Polish Casserole

Ingredients

4 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 1/2 pounds smoked Polish sausage or kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (16 oz.) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
3 cups (12 oz. ) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 1/3 cups 2% milk
4 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  Stir in the sausage, soup, sauerkraut, 2 cups cheese, milk, onions, mustard and garlic.

Spoon into two greased 8 in.-square baking dishes; Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cool slightly. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to three months.  Bake the remaining casserole, uncovered, at 350° for 45 – 50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

To use frozen casserole: thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50 – 55 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

** This recipe is from the taste of home Simple and Delicious magazine December/January 2013.

Porcupine Meat Balls

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup uncooked rice (quick cooking)
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
cooked angel hair pasta

Directions

Mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper, and rice into 1 1/2 x 2-inch balls. Brown in greased skillet until done. Add tomato sauce and ketchup, simmer until done, rolling occasionally. Serve with angel hair pasta.

*This recipe comes from Best of the Best from Tennessee Cookbook.*

Beefy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 10-3/4 ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
1-1/3 cup milk
1-1/3 cup water
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup quick-cooking barley, uncooked
1/4 cup macaroni, uncooked
1/4 cup long grain rice, uncooked
8-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a skillet, brown beef, onion, garlic and Italian seasoning. Drain excess grease and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine soup, milk and water; bring to a boil. Add carrot, barley, macaroni and rice. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until barley, macaroni and rice are tender. Add beef mixture, mushrooms and cheese; simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Makes 4 servings

**This recipe comes out of Gooseberry Patch's Recipes For Comfort cookbook.**

Ham & Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Swiss cheese
1-1/2 cups cooked ham, chopped
salt to taste
1/2 pound egg noodles, cooed

Directions

Saute onion in butter over medium heat until soft. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sour cream; add onion, cheese and ham. Season with salt. Place noodles into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish; add ham mixture and toss gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a straw inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

**This recipe comes out of Gooseberry Patch's Recipes For Comfort cookbook.**

Chicken Macaroni Casserole

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
1-1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth, divided
3/4 pound Velveeta, cubed
2 packages (7 ounces each) uncooked elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimentos, drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add cream and 1-1/2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; add cheese; stir until melted. Add macaroni, chicken, pimientos, salt and pepper. Add aditional broth, if needed.

Pour into a 3-quart baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Yields 6-8 servings

**This recipe comes from the Taste of Home 2010 Church Supper Cookbook.**

Noodle Heaven

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. onion powder
3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1 (8 ounce) pkg. noodles of your choice
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Brown beef in a large skillet. Add garlic, salt, sugar and tomato sauce and simmer 10 minutes or until meat is lightly browned. In a small bowl blend cream cheese, onion powder and sour cream. Boil noodles, undercooking a minute or two; drain. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer noodles, the cream cheese mixture and meat sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

To freeze: Cover with foil, label and freeze.

To serve: Transfer to fridge the night before. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

*This recipe is adapted from Frozen Assets.*

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
2 cups slightly cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 pound chopped Velveeta cheese
3 diced hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 onion chopped
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 3/4 to 2 cups of milk
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup frozen vegetable mix

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a 2 quart greased dish and refrigerate over night. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

**Thoughts~A lady from our church named Maria made this for a VBS decorating night. It was yummy!**

Mix-n-Match Pasta Salad

This recipe came from my friend, Mariellen. She is fabulous, and I think this recipe is pretty darn fabulous too. I never would have thought to put some of these ingredients in my pasta salad.

16 oz pasta (you choose)
3 from list one totaling 2 lbs
1-2 from list two (1/4-1/2 cup each)
1-4 from list three
1 from list four (1 cup)

List One:
Bite size broccoli florets added to pasta one minute before draining
Bite size cauliflower florets added to pasta one minute before draining
Bite size asparagus spears added to pasta one minute before draining
¼” carrot coins added to pasta one minute before draining
Bite size green bean pieces added to pasta one minute before draining
Snow peas added to pasta one minute before draining
Sugar snap peas added to pasta one minute before draining
¼” zucchini pieces added to pasta one minute before draining
Canned artichoke hearts
Bean sprouts
¼” celery slices
Bite size pieces of cucumber
Thinly sliced fennel
Bite size pieces of avocado
Thinly sliced zucchini
Halved cherry or grape tomatoes
Bite size strips of bell pepper
Diced tomato
Thawed frozen green peas
½” thick rounds of broiled eggplant cut into bite-size pieces
Large whole mushrooms, sliced after broiling
Grilled bell pepper strips
Grilled zucchini pieces
Sauteed celery pieces
Sauteed bell pepper pieces
Canned beans
Chicken breast pieces
Turkey pieces
Ham pieces
Italian sausage pieces
Cooked lobster
Cooked and peeled shrimp
Canned tuna
Crab meat
Mild cheeses (swiss, Monterey jack, mozzarella, cheddar)

List Two:
Crumbled feta cheese
Sliced parmesan cheese
Crumbled goat cheese
Capers
Coarsely chopped pitted olives
Peperoncini
Pepperoni
Roasted peppers
Sun dried tomatoes
Crumbled bacon
Prosciutto
Smoked salmon or other smoked fish
Toasted pine nuts
Roasted cashews
Roasted or honey roasted peanuts
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds

