Meat & noodle casserole

Review by Lyndee:

½ cup diced onion

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 pounds lean ground beef, pork or turkey

½ bag macaroni or other noodles

1 cup cheddar

1 cup mozzarella cheeses

2 tbsp cream cheese

optional seasonings: I used salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic and a dash of hot sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brown onions and meat in pan.  Boil noodles according to directions and drain.  Once the meat is browned, mix in cream cheese and diced tomatoes.  Remove from heat and stir in noodles.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes.  Remove tinfoil and top with the shredded cheeses.  Bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is golden brown.  (This can also be refrigerated overnight and cooked the next day. ) Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy. 

I used ground pork for this recipe because it was something different and I had it on hand.  I used egg noodles instead of macaroni.  The original recipe did not call for the cream cheese but I felt it was a nice touch.  I made mine last night and warmed it up today for lunch.  I added a little bit of spaghetti sauce as I knew it probably dried out a bit in the fridge last night.  It was a pretty tasty casserole that was easy and cheap to make.    

NE Iowa Stroganoff

Review by Lyndee

1 lb ground beef

1 bag egg noodles

1 can cream of mushroom

1 cup skim milk

Velveeta

Onion

Boil egg noodles per package directions.  Brown ground beef with some sliced up onion.  Season with pepper and garlic powder.  Drain noodles when done and turn heat to medium.  Add the ground beef and remaining ingredients.  Stroganoff is done when cheese is melted and mixture is warmed through. 

My mom used to make this for us as kids and it’s one of my comfort food favorites on a cold day when you need something that is filling and delicious.  Super easy and cheap to make.  And it makes a pretty big batch so you can enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day!