Meaty Biscuit Cups

(Serves 10 - 2 biscuits cups each)

INGREDIENTS

1 pound 90 % lean hamburger- cooked

1/3 C finely chopped onion

1/3 C barbecue sauce

½ C corn

1 (10 count) can flaky biscuits

Muffin Tin

½ C shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown hamburger and onions - drain

Divide each biscuit in half by pulling apart the layers.

Press each half into non-stick muffin tins coated with non-stick spray

Combine Hamburger, Corn and BBQ sauce

Divide the meat mixture evenly into the muffin tins

 Double wrap and attach serving label (If freezing)

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS:

THAW Completely!

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes

Remove from oven and sprinkle each cup with cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional few minutes until cheese is melted.

Rigatoni Bolognese

This is SO GOOD. If you make it, you will look like a culinary master! :)

This recipe is adapted from the Wei.ght Watch.ers Pure Com.fort cookbook. It's a favorite of ours - a must-make at least once a month. It's a really flexible recipe - you can leave out the veggies if you don't like them (we never add the carrots), or add in others for a new taste.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground lean beef (5% fat or less) or ground turkey
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 T dried parsley
1/4 C beef broth or dry red wine
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper
2 C rigatoni
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

optional ingredients (we usually add these in, but the points value given below doesn't include them so you'll have to adjust the points value accordingly)
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
small can mushrooms, drained
small can sliced or chopped olives, drained
dried basil

1) Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef (and sausage if you choose to have it) and cook until brown, about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, wine/broth, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and add pasta to sauce mixture. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes until sauce cooks into the pasta a bit. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Point info (does not include optional ingredients):
6 points per serving
serving = 1 1/2 C with 1 T cheese

You can also make the sauce portion ahead of time and freeze it and it's ready to go when you reheat and add the cooked pasta.

lasagna

This is a family favorite recipe, it's so good and completely easy to make. I so don't know exact measurements on most of this stuff, but it's fool-proof I promise.

*Note: I use 1 lb of ground beef for my little fam, but if we're making it for company, I'll use 2 lbs. It's easy to add a bit more of the additional ingredients to stretch it.

What you need:
1 lb. uncooked ground beef
1/4 C chopped onion
1 normal size jar spaghetti sauce
uncooked lasagna noodles - 6 is usually fine for the smaller version, I'll use 9 noodles for a 9x13 pan
1 (ish) C Cottage Cheese (I suppose you could use Ricotta, I never have)
2 (ish) C shredded mozzarella, divided

Optional (chopped):
mushrooms
green peppers
black olives

What you'll do:
Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Meanwhile, cook lasagna according to package directions. You can take it out a couple minutes early if you want, the noodles will finish cooking in the oven. In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese with about 1 cup of the mozzarella. Obviously, increase or decrease the cheeses to your own liking, but it should be mixed well and not too wet/not too dry. When the meat is browned, drain the grease and add in your spaghetti sauce and any of your optional veggie mix-ins.

Spray an 8x8" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread a spoonful of the meat mixture in the pan. Place one layer of noodles in the pan (you will need to cut 4ish inches off the noodles so they fit an 8x8). Spread 1/2 the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Spread 1/2 the meat mixture on the cheese. Repeat the noodle, cheese, meat process once more. You will have the meat mixture as your top layer. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top of the meat mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly.

taco pizza

We have a regional chain here, Godfather's Pizza, who makes our favorite pizza, which just happens to be taco pizza. The best part about this taco pizza is that there's no refried beans to be found - something that my picky husband refuses to eat. Sparked by a craving, I concocted my own taco pizza and think it rivals the original!

What you'll need:
dough:

• 10 fluid ounces warm water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

topping:

• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 Cup taco sauce, approx. (spiciness depending on your taste, we used mild)
• 1+ T chili powder
• 2+ tsp ground cumin
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small can chopped green chilies, optional
• 2+ C monterey jack or Mexican combo cheese, divided
• 1+ C cheddar cheese, optional
• shredded lettuce, optional
• chopped tomatoes, optional
• sliced black olives, optional
• sour cream, optional
• additional taco sauce, optional

What you'll do:

Making the dough in a bread machine is easiest, but you could do it by hand also. Into the bread machine, dump in this order: water, salt, oil, flour, and yeast. Meanwhile, combine the tomato paste, 1 C taco sauce, chili powder, and ground cumin. You can add more sauce if you want the sauce thinner or spicier; you can add additional chili powder for more spiciness, and more cumin for a more robust flavor.

Add the ground beef, onion, and green chilies to a skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beef is brown. Drain the beef mixture.

When the dough finishes, pat it out on your greased pan(s) (if it's sticky, use some flour on your fingers). I used a rimmed 15x10 cookie sheet for a deeper dish crust, but you could spread it out more thinly and do two pizza rounds. Spread with the taco sauce mixture to your liking (you may have extra sauce). Sprinkle sauce with 1/4 C monterey jack cheese. Top with beef mixture. Add remaining monterey jack cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25min for a thicker crust, 15-20 min for two thin crusts. Pizza will be done when the edges are golden brown.

