Manwich Sloppy Joes

Looking back and seeing that I only posted about 2 recipes this year I realized I have to get in gear and add some more of the yummy things I'm cooking up in my kitchen. Since a lot of my time is now taken up by my little one (she's a joy!) I have been looking for dishes that are relatively simple to throw together and don't take too long to cook. I have a lot less time at night to get dinner together, but I still don't care to reach for boxed or processed food. It happens once in a while, but mainly I've been finding some pretty easy recipes that have been turning out pretty tasty. If all else fails and I have no energy or plan for dinner, I have pizza dough in the freezer and can whip up some kind of pizza pretty quickly!

Ryan actually made this sloppy joe recipe one night. Since he has Mondays off, he has taken to cooking a little more. Usually I find the recipe and often it is something made in the crockpot, but it is really helpful nonetheless. This is the mock Manwich recipe which tastes great!

Manwich Sloppy Joes
8 oz tomato sauce
1 c. ketchup
1 T. minced onion
1 T. green pepper, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix in bowl. Brown 1 pound of ground beef. Drain the meat and add the sauce. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Meatball Stew with Winter Vegetables

I guess I'm on a soup kick lately. I'm not a huge meatball person, but I saw this recipe and thought it sounded pretty good. It was simple to put together and it still tasted great after simmering way longer than it was supposed to since Ryan was outside working until late. Perfect fall comfort food!

Meatball Stew with Winter Vegetables From Better Homes and Garden

2 medium potatoes (unpeeled), cut into 1" pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 T instant beef bouillon granules (I used 3 cubes)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme or oregano (I used a combo)
1 tsp dried rosemary or basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 recipe Seasoned Meatballs
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces (I didn't have any of these)
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup flour

Seasoned Meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs, 1 tsp minced dried onion, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp garlic salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Add 1 pound lean ground beef, mix well. Shape into 30 1" balls.

In a Dutch oven, bring 4 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, bouillon granules, bay leaf, thyme or oregano, basil or rosemary and pepper. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare meatballs. Add sweet potatoes and parsnips to hot broth mixture. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes more or until vegetables are tender and meatballs are fully cooked. Stir in frozen peas. Stir together 1/2 cup cold water and the flour. Stir flour mixture into hot broth mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

Easy Beef Barley Soup

If you live in South Dakota, the weather continues to be such that you look forward to the hot soups or casseroles for dinner. It has been cold and rainy and yucky today which is pretty much what it's been like for the last week or so and looks like it will continue to be for at least the next week. Tonight we're actually having a beef roast in the crock pot, but I had made this soup a couple weeks ago and it was so tasty and easy. I never cooked with barley before and it was really tasty in this delicious, creamy soup.

Easy Beef Barley Soup From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking
1/2 pound ground beef (I used the whole pound)
2 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp flour
3 cans (14 oz each) beef broth
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup medium pearl barley
1 can (5 oz) evaporate milk
2 T tomato paste

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook and stir the beef, mushrooms, celery and onion until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Stir in the carrots, potato, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in the barley. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until barley is tender. Whisk in milk and tomato paste; heat through.

Cowboy Spaghetti

I love cookbooks and even though I have at least 30 of them, I found a Rachel Ray cookbook at a rummage the other day and couldn't resist buying it. It's my first Rachel Ray cookbook, though I have made some of her recipes before from her magazine and website. This pasta recipe was so easy to put together Sunday night when I was feeling kind of lazy. It was something different from regular spaghetti and didn't take much time at all. The little bit of bacon in it made it even extra special :)

Cowboy Spaghetti From Rachel Ray Express Lane Meals
1 pound spaghetti
1 T olive oil
3 slices smoky bacon, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp hot sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 14 oz can chopped or crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
4 scallions, trimmed, chopped (I omitted since I didn't have these)

Cook spaghetti until al dente in a big pot of salted water. Drain.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and bacon. Brown and crisp the bacon for 5 minutes and remove with slotted spoon to paper-towel lined plate. Drain of some of the excess fat, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the beef and crumble it as it browns. Add the onions and garlic and stir into the meat. Season the meat with salt and pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes more, then stir in the tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Add the hot spaghetti to the meat and sauce and combine. Adjust the seasonings and serve up the pasta in shallow bowls. Sprinkle shredded cheese and scallions over and serve.

