Little Mama's Pasta Bake

Baked pasta is so yummy, and is a refreshing change from the standard, stove-top spaghetti.  I have tried many different recipes, and discerned what I liked and did not like about each one.  I will list simple ingredients along with ways to make them a little healthier in parentheses.

You will need:

• 1lb cooked pasta, any variety you like, al dente (use whole grain or whole wheat)
• 1 jar of pasta sauce (make your own pasta sauce with this simple recipe)
• 1lb ground beef, browned (use ground chicken or turkey)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (make this simple substitute from A Simple Frugal Life)
• 1/4 milk (use water if you prefer to leave out the milk or can't do dairy)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese, approximately (you can omit the cheese if you like)

Make it:

•  Preheat oven to 350.
• Combine milk (or water) with soup.
• Layer ingredients in a casserole dish or baking pan as follows; sauce, pasta, soup, cheese, pasta ... repeat.  Or, if you prefer ... just mix it all together and dump it in. 
• Bake, covered for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle with shredded cheese and parmesan cheese.  Bake, uncovered, a few minutes more until melted and bubbly.  (I prefer to add the cheese topping at the end so that it doesn't stick to my foil cover.)
• Serve with side of garlic bread and steamed veggies for a delicious meal!

YOUR Favorite Pasta Sauce

Making your own pasta sauce is very simple, and the "recipe" can be varied in so many ways that you really can't mess up.  There are no set ingredients or amounts of this and that ... you just use what you like.  My kind of recipe!  I know that the idea of not having a structured recipe can be scary, so I will give it some structure.  Remember, it's YOUR sauce ... make it the way YOU like it!

You will need:

• Tomato Puree; this can be canned or fresh, the amount is based on how much pasta you are making so for the sake of having a "recipe" to follow we'll say 3 to 4 cups.
• Your favorite diced veggies; suggestions - carrots, celery, green pepper, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, mushroom, garlic, maybe you like it spicy so add some chili pepper - Let's say about 2 cups
• Herbs; you have options here too, perhaps some herbs are too strong for you or you just don't like them.  The basics are parsley and basil (for me anyway), but you can also use an Italian Seasoning blend.  About a teaspoon or so depending on how strong you want it ... remember though, dried herbs tend to be stronger than fresh.

 Make It:

You have two options here, slow cook or quick cook.  Let's start with the slow cook method:

• Place all ingredients in a crock pot or stove top pot and simmer on low until veggies are tender and flavors are blended ... saving the herbs to stir in last.  Pretty simple!

And now the the quick cook method:

• Melt 2 T of butter or use your favorite cooking oil (such as virgin coconut oil) in a pan over medium low heat. 
• Saute veggies until tender.  Start with the firm veggies first (like carrots) and add the softer/more delicate ones closer to the end (like mushrooms).  A hint on this step ... garlic becomes very bitter if over cooked, so add it in a little later.  Also, remember that we want to gently saute the veggies not fry them, so make sure to control the heat.
• Stir in the tomato puree and simmer over low heat until warmed through.
• Add herbs, simmer for just a few minutes more then toss with pasta.
• If you need to thin your sauce, use a little of the cooking water from your pasta ... it will help it retain it's richness.
• Puree in blender or food processor if you do not care for chunky style sauce.

Now, in case you were wondering, here is what I put into my sauce:

• 1 large carrot, 1 medium green pepper, 1 stalk celery, 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 large mushroom, 1t. Italian Seasoning (I didn't have fresh on hand) and 1 pound of browned ground beef - 3 1/2 c. tomato puree.

Simply Healthy Snack

Have you ever read the nutrition label on a package of microwave popcorn?  Go do it now if you have some on hand, I'll wait ...

Are you back?  Gross, huh?  I won't tell you the brand that I am looking at, but it has partially hydrogenated oil, artificial flavor and color and propyl gallate (a preservative that according to fooducate.com has been tested on rats and may have caused cancer and has also been know to cause skin and stomach irritation.  It is banned in some countries).  Moving on ...

I found a blog that is a new favorite called Once a Mom Always a Cook.  I love her posts and I follow her on Facebook too!  A few days ago she posted on Facebook how to make your own microwave popcorn in a paper lunch bag.  You know I had to try it!  I love my Whirly-Pop, but it is a pain to get out and then clean for just a snack.

She suggested placing 2T of kernels in a paper lunch bag (fold over the top) and microwaving on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  Then add your favorite seasoning. 

I have a super power microwave and kids that LOVE popcorn, so I have been using 3T of kernels for not quiet 1 1/2 minutes.  It turns out perfectly!  Ingredient list:  popcorn, a dash of sea salt and a kiss of REAL butter (which contains cream only).  Sounds much better, right!?  Guess what!  You can make way more microwave popcorn out of a bag of kernels that costs a few bucks than you can out of a box of the pre-packaged kind that usually costs $5 depending on brand and store.

Enjoy!  And while you are at it, go say "hi" to Audra at Once a Mom Always a Cook ... you won't be disappointed!