my kitchencafe.blogspot.com, adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes

3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (I used crushed because I was in a hurry)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced (I used dry minced onion) (yellow onions on sale for .50/lb Smith's)
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced (you can use minced or garlic powder)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (these do not add spice - just flavor!)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 pound ground pork (or just 1 lb hamburger, Smith's 1.59/1b)
1/2 pound ground beef
12 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (do not use fat-free) (I used cottage cheese, Smith's 1.00)

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain (in a food processor, that is about 12 pulses0.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.

Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

Beef Taco Skillet

Beef Taco Skillet
From Simplify Suppers

1 pound ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
6 Tortillas
1/2 cup cheddar or favorite mixed cheeses

Brown beef in skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat. Cut tortillas into 1" pieces. . Add soup, salsa, water, and tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top with cheese and serve.