List Three:
3 large green onions, sliced
½ red onion, chopped
2 tsp orange or lemon zest
2 T. cilantro
2 T. basil
2 T. dill
2 T. parsley
2 T. mint
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp tarragon
other herbs of your choice

List Four:
Ranch dressing
Italian dressing
Caesar dressing
Thousand island dressing
Russian dressing
French dressing
Rice wine vinegar
Lemon juice
Soy sauce and sesame oil
Other dressing of your choice

It's so easy. If you're in the mood for Asian food you might do chicken breast, broccoli, and sugar snap peas with roasted cashews or sesame seeds, green onion, and parsley and a soy and sesame oil sauce. If you're in the mood for Greek you can do ham, artichoke hearts and fennel, feta crumbles, red onion and tarragon with a yogurt and lemon sauce. You never have to have the same thing twice.

Applesauce Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef

Sauce Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
3 to 5 drops Worcestershire sauce
3 to 5 drops hot pepper sauce

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2 inch balls. In a large skillet, gently brown meatballs over medium heat; drain. Transfer to an ungreased 2-quart baking dish.

Combine sauce ingredients; pour over meatballs. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Serve over egg noodles.

Makes 4 servings

**Thoughts~Jeff loved these!**

Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) bag of egg noodles
meatballs
vegetable oil for frying
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup (1/2 pint) dairy sour cream, room temperature

Directions

Start noodles cooking according to package directions. If using cooked meatballs, reheat in oil for a few minutes or fry uncooked meatballs until done. Drain on paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients sour cream sauce. Fold meatballs into sour cream sauce. Drain noodles when cooked and serve meatballs on cooked noodles.

**I found this recipe on menus4moms.com.**

Reuben Hot Dish

Ingredients

1 8-ounce package wide noodles, cooked according to package directions, drained, then mixed with 3 tablespoons soft butter
1 pound sauerkraut, drained
2 cups chopped corned beef
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, sliced (I am thinking about omitting this.)
1/4 cup thousand island salad dressing
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
4 crisp rye crackers, crushed
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, more if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a greased 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish, layer noodles, sauerkraut, corned beef and tomaotes. Dot with salad dressing and sprinkle with cheese. Top with cracker crumbs and caraway seeds. Bake covered 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves 6 to 8

**This recipe comes from The Great Minnesota Hot Dish by Theresa Millang.

Dried Beef Hot Dish

Ingredients

2 cups large size elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions, less 3 minutes cooking
time, set aside
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup salad dressing (mayonnaise)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 2-ounce packages dried beef, cut up

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together soup, milk, and salad dressing until well blended. Add cheese, eggs, beef and macaroni; mix well. Pour mixture into a greased 2-quart glass baking dish. Bake uncovered about 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 6

**This recipe comes from The Great Minnesota Hot Dish by Theresa Millang.

Velveeta Spicy Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

12 ounces spaghetti, uncooked
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 pounds), cut into strips
1 pound (16 ounces) Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 can (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup milk

Directions

Cook pasta as directed on package; drain. Return to same pan.

Spray skillet with no stick cooking spray. Add chicken; cook and stir on medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Add Velveeta, soup, tomatoes & green chilies, mushrooms, and milk; sitr on low heat until Velveeta is melted. Add chicken mixture to pasta; toss to coat. Spoon into greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until hot.

Burgundy Beef

I recently saw this in my Simple & Delicious magazine (Sept/Oct 2008), and I hope to try it soon. It looks, well, simple and delicious! ;-) It also feeds a good amount of people, so it would be great for a get together.

Ingredients

4 pounds beef sirloin tips, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 large onions, sliced
1 cup water
1 cup burgundy wine or beef broth
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked egg noodles

Directions

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pan juices. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until gravy is thickened. Serve with noodles.

Yields 10 servings

Salami Pasta Salad

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked small pasta shells
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh tomoatoes
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/2 cup cubed hard salami
1/2 cup whole ripe olives, quartered
2 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
1/3 cup chopped onion

Dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the green pepper, tomatoes, pepperoni, salami, olives, cheese and onion.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake well. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Yields 9 servings

**Thoughts~Very tasty! I used tri-color fiori noodles. Excellent side dish!**

Hellmann's Classic Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni (about 1-3/4 cups)
1 cup Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon Hellmann's Creamy Dijion Mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in macaroni, celery, green pepper and onion. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 5 cups

Beef & Tomato Mac

Ingredients

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions.Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes and corn. Drain macaroni; stir into beef mixture. Cook, uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until heated through; season with salt and pepper.

**Thoughts~I sometimes add some butter to this while I am cooking. I just love the buttery flavor.**

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients

1 (6 ounce) pkg. spaghetti, cooked and drained

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese

2 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese

1 pound hamburger, browned

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Directions

Cook and drain spaghetti. Combine with butter, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and beaten eggs. Place in a 9 x 9 inch buttered dish. Spoon cottage cheese over spaghetti. Add meat sauce and top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

**Thoughts~This recipe is so easy and good. I have taken it to people when they have had babies and it always seems to be appreciated and enjoyed.**