Pizza Casserole

Okay, so another little splurge on this recipe. But, I would consider it a little healthier than pizza, and its easy to make!

You'll need:
1 bag of egg noodles (I bought whole grain!)
1 extra large can of pizza or spaghetti sauce
3 cups of mozzarella cheese (or more if you like cheese)
1 1/2 pounds of hamburger meat (or sausage, turkey meat, etc.)
1 package of turkey pepperoni


Preheat the oven to 350.

Cook your hamburger and noodles.

The rest is layering... I used a cake pan, but you can use a glass dish as well.

Spread a thin layer of sauce,
then half the noodles,
half the meat,
half the sauce,
rest of the noodles,
(somewhere in here, sprinkle in some Italian seasoning!)
half the cheese,
rest of the meat,
rest of the sauce,
rest of the cheese,
and then layer pepperoni on top!


Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Then, remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Let it cool for 10 minutes or so - this is important to let everything settle, otherwise it'll just fall apart.

Rating:

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

So, here is my latest cooking endeavor - one that I can already see will be repeated many times as it is healthy and incredibly easy to make - and not to mention, delicious. I got the recipe from Budget Bytes - a new favorite website of mine.


Ingredients
12 oz. bow tie pasta (I ended up having to use a different pasta)
2 medium roma tomatoes
1 medium summer squash
1 medium zucchini
1 medium broccoli crown
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 bunch parsley

Vinaigrette
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano (used cilantro instead)
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
to taste: fresh cracked black pepper

[I'm at the point right now where if it's too expensive or if I'm not crazy about it, I just leave it out. Yes, I know, not the best technique but it's worked so far. What's italicized in the ingredients, I left out. Yes, I realize that's not really a "vinaigrette" with it being just oil... but it still tasted great!]

STEP 1: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander.

STEP 2: While you're waiting for the pasta water to boil and the pasta to cook, prepare the vegetables (squash, zucchini, broccoli, tomato, onion, parsley, red pepper). Give the vegetables a good wash and then cut into bite sized pieces (onions and red pepper thinly sliced; parsley removed from stems and chopped).

STEP 3: While the pasta is cooling, prepare the vinaigrette. In a small bowl whisk together the vegetable oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

STEP 4: Combine the cooked pasta, chopped vegetables, and vinaigrette. Stir until everything is well mixed and coated with vinaigrette. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Rating: One of the easiest recipes I've ever made, and cheap too!