15 Minute Beef Ramen

 2 Tsp Olive Oil

1 lb ground beef

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tsp brown sugar

2 (3-oz) packages ramen, flavor packets can be discarded

9 oz slow mix (about 4 cups)

1 cup shredded carrots

Instructions

1. Heat large, high-sided skillet or heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and ground beef, breaking apart meat into small chunks. Cook for 3 minutes until beginning to brown.

2. Add the salt and garlic, and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add soy, stock and sugar. Turn the heat to high and bring to a strong simmer.

4. Add the ramen noodles and cook 2-3 minutes or until noodles begin to soften but are not fully cooked, flipping the ramen several times to evenly coat the noodles in the broth.

5. Add the slaw and carrots, stirring to combine. Cook additional 2-3 minutes for the noodles to completely cook and the vegetables to soften. Serve immediately. 

Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Soup

 Just saw this recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good. Adding it here so I can recycle the paper recipe.

Ingredients:

2 TBS Butter

2 TBS Olive Oil

4 Cloves garlic, minced

1 TBBS Italian Seasoning

1/2 C. Dry White Wine

1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained

2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes with basil

1 tsp salt

1 pkg gnocchi

Grated parmesan cheese (optional for serving)

Fresh basil, chopped (optional for serving)

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt butter with oil. Add garlic and Italian Seasoning. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and boil about 1 minute. Stir in beans, tomatoes and salt. Remove from heat. 

2. Using blender, puree soup until smooth.

3. Return soup to pot over medium-high heat and stir in gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook about 15-20 min. 

4. Serve topped with parmesan and basil. 

Easy Ground Beef Goulash

 This is probably nothing like traditional Goulash, but it is delicious, easy and everyone in my family likes it, so that is a huge win! We serve it over spaghetti for the kids and spaghetti squash for the adults. You can also add some shredded cheese to the top, though it is delicious without it.

*Originally from iwashyoudry.com. I made some changes to the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup of onion, diced

2 lbs ground beef

3 tsp minced garlic

2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes (I puree these because one of my kids doesn't like tomatoes)

1 6 oz can tomato paste

3 cups beef broth

3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbs Italian seasoning

3 Bay leaves

Spaghetti/macaroni, uncooked

Directions:

The original directions called for cooking the macaroni in the Goulash, but since we serve it to the adults over spaghetti squash, I cook the pasta separately.

1. Add olive oil into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and beef and cook until beef is cooked through. Drain excess fat and return to stove. Add garlic and stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds)

2. Pour in tomatoes, paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves (and pasta if you are cooking it in the sauce). Stir and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 min.

3. Meanwhile, I cook the pasta to al dente.

4. Remove the bay leaves and serve over pasta/spaghetti squash. You can add shredded cheese on top if desired (mozzarella or cheddar work great).

Beef Burgundy

Beef Burgundy

2 lbs. lean beef cut in 1 ½ in. cubes.  Do not brown.  I usually buy sirloin tip roast and have butcher cut it up.

4 med. carrots, sliced

1 c. celery, sliced

1 lb. can of whole tomatoes.  I use whole tomatoes and then cut up a little.  You could use diced if you want.

½ pkg. onion soup mix (dry)

1 c. mushrooms (6 ¾ oz. jar)

4 oz. sherry (I used burgundy)

3 T. cornstarch

1 T. paprika

1 T. salt – I usually use ½ T.  Seems like a lot of salt to me.

2 T. sugar

Combine in a casserole and cover.  Bake 6 hours in 250 degree oven.  Can also be baked in a crockpot on low. Serve over noodles or rice.

Cincinnati style chili

I know dad won't like this, but my kids deemed it better than Skyline! A few years ago there was a chili cook off published in Cincinnati Magazine. This recipe was submitted by the chef at Daveeds and is so, so good. Serve over spaghetti or hotdogs with cheddar cheese on top.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1t chili powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
6oz tomato paste
4 1/2 c beef stock
1oz dark chocolate

Put everything in a large soup pan. Set temperature to medium high., and bring it to a simmer. Then reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours. Add salt and pepper if desired. It also said to blend it at the end, but I don't do that. Enjoy!

Easy Stir Fry Sauce

*originally from food.com

This was super easy to make, and it can store in the fridge, too. I used this with frozen stir-fry veggies and served over pasta. Yummy!

In a large jar with a lid, add:

2-3 T cornstarch
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. ground ginger or a bit of fresh minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups broth (any kind)

Put on the lid and shake well. To use, stir fry the veggies and/or meat and then add sauce (I used about 1/3 - 1/2 of what the recipe made). Bring to boil, boil for 1 minute until slightly thickened.

Elizabeth's Pasta Salad

Elizabeth brought this to small group last week, and it was really good. It was filling enough to be a main dish if you had a salad or something to go with it.

4 diced cooked chicken breasts

1 lb of rotini cooked and cooled

1 red pepper diced

2.5 cups of diced celery

1 red onion

mix together

Dressing

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

3/4 c mayo

1/3 c dijon mustard

1.5 t salt

1 t coarse pepper

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c dillweed

~Mix together. 

Trudy's Pasta e Fagioli

(This is not the Trudy that we buy our meat from, but I picked up this recipe at our Farmer's Market last summer)

1 lb ground beef or sausage
1 (15 oz) can chicken stock
2 Tblsp beef bouillon
64 oz tomato sauce/juice (We liked it best using 64 oz of a simple, traditional spaghetti sauce)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil (I used a couple handfuls of fresh basil because I had some to use up, and it was delicious!)
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp garlic (I used garlic powder, but fresh would probably be even better)
3/4 c. julienne carrots
3/4 c. celery, sliced
2 (15 oz) cans of beans (any kinds: kidney, red, cannelloni, etc.)
1/2 lb. Ditalini pasta (I couldn't find this, so I used rotini)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown sausage or beef in a large stock pot. Drain and but back into the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients while warming on the stove. Once you have added the pasta, let cook for at least 30  minutes (longer for a thicker soup). STIR OFTEN to keep pasta from sticking to the bottom.

Baked Spaghetti

Here's an old classic. I have had so many people ask for the recipe that I'm posting it on here so I don't have to keep retyping it! If I am making to bring to a friend, I often bake it in two square pans instead of a 9x13... one for them and one for us!

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
3 c. Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 lb of bulk sausage, cooked in a pan until brown and crumbly
32 oz of spaghetti sauce

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 9x13 pan.
2. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add milk and 1 1/2 c. of cheese.
3. Add spaghetti into the egg/milk mixture. Pour into sprayed pan and bake for 15 min.
4. Turn oven down to 350. Cover spaghetti with sauce. Make sure that all of the spaghetti is covered. Add the remaining cheese and then sprinkle the sausage on top.
5. Bake for 30 min. at 350.