Beef Pasta with Easy White Sauce

In my recipe collection, this is called "Vermicelli with White Sauce," but as you'll see, "White Sauce" is a stretch. A can of evaporated milk makes up the sauce which means it's super easy but surprisingly tasty. And I never use Vermicelli, usually opting for Angel Hair or whatever shaped pasta I have on hand.

1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz.

One jar Hormel dried beef, chopped

1/2 c. fancy shredded parmesan

pepper to taste

1 lb. pasta (vermicelli or any shape), cooked and drained

Pour evaporated milk over drained pasta in pan. Heat. Stir in beef and parmesan. Season with pepper. Top with more parmesan, if desired.

Spinach Stuffed Shells

This recipe makes a LOT - almost 2 full 9x13 pans. Half the recipe should still fill a 9x13 pan.

12 oz. jumbo pasta shells 
32 oz. spaghetti sauce (Prego traditional is a good choice)

Two 9 oz. boxes frozen creamed spinach

15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 pint sour cream
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook shells according to package directions. Spread a layer of sauce on bottom of pan. Cook the spinach and drain. Mix the rest of the ingredients together (minus sauce and 1/2 of mozzarella) then add cooked spinach to the mixture. Stuff the shells. Pour the rest of the sauce over the shells in the pan. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. 

Spinach Lasagna

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law many years ago and it is the ONLY lasagna I'll make. It is so delicious and is always a hit. I love the spinach in it, but my favorite part might be that you don't have to boil the noodles first.

1 lb. bulk sausage

1 jar spaghetti sauce (28 oz.)

½ c. water

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

lasagne noodles, uncooked

In a frying pan, cook sausage until browned. Drain well. Combine spaghetti sauce and water. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, ½ c. of shredded cheese and spinach. Grease bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Place small amount of sauce on bottom of baking dish. Place 3 uncooked noodles over sauce. Layer with 1/3 of the sauce, ½ of the cheese/spinach  and ½ of the sausage. Repeat same layers – noodles, sauce, cheese/spinach, sausage. Final layer is 3 noodles, remainder of sauce and ½ c. shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375º for one hour. Let stand about 10 minutes after removing from oven.

Noodle Casserole

This is something Jeff's Grandma Stowell made for us when we visited once after we were married. It has a sort of comfort food aspect, but the green peppers are a surprising addition that make for a delicious flavor.

½ of a green pepper, chopped

¼ to ½ of a medium onion, chopped

Saute above ingredients in a little bit of margarine.

Add:

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can tuna, drained

1 c. frozen peas

Heat through and stir into 1 lb. cooked egg noodles.

Red and White Pasta Delight

Another winning recipe from my sister, Amy. This is so easy to make. It's always a hit and it's the perfect choice when someone needs a meal brought in - I just make two, one for us and one to give away. You can make it ahead when you know dinnertime is going to be crazy and keep it refrigerated until time to bake.

Noodles and Red Sauce:

1 box mostaccioli or penne noodles

1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce

1 cup or more of mozzarella cheese

        Cook noodles according to box. Put spaghetti sauce in the bottom of 9x13 pan then put noodles on top and mix together. Pour alfredo sauce (see below) over noodles, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake, covered, at 350º for 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Alfredo Sauce:

½ cup butter

2 Tbsp. cream cheese

½ pint heavy cream (can use half and half or milk in a pinch)

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp. garlic salt

        Melt ingredients together over medium heat. Stir often until sauce thickens a bit. Cook longer if you want it thicker. Double the recipe if you want extra sauce for dipping breadsticks.

Ghezzi Pasta (Pasta Alla Carbonara)

Oh, this is a good one! First made for us by Elder Ghezzi, an Italian missionary who served in our area, this has become a family favorite. Smiles all around when we have this for dinner!

3 eggs, beat well

1 lb. bacon, cut up and cooked (or baked), I like it pretty crispy in this dish

1 lb. penne pasta, cooked and drained

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. fancy shredded parmesan cheese

Stir eggs into drained pasta until eggs are cooked. Stir in bacon, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Serve with additional parmesan.

Pasta with Spinach and Garlic

This is yummy freshly made or cold out of the refrigerator the next day. Two of my boys can't get enough. It works as a side dish or a light meal. A former colleague of Jeff's shared this recipe with us several years ago and we make it often. Thanks, Anu!

12 oz. spinach (or 9 oz. box of frozen chopped spinach)

16 oz. small pasta – shells or wagon wheels, etc.

1/3 c. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1/2 - 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

salt and black pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (the kind you buy in the refrigerator section)

Remove and discard any tough spinach stems; chop leaves coarsely and set aside (or just thaw chopped frozen spinach).

In a 6- to 8-quart pan, cook pasta in boiling water until tender according to package directions. Just before pasta is done, stir in spinach. Cook, uncovered, stirring to distribute spinach, just until water returns to a full boil. Drain pasta and spinach.

While pasta and spinach are draining, heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, uncovered, until garlic turns opaque (about 2 minutes). Stir into the pasta and spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in parmesan cheese. If desired, reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top before serving.