Spaghetti Pie

Here's a new twist on an old favorite- Spaghetti!! I came across this recipe a few years ago and have tried a few different variations- depending on what kind of meat I had on hand. The original recipe calls for a cut up sausage kielbasa- never tried it that way, but I've tried it with ground turkey sausage and regular 90% lean ground beef. It's good both ways, but I usually have the ground beef on hand more than the ground turkey sausage. My kids really like this and even Brady does- who is not a fan of noodles in any casserole form.

1 lb ground beef or sausage

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1 cup cottage cheese

3 egg whites

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

12 oz spaghetti

Mozzerella cheese for the top

Cook beef and add pasta sauce- simmer for 10 min. Cook Spaghetti noodles, drain, let cool for a few minutes. Add 2 egg whites and Parmesan cheese to spaghetti noodles. In a seperate bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1 egg white- mix until blended. In a 9 in Deep Dish Pie Plate pour in noodle combination and flatten on the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Add the cottage cheese mixture in the center and cover with the meat sauce. Bake uncovered 350 for 20 min. Add as much mozzerella cheese as you desire on top and bake for 5 more min. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Note: the noodles not covered by the pasta sauce will get kind of crispy- so spread the sauce out accordingly.

Loaded Baked Potato Bake

This is not really a recipe, it's really just an idea. I made it up last night and took it to some friends house for a potluck Football party. Everyone really liked it. I didn't get a nice picture before we started into it so here is a picture of the leftovers that I warmed up for us for lunch.

6-7 red potatoes, cubed (leave the skin on) I used the regular sized ones, not the tiny round ones. Put the chopped potatoes in a pot and just cover them with water. Add 4-5 tsp of Chicken boullion granules (or you can just boil them in chicken stock). Boil them until tender. Drain.

Put the boiled potatoes in a large bowl and add butter, sour cream and some shredded cheese (use just as much as your family likes) I used about 1/4 cup butter , 3/4 cup sour cream and 2 handfuls of shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and some dried chives that I had. You could even add chopped bacon if you have.

Put in a baking dish and cover with more shredded cheese. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.

Sun Dried Sausage & Penne

This is just one of my made up recipes that we have really enjoyed. It's one of those easy dishes that can be thrown together in 20 minutes and everyone really likes.

1/2-3/4 of a box of Penne noodles (or whatever pasta you like)

5 chicken sausages ((At Sam's Club they have these sausages seen in the picture- several different flavors- our favorite is Chicken and Apple) If you don't have a Sam's, any klebasa type sausage will work- Chicken ones are a lot more healthy and lower in fat and calories)

2 large tablespoons of Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pesto (you can get this -seen in the above picture) at any grocery store next to the pasta sauces. I also use the regular pesto too and it's great as well.

Slice the sausages on an angle and fry in a skillet, dump in the cooked noodles and stir in the pesto. Serve with a fresh spinach salad and you have a great meal.