Taco Soup

I love this easy, fast soup to put together. I used up some of our garden bounty from last year making this delicious soup. It tastes great with some corn chips, cheese and sour cream over the top of it too!

Taco Soup From Simply in Season
1 pound ground beef, venison or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
6 cups tomato juice
2 cups corn
2 cups cooked kidney beans
1-3 T chili powder
1 T sugar or to taste

Brown meat and onion in soup pot. Add the remaining ingredients and heat to boiling. Simmer 10 minutes. Or place everything in a slow cooker and cook on low 2-4 hours. Serve over corn chips with sour cream and/or grated cheese.

Corny Tomato Dumpling Soup

It has been soooo cold here lately. I think our high today was about 1 or 2 degrees. It's supposed to at least warm up to about 8 degrees tomorrow, but unfortunately the rest of the week doesn't look much better. To help me stay warm here in the middle of this arctic cold, I made this yummy soup tonight. It was really tasty and made enough for me to take for lunch and eat for dinner for almost the rest of the week. Luckily it is really good!

Corny Tomato Dumpling Soup From Taste of Home
1 lb ground beef
3 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (14 oz each) beef broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Corn Dumplings:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 T minced fresh parsley (optional)

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef until no longer pink; drain. Stir in corn, tomatoes, broth, onion, garlic and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. For dumplings, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat egg; stir in milk, corn, cheese and parsley. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Makes about 2 quarts.

Basil Pan Burgers

Happy New Year!! I was so fortunate to have my sister here for the last week and celebrate New Years Eve with me. Since hubby is gone overseas for a few months its been kind of lonely around here, but I've been keeping busy with my dogs, cat and work. It was nice to have another person around here for a change. My sister is a great person to have visit too! She helped me start to clean, organize and declutter. I'm trying to get rid of things that I haven't used in ages and will probably never use and that is a specialty of my sister's. She left for WI today and we'll miss her!! While she was here, I made these pan burgers for dinner one night. They were really yummy, kind of like meatloaf in a burger. They went together pretty quick and turned out great. I served these with some sweet potato fries and some green beans from the freezer that grew out in my garden this summer.

Basil Pan Burgers From Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T fine dry bread crumbs
2 T fresh snipped basil or 1 tsp dried basil, crushed
2 T ketchup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split

In a medium bowl, combine egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, basil, ketchup, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add beef; mix well. Shape beef mixture into 4 3/4" thick patties.

Lightly coat a heavy skillet with cooking spray or use nonstick skillet. Preheat skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add patties. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes or until temperature registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, turning patties once halfway through cooking. If patties brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium low. Serve on buns with basil leaves and tomato slices, if desired.

Bounty Rice

I've been kind of busy around here and am leaving tomorrow night for a 3 day walk in Phoenix, AZ for breast cancer. It's been hectic here, but I've still been doing some cooking and baking. I made this dish for dinner last night to use up some cabbage that I had bought at the farmers market a few weeks ago. Cabbage keeps really well, but I figured it would be best to use it up in a few weeks versus a few months. My husband doesn't really care for cabbage either so I thought I could kind of hide it in this rice casserole. It did turn out really tasty and Ryan did eat the cabbage too!

Bounty Rice From Simply in Season

1/2 to 1 lb ground beef or sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
4 cups canned tomatoes
4 cups shredded cabbage
3 cups cooked rice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Saute meat, onions and green pepper in large frypan until meat is browned and veggies are soft. Add the next 7 ingredients and mix well. Continue cooking on stovetop 10-15 minutes until cabbage is tender or place in large baking dish. Stir in sour cream. If baking, bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes until cabbage is tender and then top with cheese. Continue baking until cheese melts. For stovetop, stir in sour cream and top with cheese. Let melt and serve.

