Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

I actually happened to have all these ingredients on hand and decided to try Pepperoni Pizza Casserole for dinner last night. It was so good! We really like pizza in this house and this was a different take on regular pizza, using noodles for the "crust". It makes a good amount so we had lots of leftovers for lunch today. It smells like pizza, kind of looks like pizza and tastes like pizza. What a great comfort food!

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole From Sparks from the Fire

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or bulk sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 lb pepperoni, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms and juice
4-6 oz noodles, cooked
10 1/4 oz can pizza sauce
1 can tomato soup
1/2 can of water

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown meat; drain. Add onion, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Simmer 3 min. Combine pizza sauce, tomato soup, water and green pepper in separate bowl. Put 1/2 the noodles on the bottom of a greased 2 qt casserole dish. Top with 1/2 the sauce mixture, then 1/2 the meat mixture and half the cheese. Put a layer of pepperoni on top of cheese; repeat layers. Bake for 45 minutes.

Southwestern Chicken-Barley Soup

We had some good friends over the other week and were fortunate that their quick visit turned into a longer visit with more time to catch up with each other (thanks to the blizzard we were in the middle of). I made this for dinner one night and it was delish! Very simple to put together too, even after having to boil a frozen solid chunk of chicken for the soup (thanks microwave for not working!). We ate this with some yummy grilled cheese sandwiches. The perfect meal during not so perfect weather.

Southwestern Chicken-Barley Soup From The Ultimate Soup Cookbook
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1/2 cup medium pearl barley
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, drained
1 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cups cubed cooked chicken

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add 3 cups water, corn, beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, broth, barley, chiles, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, 45 minutes. Stir in chicken and cook 15 minutes or until chicken is heated through and barley is tender.