Tag Archives: stove top

Lemony Couscous Salad

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  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 10 ounce box whole wheat couscous (I have used regular and multi-colored couscous)
  • 1-2/3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1-1/2 cups diced English cucumber
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 8 ounce package crumbled feta cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool.

Combine couscous, tomatoes and next 5 ingredients (through dill) in a large bowl; toss well. Add cheese.

Serves 8

Spaghetti Casserole

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The original recipe called for Cheddar cheese. However since Cheddar doesn’t make much sense and the next recipe in the magazine had Mozzarella cheese in it — which also didn’t make any sense, I assumed the ingredients had gotten mixed up and opted to use Mozzarella.

This is another Ben favorite!

  • 8 ounces dried spaghetti
  • 8 ounces ground beef
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 small Italian pepper
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed tomato soup
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 4 slices of bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

Cook spaghetti according to package directions (I recommend the shortest time); drain and set aside.

While spaghetti is cooking, cook ground beef, onion, and pepper in a large skillet, over medium heat. Cook until beef is brown; drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, soup, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add 4 ounces of the shredded cheese, stirring until melted.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Add cooked spaghetti and bacon to the mixture, tossing to combine. Transfer to a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Cover casserole with lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered for about 15 more minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Makes 4-6 servings

Sloppy Joe Casserole

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My boys are big fans of Hamburger Helper so when I found this recipe I decided to give it a try. IMHO it make a bit more than two boxes of HH, plus there’s fewer additive and more nutrition. The Teen insists that it “smells like butt” yet he later gobbled it down. Ben obviously likes it; he ate half of it, himself.

  • 1 pound medium size shell macaroni
  • 2 packages Sloppy Joe Mix (I use Lawry’s)
  • 1 pound ground beef, cooked
  • 2 cans (8 ounces, each) tomato sauce
  • 2 cans (6 ounces , each) tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 32 ounces cottage cheese
  • 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook macaroni according to package directions (minimum time). Drain. Combine seasoning mix with ground beef, tomato sauce, tomato paste and 1 cup of water.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a sprayed 5-6 quart casserole dish (I used my over-sized lasagna dish), layer half the macaroni, half the cottage cheese, and half the meat mixture. Repeat. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes or until bubbling.

Makes 8-12 servings

Baked Ziti

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A yummy, meatless pasta dish.

  • 1 pound uncooked ziti or penne pasta
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 Tablespoons red cooking wine
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces Muenster cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook ziti/penne according to package directions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain thoroughly and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil and toss to coat well. Set aside.

Combine the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, red cooking wine and pepper. Pour over pasta and mix well.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread half of the pasta in the bottom of a large, shallow baking dish (such as a 9×13-inch lasagna pan). Sprinkle on half the Muenster cheese. Spread on the remaining pasta, sprinkle on remaining Muenster, and finally top with the Parmesan cheese.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Serves 6

“Reduced Fat” Ground Beef

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This “recipe” is something I came across in Amy Dacyczan’s “Tightwad Gazette.” When comparing lean meat costs she found that the fattier ground beef was still often the cheapest, per lean pound. To reduce the fat content in recipes calling for cooked ground beef, such as tacos, she uses the following method (this is per pound of beef):

Once the meat is cooked, drain the excess fat off as you normally would. Then, using a slotted spoon, scoop the “crumbles” and place them on a large plate lined with 3-4 sheets of paper towel. Blot the top of the beef with another sheet. Let sit for about 1 minute.

Place the beef in a strainer and rinse, using approximately 1 quart hot water. Stir “crumbles” while rinsing. Drain for 5 minutes and then use in your recipe.

Done this way you can reduce the amount of fat by as much as 60% (depending on how lean the ground beef was to start out with), and not lose much in the way of nutrition.