LAYERED FIESTA CASSEROLE

This is a Kraft Foods recipe and photo.Therefore their brands are listed in the ingredients.

1

lb.  extra-lean ground beef

1

 green pepper, chopped

1

 red pepper, chopped

1

jar  (16 oz.) TACO BELL® Thick & Chunky Salsa

1

can  (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1

pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen corn

12

 corn tortillas (6 inch)

1-1/2

cups  KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided

HEAT oven to 375°F.

BROWN meat with peppers in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet. Stir in salsa, tomatoes and corn.

SPREAD 1 cup meat mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with 6 tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Cover with layers of half each of the remaining meat mixture and cheese; top with remaining tortillas and meat mixture. Cover.

BAKE 25 to 30 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining cheese; let stand, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted. 

FRESH CITRUS SALAD

2 small-size red grapefruits

2 large size navel oranges
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup diced strawberries

Peel the grapefruits and oranges; cut into rounds and arrange on a serving platter.

Whisk together the marmalade, vinegar, and ginger; toss with the avocado and strawberries. Pour over the citrus slices.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

file photo

THE VERY BEST SALISBURY STEAK

Several friends have shared this recipe with me saying it is the best. You can judge for yourself.

1 (10 1/2 ounce) cans Campbells French onion soup
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1 -3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup water

In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and black pepper.
Shape into 6 oval patties.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties.
Pour off excess fat.
.
In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth.
Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.
Pour over meat in skillet.
Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Courtesy of food.com

file photo

CHICKEN PICCATA MEATBALLS

1 cup seasoned fine dried breadcrumbs

3 shallots, minced

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup half-and-half cream

1 tbsp capers, coarsely chopped, + 2 tbsp whole capers

3 tbsp minced fresh parsley + more for garnish

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 lb ground chicken

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine (or more chicken broth)

2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note above)

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

6 tbsp cold butter, cubed

Angel hair pasta for serving 4

In a large bowl stir together 1/3 cup of the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the shallots, egg, Parmesan, half-and-half, chopped capers, 1 tbsp of the parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add chicken and stir gently until combined.

Put remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Shape chicken mixture into 12 meatballs. Roll meatballs in the breadcrumbs to lightly coat.

Heat oil in a very large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs in hot oil, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove meatballs from skillet.

Add the whole capers and remaining shallots to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly 1 minute. Add wine, then use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add broth and bring to a boil. Return meatballs to skillet. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, 6 to 7 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatballs registers 165-degrees.

Push meatballs to one side of the pan and reduce heat to low. Whisk in lemon juice and butter, one piece at a time, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Remove from heat. Stir gently to coat meatballs in sauce. Serve immediately over pasta. Garnish with additional parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

recipe and photo allrecipes 2025

LEMONY COCONUT AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (around 4 cups)

3/4 cup peeled, sliced carrot

1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium garlic clove, minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 carton (32-oz) low-sodium vegetable broth

1 can (14-oz) unsweetened coconut milk

3 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Micro green and cracked black pepper for garnish

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add carrot, cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in leek and garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir cumin and coriander into the mixture. Stir in broth, coconut milk and lemon juice. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until potatoes and carrot are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the salt.

Divide soup among 4 bowls and top with the spinach. Garnish with the microgreens and black pepper.

Leftover soup, that has not been garnished, may be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight contain for up to 4 days.

NOTE: This recipe is both gluten-free and vegan.

recipe and photo allrecipes 2025

THREE-CHEESE VEGETABLE PASTA TOSS

4-oz dried whole wheat elbow macaroni (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp coarse or Pink Himalayan salt, optional

1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (according to taste)

1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1 pkg (8-oz) sliced fresh mushrooms

1 pkg (10-oz) fresh baby spinach

1 jar (23.5-oz) no-salt-added traditional pasta sauce

1/2 cup (2-oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a 4-qt Dutch oven bring 4 cups water to boiling. Add macaroni and cook according to the package directions (do not add salt). Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and seasonings. Set aside.

In a very large nonstick skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until tender. Add spinach and cook, tossing until wilted and liquid is evaporated. Drain well, if needed.

Drain cooked pasta well. Stir cheese mixture into hot pasta. Stir in pasta sauce and cook until bubbly. Stir in the mushroom-spinach mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

file photo

MEXICAN-STYLE CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb velveeta cheese, regular or Mexican
1 can(s) rotel tomatoes, regular or hot
1 lb spaghetti pasta
1 stick butter
1 can(s) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can(s) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, red or green, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1 Boil chicken breasts in a large pot adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper to water.
2 Remove chicken when completely done, about 10 to 12 minutes.
3 Boil spaghetti pasta in remaining broth according to package directions. Drain pasta after done and discard water. Set aside the pasta...Do not rinse.
4 Melt the butter in that same (empty) pot and sauté the onion and bell pepper.
5 Add tomatoes, soup, cooked chicken (cut into bite-size pieces) and spaghetti to the sauteed onion mixture, one at a time, and gently mix together.
6 Add cheese and stir together, mixing well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7 Heat until cheese is melted thoroughly, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching.

the file photo

BREAKFAST TATER TOT CASSEROLE

This recipe is on this blog because it goes together quickly. You can get this into the oven and go about your busy morning while it bakes. This is a repost of a very popular 2014 recipe.

1 lb breakfast sausage-browned, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs beaten, add pepper if you like
2 cups milk, mix with eggs
2 lbs Tater Tots

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9x13 pan layer the sausage first, then cheese. Pour egg mixture over meat and cheese. Cover pan with Tater Tot layer.
Bake 45-50 minutes. Let it rest 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Yield: 8 servings

Variation: Add 3 to 6 strips of bacon to the sausage, if desired.

file photo

OLD FASHION HOOSIER GERMAN CABBAGE

1 medium head cabbage, grated

1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 tbsp sugar

In a large skillet or a saucepan, cook the cabbage in the boiling water with the salt for two minutes. Drain water from the cabbage. In a small bowl combine the egg, vinegar, and sugar. Pour the egg mixture over the cabbage, cooking while stirring, only until the egg congeals. Remove from heat and season with more salt and black pepper, if desired.

Often served with barbecued chicken and with ham.

File Photo

CHEESY BEEFY BOWTIE PASTA

This is a recipe I saw on another site I belong to. It looked so good I had to try it. Yum! To my diabetic readers, do not worry about the pasta as there is so much protein in this recipe. Use a whole grain or no carb pasts, if you need to. I always use whole-grain pastas. You could also use ground chicken or turkey, if you prefer.

1.5 lbs ground beef

12 oz bowtie (farfalle) pasta

4 tbsp butter, divided

1 small onion, finely diced

7 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup beef broth

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1.5 cups heavy cream

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1.5 cups grated Parmesan

1.5 cups shredded mozzarella, divided

1 cup shredded cheddar

Salt and black pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook the bowtie pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender. Reserve a little pasta water, then drain and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, then stir in the garlic.

3. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Season with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.

4. Pour in the beef broth and let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring to combine all the flavors.

5. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. Stir in the heavy cream and cream cheese until the sauce is smooth.

6. Gradually add the Parmesan, cheddar, and 1 cup of the mozzarella, stirring until the cheeses melt into a rich, creamy sauce. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed.

7. Fold the cooked bowtie pasta into the skillet until every piece is coated with the cheese sauce.

8. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top and let it melt before finishing with fresh parsley and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan.

photo that was with the recipe