Baked Spaghetti

I recently made Baked Spaghetti for the family, and it turned out to be a huge hit.  One slice of the baked spaghetti is so filling since there are so many layers of meat, cheese, and noodles.

The next time I made it, I decided to split the recipe in half, so instead of one thick multi-layered pan of baked spaghetti, I baked two pans of baked spaghetti with less layers, and froze one for later.

This recipe will definitely be cooked up a lot in my kitchen this year!

Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) pkg spaghetti
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (32 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• Cook spaghetti according to package directions and drain.
• Cook beef and onion until meat is browned (approximately 7 to 10 minutes).  
• Drain meat mixture.  
• Stir in spaghetti sauce and salt.  
• Whisk eggs, Parmesan cheese, and butter in a large bowl. Toss spaghetti in mixture.  
• Place half the spaghetti mixture into bottom of prepared baking dish, then top with mozzarella and meat sauce.  
• Repeat all layers.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes.  .

Original recipe found here on Allrecipes.com.

Read More

Taco Muffins

I made these Taco Muffins a couple of weeks ago, and they were a hit with the kids!

They also make a great freezer meal for those busy days when you have no time to cook!

I made them in both mini and regular muffin sizes, but next time I make them, I'll just stick to regular muffin sizes - those seemed to be more popular with the kids.

Taco Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1⁄4 c milk (I used rice) 
• 1⁄3 c butter, melted 
• 1 egg
• 2 c flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1⁄4 t salt
• 1 c taco meat (if you're really in a pinch, you could simply used cooked, seasoned ground beef)
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• In a large bowl mix together the milk, butter, and egg.  
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Fold in flour mixture, taco meat, and cheddar cheese into the milk mixture.
• Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.  
• Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes (9-11 minutes for mini muffins), until golden brown.
• Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Read More