Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Meatloaf

3 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, (I used Croutons & Oatmeal in place of this)
3-1/2 cups milk
1 cup minced onion
2 eggs
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Combine all ingredients. Divide into two foil loaf pans (9"x5"x3"). Wrap, label and freeze.

On cooking day:
Remove from freezer and unwrap 2 1/2 hours before cooking. Preheat oven to 350F, cooking for 2-1/2 hours. Shorten cooking time by removing from freezer in the morning, checking for doneness after one hour of cooking.

Mexi Beef Casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 15-oz can sweet corn, drained
1 cup mild, chunky salsa
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 pkg cooked egg noodles
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup taco sauce
1 package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Cook egg noodles according to instructions, drain. Meanwhile, brown beef in a skillet until brown and fully cooked. Drain any grease. In a bowl, combine all ingredients, then pour into a freezer container or a 9x13 baking dish. Freeze (may want to allow it to come down to room temperature before placing in freezer)
On cooking day, thaw completely in fridge (take it out the night before or morning of).

In a preheated 325F oven, cook for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly and completely hot throughout. Serve!

Cheesey Rotini

1/2 lb corkscrew rotini noodles
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 28oz can tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 4oz can sliced mushrooms
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook rotini noodles according to package instructions. In large skillet, brown ground beef with onions and green pepper until cooked through. Add remaining ingredients except for the two cheeses. Stir well and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Add cooked rotini noodles. Pour into casserole, top with 2 layers each of Mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool and freeze.

On cooking day:
Defrost, and bake in preheated 350F oven for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.