Serve with sour cream and sprinkled with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, and additional taco sauce, if desired.

sloppy joes - ish

I like regular (tomatoey) sloppy joes and all, but sometimes they're just too... saucy? for me. I love love the zip and flavor of this version! I wanted to lick the pan when they were gone. This recipe is easily double-able, have the rest for leftovers or freeze it!

You'll need:

1 pound ground beef
small onion, chopped
1 (10.75 oz) can chicken gumbo soup
2 T ketchup
1 T mustard
1 1/4 C water
salt and pepper to taste

What you'll do:
Brown the ground beef with onion in a large skillet. Drain any fat off beef. Add soup, ketchup, mustard, water, and salt and pepper, stir. Simmer over medium heat for an hour or until liquid is absorbed. Serve on buns as a sandwich or open faced.

pasta taco salad

We've made this twice now and it just keeps getting better. Love it for a potluck or a weekend lunch as it's own meal. Yummmo!

You'll need:
(note: like most of my recipes, the amounts of eyeballed... so if you only have 1/2 C cheese and no olives, that's fine, it'll still be good)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small can chopped green chilies (they're not that hot, and I'm a giant wiener, promise)
• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 2 C rotini pasta
• 1/4 C black olives (optional)
• 1 C halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 C cheddar cheese (you can use shredded, but I really like it cubed in this recipe)
• 2-3 C shredded lettuce
• 1/2 to 1 C Dor.othy Lynch salad dressing (what? you don't have Dorothy? fine, use Catalina) (but it's really, really good, you should try it if you have it near you)
• 1/2 to 1 C salsa
• small bag (convenience store size) Doritos, crushed

What you'll do:
Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and set aside. Brown the ground beef with the onion and green chilies. When it's finished cooking, transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge until cool. In a separate bowl, combine cooled, drained pasta, olives, tomatoes, and cheese. Once the meat is cool (so the cheese doesn't melt), add it to the pasta mixture. Add 1/2 C each of the dressing and salsa and stir the entire salad together. You can add as much salsa as you like for a kick, but I usually stick with about 1/2 C. Add more dressing, 1/4 C at a time, until the mixture is no longer dry (but you don't want it soupy either). Add the lettuce shortly before serving. Lastly, spread the crunched Doritos over the top of the salad. Enjoy!

deep dish pizza

Original recipe here

This is an awesome recipe to throw together, based on what you have on hand, and what your family likes. It got 6 big thumbs up from our fam.

note: this is for an 8x8 pan, if you're making it for a 9x13, double it.

What you'll need:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
2 T Italian seasoning
1/2 C flour
15 ounce jar pizza sauce
1/2 C Parmesan
1-2 C mozzerella or provolone (depending on your love for cheese)
1/2 tsp salt
dash black pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 eggs
1/2 T oil

optional ingredients: browned Italian sausage, diced green pepper, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, peperoncinis

What you'll do:
Preheat oven to 350. Brown hamburger and onion. Drain well. Add any optional ingredients, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Add pizza sauce. Stir well. Grease an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread meat mixture in pan. Sprinkle mozzerella cheese over meat mixture. In mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, flour, oil, and salt. Pour over meat in pan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over batter. Bake 35 minutes. It won't look done, but it will be done. :)

Spaghetti & Meatballs

I use jarred spaghetti sauce because I love this brand and flavor more than any homemade I've EVER had. You can substitute any sauce you like. This recipe focuses on the meatballs.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

* 1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat
* 3 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced
* 1/4 cup(s) Better'N Eggs (or 1 egg)
* 1/3 cup(s) Italian Breadcrumbs
* 3 Tbsp Grated Parmesan & Romano cheese blend
* 1/4 tsp table salt
* 24 oz Classico Traditional Sweet Basil Spaghetti Sauce
* 6 oz Barilla Plus Thin spaghetti

Instructions

Mix all ingredients except sauce and pasta. Form into 30 meatballs (about 1" each) and cook until browned. Add sauce and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Mix and serve! I love this with a good salad and maybe some crusty bread.

(and if you're interested, each serving is 6 points)

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I just tried this recipe today and it was yummy!  Tim especially liked it.

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy

No need to cook the noodles first or stay home while it bakes. Just let it sit a few minutes before serving so it can firm up a bit.

Ingredients
1 pound uncooked lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 lasagna noodles,uncooked
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, and basil; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella
cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

Taco Pockets

1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin or ground turkey breast
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon (a palmful) ground cumin
1 tablespoon, (a palmful) dark chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce
1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) coarse salt,
1 tablespoon (1 turn around the pan) vegetable oil,
4(12-inch diameter) soft flour tortillas
1 cup mild taco sauce
1 heart of romaine lettuce, shredded
2 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cups shredded monterey jack

Directions

Combine ground meat with onion, garlic, spices, and salt and form 4 patties. Pan fry patties in 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat for 7 minutes on each side.

To make a taco pocket, blister a flour tortilla on a hot griddle pan for 30 seconds on each side. Place tortilla on dinner plate and spread surface with 1 /4 cup mild taco sauce. Pile shredded lettuce, tomatoes and a handful of cheese in center of tortilla. Top veggies and cheese with cooked taco burger patty and wrap tortilla up and over patty on all four sides. Turn square pouch over and cut from corner to corner, making 2 taco pockets that will not crumble and drip like traditional tacos.

I found this recipe on the Food Network. It's one of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal recipes.