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

I've never made one of these impossible pies before (the crust kind of forms by itself). I found myself a bit unprepared for dinner one night and this looked like it would be easy enough to throw together. I defrosted the meat in the microwave, chopped up some onion and green pepper and had it ready to put in the oven in about 10 to 15 minutes. I like meals with not a lot of prep time when I don't have much time. This was pretty tasty. Serve with ketchup and mustard and pickle slices for a real cheeseburger taste.



Impossible Cheeseburger Pie From Grandma's recipes

1 lb ground beef

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup bisquick (use homemade version here)

1 1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese



Grease 10" pie plate. Brown beef, onion and peppers in skillet until brown. Drain. Stir in salt and pepper and spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese. Beat bisquick, milk and eggs about 1 minute. Pour into pie plate over meat. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake about 5 minutes more. Let sit a few minutes before slicing.

Mexican Lasagna

Here's a great recipe for a quicker, more zipped up version of lasagna. This turned our really good and gave us plenty of leftovers for lunches throughout the week.

Mexican Lasagna From Weekday Gourmet Meals in Minutes

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 1 pound)
1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix or use homemade mix here
1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned (used up the last of my garden tomatoes)
2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
1 can (4 oz) green chilies
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
10 corn tortillas (I used 8 flour tortillas)
2 1/2 cups (10 oz) grated Monterey Jack cheese (or cheddar cheese)
*I also added a small summer squash from my garden, just chopped it up and added with the tomatoes.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, stirring until cooked through; drain fat. Add Taco seasoning mix, seasoned salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chilies; blend well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and eggs. In bottom of 9 x13 baking dish, spread 1/2 of meat mixture. Top with 1/2 of tortillas; spread 1/2 of ricotta mixture over tortillas and top with 1/2 of grated Monterey Jack cheese. Repeat layering, ending with grated cheese. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Mexican Rice

I went raspberry picking the other night and brought home 12 pounds of berries. So good! They were turned into jam, wine, frozen berries and frozen puree. The picking took a little longer than expected and I didn't have anything planned for dinner. I thought about stopping and picking up something on my way home, but then remembered this recipe from the cookbook that I put together. It was quick to put together which was a relief since my stomach was looking forward to dinner. The longest part was defrosting and browning the beef. This isn't a very fancy dish, but it is filling and delicious!

Mexican Rice From Cooking for a Cure
1 lb ground beef
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can chili style canned tomatoes (I used plain diced tomatoes)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Cooked rice

Brown hamburger and add tomatoes, sauce, beans and spices. Let simmer. Cook desired amount of rice. Serve hamburger mixture over rice. Garnish with sour cream, cheese and a dash of hot sauce if desired.

Easy Taco Casserole

Another great recipe from the Cooking for a Cure cookbook. The recipe comes from a woman at work and it is really simple to put together and a nice variation on tacos. It almost resembled a taco salad with all the lettuce and tomatoes and sour cream piled on top. Yum!

Easy Taco Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. salsa
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 c. Miracle Whip
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 c. crushed tortilla chips
1 c. shredded Colby cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped
chopped black olives
2 c. shredded lettuce
sour cream

In a saucepan, brown ground beef and drain. Add salsa, miracle whip and chili powder. Mix well. In an ungreased 2 qt. baking dish, layer half the meat mixture, half the chips and half the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Just before serving, top with tomato, lettuce, black olives and a dab of sour cream.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

My zucchini plants are really starting to produce finally. I think they were all dead by this time last year, but I'm glad we're finally able to enjoy that delicious summer squash! I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website and it was really good. Ryan said he never would have guessed that the "crust" is actually zucchini!

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
1 medium green pepper, chopped

Place zucchini in strainer; sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out moisture. Combine zucchini with the eggs, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add green pepper. Bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through.

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

This was a pretty quick dish to put together, it just took a while to bake. The house smelled so yummy though as this was cooking up. This is great when you just don't know what to make since more than likely most of the ingredients are in your cupboard or freezer already!

