Marianne's Manicotti

OK. This recipe is yummy and easy—it doesn't require stuffing cooked manicotti shells that break. I got it from my old roommate Marianne an it is a favorite now for when Corlan is out of town and I can indulge in some cheese!

1 block shredded mozzarella
1 container ricotta cheese (the bigger option not the smaller one)
1 box manicotti shells uncooked
1 jar ragu sauce
Parmesan cheese
Optional: fresh or dried basil

Mix mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and basil (if using). Pour half the Ragu sauce in the bottom of a pan. Stuff into dry manicotti shells and place them in the pan. Fill Ragu bottle the rest of the way with water. Shake until remaining pasta and water have mixed. Pour over noodles.

Cover with foil and cook at 350 for 60 minutes. Remove cover and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Cheeseburger Macaroni
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning (or homemade taco seasoning)
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (or petite diced tomatoes)
2 cups beef broth (or water)
1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked

Directions:
Brown and drain ground beef. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, beef broth, and macaroni and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 12-14 minutes until macaroni is tender.
Now make the cheese sauce:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 4-5 minutes until it becomes fragrant and starts to turn a light brown color. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and mixture starts to thicken. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture. Stir gently to combine.

This is seriously good 

Enchilada Pasta

http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/12/09/one-pan-enchilada-pasta/

Fast, easy, and yummy!

Spaghetti casserole

This was really easy and turned out pretty good

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/11/baked-cream-cheese-spaghetti-casserole.html#more

Tomato and Basil Pasta

This one is for Amy with her abundance of tomatoes and basil. Mom and I made this the other day and it turned out pretty good. I think you could grill a piece of chicken to cut up in it and it would be tasty too. We put more Parmesan cheese on top because we are both believers that there is never too much Parmesan!

http://kitchentrialanderror.blogspot.com/2010/08/creamy-tomato-pasta.html

Pasta Bake

We made this for lunch today. I was a little skeptical of it, but it turned out really good. and it was easy to make.

http://jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/2012/04/cheesy-sausage-and-tomato-shells.html

Marinara Sauce

1 28 oz. can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 c. olive oil
8 fresh Basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper to taste

Combine in a sauce pan and simmer 15-20 minutes. I will also put this in a crock pot and add extra veggies (Zuccini, onion, peppers, etc.) and then use a submersion blender to make it a sauce.

My Favorite Chicken Pesto Pasta

So I have made this so often that I kind of just make up my own measurements and add however much I want of everything. You need:

Spagetti noodles

Chicken 1-2 pieces

1 Jar artichoke hearts (cut up)

1 Jar pesto

Sun dried tomatoes

Spinach

And last night I added bacon and it was way yummy!

Cooking instructions:

Start by cutting the chicken into cubes and then cooking them on a skillet. Once the chicken is fully cooked add the artichoke hearts, spinach, and sun dried tomatoes. saute it all together until the spinach in no longer fluffy :) Then add the jar of pesto to the noodles.

When I serve it I usually keep the noodles and veggies separate because it is easier to work with. I hope you like it!