Fast & Easy Dinner: Penne with Meat Sauce

Classic Bolognese — or pasta with meat sauce — can take hours to prepare. However, this updated version comes together in no time. Lean ground beef is cooked with onion before being tossed with a simple puree of tomatoes, red wine, and spices.

The black olives provide a salty kick, while chunks of mozzarella make this pasta comforting and delicious. Although the recipe calls for penne, feel free to use whatever thick pasta you have on hand.

 

Fast & Easy Dinner: Penne with Meat Sauce

 

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. lean ground beef

·         8 ounces dried penne

·         1/2 cup chopped onion

·         1 14-ounce can whole Italian-style tomatoes, undrained

·         1/2 of a 6-ounce can Italian-style tomato paste

·         1/4 cup dry red wine or tomato juice

·         1/2 teaspoon sugar

·         1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

·         1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

·         1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olives

·         1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)

Fresh oregano leaves (optional)

Preparation:

1.     Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Return pasta to hot pan; cover to keep warm.

2.     Meanwhile, in a very large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain off fat.

3.     In a blender or food processor, combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, dried oregano, and pepper. Cover and blend or process until smooth.

4.     Stir tomato mixture into meat mixture in skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

5.     Stir in cooked pasta and olives. Cover and heat through.

6.     Sprinkle individual servings with mozzarella cheese. If desired, garnish with oregano leaves.

Happy Cooking ☺

 

 

Mustard Maple Bacon Burgers

These Mustard Maple Bacon Burgers are absolutely amazing!!! They are very simple to make without a lot of ingredients and the flavor is explosive! A moist, satisfying, flavorful piece of heaven and the smell alone when they are cooking is enough to drive one crazy!

Mustard Maple Bacon Burgers

Ingredients:

For the Sauce

·         1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

·         2 tablespoons  maple syrup

·         1/4 cup Mayo

For the burgers

·         1 pound ground beef

·         1/2 cup no sugar added/unsweetened apple sauce

·         1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning (optional)

·         Salt and pepper

·         1/2-1 cup bread crumbs

·         4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked

·         4 hamburger buns

·         Hamburger fixing’s

Preparation:

1.       Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside in fridge.

2.       Preheat grill.

3.       Combine beef, apple sauce, seasoning, salt and pepper and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add more breadcrumbs if necessary to solidify mixture.

4.       Form into four patties. Grill to desired doneness.

5.       Place patties on buns with fixings, top with bacon and a large dollop of the sweet Dijon sauce.

Happy Cooking ☺

P.S. Check out more Awesome Burger Ideas Here



BBQ Meatball Burgers

Barbecue plus meatballs equal an incredibly delicious and super-

simple crowd-pleaser.



BBQ Meatball Burger

Ingredients:

·         1 pound fresh ground beef

·         1 cup finely chopped onion

·         2 cloves garlic; minced

·         1 egg, beaten

·         2 teaspoons yellow mustard

·         6 tablespoons breadcrumbs

·         1 teaspoon kosher salt

·         1/2 cup barbecue sauce

·         Your favorite Coleslaw

·         4 Buns

Preparation:

1.       Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl combine ground meat, onion, garlic, egg, mustard, breadcrumbs and salt. Form into 20 1 1/2-inch balls and place on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, 20 - 25 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a saucepan with barbecue sauce to keep warm.

Assemble Your Burgers

2.       First, it’s nice if you can lightly toast your buns. It gives them a nice toasty taste…and a firmer platform for the BBQ meatballs.

3.       Place however many meatballs you’ll need for your burgers (I use about 5 per burger). Place 5 or so meatballs on the bottom half of each bun. Top with your favorite coleslaw and serve.

Happy Cooking ☺

How to Save Money Buying Ground Beef

Ground beef is so versatile and the basic ingredient of many inexpensive meals. Here is a quick tip to save money buying ground beef.

I have been shocked at how expensive ground beef has been lately. But I found a way around the higher prices! At my supermarket, ground beef is $2.69 per pound. So a 4 pound pack is $10.76. BUT,when I go to the freezer section, a 4 pound box of frozen hamburger patties is only $6.99 for the box.

I buy the box of patties, and then at home I thaw out 4 patties. When they are thawed, you can cook them just like you would a pound of ground beef. You can mix them together with herbs to make an easy casserole , you can break the meat up for hamburger helper, or just cook them as burgers.

Using this tip saves a lot of money.

I saved $3.77 for 4 pounds of ground beef, or $0.94 per pound!

Frida’s Easy Goulash

Here’s a perfect, quick meal that can be put together with food from the pantry.

An easy goulash recipe that is guaranteed to please all the hungry mouths you have to feed. Effortless to prepare and kind to your budget, this dish is loaded with flavor and makes a satisfying dinner any day of the week!

 

Frida's Easy Goulash

 

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. ground beef

·         1/2 onion, minced or 2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1 cup water

·         1 beef bouillon cube

·         3/4 cup ketchup

·         1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

·         1 tablespoon brown sugar

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         2 teaspoons paprika

·         1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

·         Dash cayenne pepper

·         1/4 cup water

·         2 tablespoons flour

·         3 cups dry pasta

Preparation:

1.       Cook pasta, according to directions. 

2.       In a large skillet, brown hamburger, onions, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add water, bouillon, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper. 

3.       Simmer about 10 minutes.  Mix flour and water.  Stir into beef mixture, and simmer until thickened. 

4.       Drain pasta and combine everything!

Happy Cooking ☺

P.S.  Sign up Today and Get Money Saving Meal Ideas, Tips and Special Offers right to Your Inbox. Click Here.

Easy Enchilada Pie

Absolutely scrumptious!

One of my all-time favourite comfort foods is enchiladas; however they can be a lot of work.  So to quicken things up and keep the awesome flavour, I decided to make a big pie/lasagne like creation to satisfy my craving and impatience. 

Easy Enchilada Pie

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. (450 g) extra-lean ground beef

·         1 onion, chopped

·         1-1/2 cups salsa

·         1 Tbsp. taco seasoning mix

·         1 cup frozen corn

·         1 cup (1/2 of 19-fl oz. /540-mL can) rinsed red kidney beans

·         3 large flour tortillas

·         1-1/2 cups Tex Mex Shredded Cheese

Preparation:

1.     Heat oven to 400 F.

2.     Brown meat with onions in a large skillet. Add salsa, taco seasoning, corn and beans; mix well. Cover; simmer 5 min. Remove from heat.

3.     Place 1 tortilla in deep-dish 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray; top with layers of 1/3 each of the meat mixture and cheese. Repeat all layers twice; cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray.

4.     Bake 30 min. or until heated through, uncovering for the last 5 min. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Happy Cooking ☺

P.S.  Sign up Today and Get Money Saving Meal Ideas, Tips and Special Offers right to Your Inbox. Click Here.