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

1 pound ground beef
16 oz can whole tomatoes (or diced)
16 0z can peas, drained (or frozen)
1 can condensed tomato soup
6 oz noodles
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 375. Spray sides and bottom of 2 qt casserole dish with cooking spray. Place ground beef in casserole and break apart with fork (I cooked it first, it looks like that's not necessary though). Stir in tomatoes (with liquid), peas, tomato soup, uncooked noodles, onion, celery and salt and pepper. Mix well and cover. Bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

We tend to have homemade pizza about every week or two and this week we tried pizza a little different. This spaghetti casserole was a cinch to put together and baked up so tasty. You could cut back on the cheese a bit if you want to lighten it up some. I added some red pepper to the meat as it cooked. You could add onion, green peppers or mushrooms as well.

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

7 oz pkg spaghetti cooked and drained
1 pound hamburger, cooked and drained
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz pkg cheddar cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp oregano
32 oz jar Prego spaghetti sauce
16 oz pkg shredded mozzarella cheese, divided in half

Place spaghetti in lightly greased 9x13" pan. Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour mixture over spaghetti. Layer on cheddar cheese, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, hamburger, oregano, sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes, covered. If using tin foil, spray lightly. Allow to rest 5 minutes before eating.

Cheeseburger Casserole

This is one of those great old recipes from a church cookbook. Those cookbooks always seem to have good, made from scratch recipes and tons of good casserole recipes. It is really cold here right now so the weather is perfect for a good ole casserole. I had all the ingredients on hand for this dish and it was actually pretty simple to make.

Cheeseburger Casserole From Country Cooking

1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 oz) tomato soup
1 cup (8 oz) peas, drained (I used frozen)
salt and pepper
8 cubes (3/4") cheese (I used shredded)
1 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 T shortening
1/3 cup plus 1 T milk

Brown the ground beef and onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Add tomato soup and peas. Salt and pepper to taste. Put mixture into a 1 1/2 qt greased baking dish.
Make cheese filled biscuits: In mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut shortening until particles are fine. Add milk. Stir until dough clings together. Knead dough on slightly floured board 12 times. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Mold dough around cheese cubes. Place on casserole. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until a deep golden brown. Serves 4.

Barbecue Meatloaf

This was a quick meatloaf to put together and it was really tasty. It didn't really keep in a solid loaf for me after cooking (i.e. it kind of feel apart),but it was yummy anyway. Ryan really enjoyed it too.

Barbecue Meatloaf From Kraft.com

1 pound ground beef
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1/2 c onion finely chopped
1/2 c thick and spicy barbecue sauce (or whichever kind you prefer)
1 egg, beaten

Mix the above ingredients together, except for 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce. Shape into a loaf in an 8x12" pan and bake at 375 for 50-55 minutes or until temperature reaches 160 in the center. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon remaining 1/4 cup sauce over top.

Veryl's Hot Dish

I'm not sure who Veryl is, but his hot dish is tasty. I got this recipe from the Saint Anne's Church Cookbook. I was looking for a dish I could make with things I already had at home so I didn't have to make a trip to the store. This was so good...another hot casserole on a cold, windy night. I do really enjoy those comfort foods as the weather is cooling off and the snow has started falling. This is a cheesy dish that I will definitely make again.

Veryl's Hot Dish

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 1 pound of ground venison)
1 medium onion, diced
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 pkg medium egg noodles, cooked
grated cheddar cheese

Saute onion in butter or margarine. Add meat and brown. Mix in other ingredients except cheese. Put in greased casserole. Bake 30-45 minutes at 375. Put cheese on top for the last 15 minutes.

Potato Sloppy Joe Bake

I made this the other night when I was looking for something quick and easy to make. It was easy to put together and a delicious casserole for a cold fall night.

Potato Sloppy Joe Bake from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking

1 pound ground beef
1 can (15 oz) sloppy joe sauce
1 can cream of potato soup (I used cream of mushroom)
1 pkg (32 oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed (I put in frozen and cooked longer)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain. Add sloppy joe sauce and soup. Place hashbrowns in a greased 9x13" pan. Top with beef mixture. Cover and bake at 450 for 20 minutes (40-45 if hashbrowns frozen). Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese.

Sloppy Joes

I was talking to mom the other night and she said that they were having sloppy joes for dinner. I wasn't sure what we were going to have so that sounded good. I found this recipe in Grandma's cookbook. It was easy and fast.

Sloppy Joes

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
1 green pepper, chopped

Brown meat, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve on buns.