Monday Essentials . . . Recipes

Everyone needs a few go-to recipes. I rely on these often - easy to throw together, filling, and mostly healthy (I use whole wheat pastas, light sour cream, light ricotta, etc).

Baked Ziti
1 lb ziti, cooked and drained
sauce:
1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned
1 cup chooped onion
40 oz jar spaghetti sauce
cheese filling:
1 lb ricotta
8 oz mozzarella
1/2 c paremsan
3 eggs
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T parsley
Combine sauce and ziti. Pour 1/2 in greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread cheese filling on top, then pour other half of ziti mixture over cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Chili
2 lb ground beef or turkey, browned
2 packages Chilio mix
2 large cans whole tomatoes, pureed
2 cans chili hot beans
onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste
Mix together and simmer several hours. Serve with Fritos, cheese, and sour cream.

Taco Twist
1 lb ground beef or turkey, browned
1 package taco seasoning
1 can tomato sauce
1 small can chopped green chilis
3 c corkscrew pasta, cooked and drained
1 c Mexican blend cheese
1/2 c sour cream
Stir together beef, seasoning, tomato sauce, and chilis. In another bowl, mix pasta, 1/2 c cheese, and sour cream. Pour pasta on bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with meat mixture and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

YUM!