Bethany's Lasagna

3/4 lb. ground beef
1 c. chopped onion (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
6 lasagna noodles
1 beaten egg
2 c. ricotta or cottage cheese (I usually use cottage because it comes on sale a lot)
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 t. dried parsley flakes
8 oz. mozzarella (it seems like I usually use more, enough to cover everything)

For meat sauce, cook meat, onion, and garlic in a large saucepan until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and if desired, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles.

For filling, combine egg, ricotta or cottage cheese, 1/4 c. of the parmesan cheese, and the parsley.

Layer half of the cooked noodles in a greased baking dish. Spread with half of the filling. Top with half of the meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese

This is really good mac and cheese. It's similar to almost every mac and cheese recipe I've tried, but I like the amount of cheese in it, the flavor of the seasoned salt and the amount of salt. It was really good. The only thing I would maybe cut back on next time was the amount of dry mustard.

Ingredients

4 cups Dried Macaroni
1 whole Egg Beaten
¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Whole Milk
2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, **this was a little much for me. Try it and see how you like it.**
1 pound Cheese, Grated
½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top

Spaghetti Carbonara

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh spaghetti, cooked al dente
4 large eggs, beaten
Salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all of the oil except for 3 tablespoons. Add the garlic. Season with black pepper. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the crispy bacon and the pasta. Saute for 1 minute. Season the eggs with salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble. Add the cheese and re-season with salt and pepper. Mound into serving bowls and garnish with parsley.

Tomato Ziti Bake

Preheat oven to 350. Cook ziti and rinse under cold water. Add to cooled pasta:

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
15 oz. package of ziti
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried basil

Place mixture into a 9x13-inch dish; drizzle with 1 cup half & half or whole milk. Cover and bake 1 hour. The half & half will bake into the pasta and add flavor and texture of ricotta.

Chet's Meatballs

Chet made these for dinner tonight. They were yummy!

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil.

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except olive oil by hand, using a light touch. Take a portion of meat in hand, and roll between palms to form a ball that is firmly packed but not compressed. Repeat, making each meatball about 2 inches in diameter.

2. In a large, heavy pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add meatballs in batches. Do not crowd. Brown well on bottoms before turning, or meatballs will break apart. Continue cooking until browned all over. Remove meatballs to a plate as each batch is finished. Let meatballs cool slightly; cover and refrigerate until needed.

Yield: About 16 meatballs.

Baked Pasta Shells

1 lb. small pasta shells cooked
1 jar spaghetti sauce
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 cups milk
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmasean cheese
1 cup mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a 9x13 pan and pour in cooked pasta shells. Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan. Add flour and stir for 2 or three minutes. Add salt, garlic powder, dry mustard, pepper, and milk and continue to cook and stir until sauce thickens. Once the sauce thickens, remove it from the heat and add parmesean cheese. Pour parmesean sauce over cooked shells. Pour spaghetti sauce over shells and parmesean sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella on top and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked to your liking. (We like our cheese to brown a little.)