Lasagna

Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 big jars spaghetti sauce ( I use Bertolli - tomato/basil)
1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion (diced)
4 cups mozzarella
1 pkg lasagna noodles


Directions:

Boil lasagna noodles (not too long or they'll fall apart). Let cool.

In large skillet or dutch oven, brown ground beef. Right before it's completely browned (still a little pink) add onion and mushrooms. Once onions and mushrooms have softened and ground beef is completely done, add spaghetti sauce.

In 9x13 pan, place lasagna noodles in bottom. I usually place four-five and let them overlap if they have to. Then spoon out a layer of the sauce, just covering the noodles, then spread out a layer of cheese, just covering the sauce. Do this two more times, making three complete layers - noodles, sauce, cheese.

Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

This is also a good recipe for baked spaghetti, just add a can of cream of mushroom soup to the sauce and swap out the lasagna noodles for spaghetti noodles and the mozzarella for cheddar. I usually only make half when I do baked spaghetti, though. Both meals are totally freezer friendly, just prep all the way up to baking and stick in the freezer.

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo

Being from the south, I LOVE seafood recipes. This is our latest one, and everyone at my house loved it, even my one year old! I left out the cayenne pepper for him, but I'm sure it would be great with it! You could totally substitute cooked chicken strips if shrimp isn't your thing.

Here is the original recipe from www.allrecipes.com:

Ingredients

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushroom; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes more.
3. Stir in the shrimp, and cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano cheese, and cream; bring to a simmer stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Here are my modifications:

I used frozen shrimp and thawed them in the fridge in a container with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley for two hours before cooking. The stock that came off the shrimp from them being frozen replaced the cream. Cheaper and healthier... that's how I like it!

Enjoy!! :o)