Zucchini Pasta Bake

Ingredients:
2 zucchini, sliced
12 oz. tomato sauce
3 cups Rigatoni
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
Handful of shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook pasta according to package instruction, then set aside.

In a small saucepan, boil a small amount of water. Add zucchini and cook until tender. Grease a baking dish and layer 1/3 of the Rigatoni, tomato sauce, cheese and zucchini. Continue layering until you have three of each. Cover with shredded cheese and add a sprinkle of olive oil.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cauliflower Bake

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
4 cloves garlic, minced or mashed
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1/2 yellow onion
1 cup parmesan cheese
5 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease oven baking dish

In a skillet, heat butter and sauté onions and garlic until onions are tender and slightly golden. Add cauliflower and cook for another minute. Transfer to grease baking dish

Combine eggs, parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon in separate bowl. Spoon into the greased baking dish, then bake for 1 hour.

Cauliflower Bake

• 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or mashed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 5 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease oven baking dish

In a skillet, heat butter and sauté onions and garlic until onions are tender and slightly golden. Add cauliflower and cook for another minute. Transfer to grease baking dish

Combine eggs, parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon in separate bowl. Spoon into the greased baking dish, then bake for 1 hour.

Bacon & Tomato Risotto

Ingredients:
8 oz smoked bacon, chopped into little pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 oz butter
10 oz risotto rice
6 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups hot chicken stock
2 oz parmesan, grated
Half a glass of white wine (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a casserole dish fry the bacon bits until they are crisp. Add the butter and the onion and cook both until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the risotto rice and toss until the rice is well coated. If you are using white wine, add white wine and cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Pour stock over the rice mixture and add the halved cherry tomatoes. Stir, then cover with a tight fitting lid and bake for about 18 minutes. Check once and add extra stock if necessary. Add most of the parmesan cheese and stir through. Leftover parmesan can be used for extra sprinkling.

Enjoy this delicious and easy risotto with a nice crusty bread and salad or even just with a glass of wine!

Mushroom Swiss Vegetable Bake

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of celery soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen vegetable blend (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) thawed
1 (6 ounce) jar mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (2.8 ounce) can fried onions
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

Place the soup in a large mixing bowl. Add the sour cream and stir together to combine. Add the vegetables and mushroom. Stir to cover. Sprinkle in the pepper and stir to incorporate all the ingredients together. Place 1/2 of the can of fried onions and 1/4 cup of the Swiss cheese. Stir well. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove foil and sprinkle the remaining onions and cheese over the top of the mixture. Return uncovered, to the oven and continue cooking 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and casserole is bubbling.

Serves 4

Ground Beef Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 medium potatoes, sliced thinly
2 large carrots, sliced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1/4 cup sweet red peppers, diced
1/4 cup sweet green peppers, diced
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Place the ground beef, onions and garlic in a large frying pan. Brown over medium heat until meat is longer pink. Drain well. Spray a 9X13 pan with a non stick cooking spray. Layer the meat mixture on the bottom. Spread the potatoes and carrots over the top of the meat. Layer the corn next. Then add the peppers on last. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the soup and milk together well. Pour over the top. Top with the Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake 50 minutes or until completely heated through.

Here’s one of my favorite side dishes to make. It’s great for holidays too when you have all these other things cooking in the oven.

Crockpot Vegetable Casserole

2 cups carrots, cut in strips, cooked & drained
2 cups celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1 pint tomato juice
4 cups green beans, drained
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
3 tablespoons tapioca
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons margarine

Combine all of the ingredients in slow cooker. Dot the top with margarine and cook on a low setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

During the holiday’s you can also make this with leftover ham.

• 1 lb. diced bacon
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 cans cream style corn (16.5 oz.)
• 1 diced green pepper

Fry the bacon until lightly browned in a skillet, the remove and set it aside. Pour off 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings over the bread crumbs and set that aside. Pour the remaining bacon drippings off, leaving two tablespoons in order to sauté the onions and green peppers until they’re tender. Add the bacon and corn and mix well. Spoon this mixture into a 1 quart baking dish and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Bake this for 20-25 minutes or until it is heated through and bubbly.  If you like, you can sprinkle cheddar cheese on the top as a garnish.

Ground Beef Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 small package egg noodles
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 can tomato soup
2 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup cooking sherry
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350?. Follow package instructions to cook noodles. Rinse, drain and set aside. Brown grown beef, rinse, drain and return to skillet. Add soup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and garlic. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Add noodles to sauce and then sherry. Place mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake for 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbling and top is slightly brown.