Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole

3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 can (14 1/2oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasonings
2 cups nacho tortilla chips, crushed

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add the cheese, salsa, tomatoes, and taco seasoning.  Drain pasta; stir in beef mixture.

2.  Transfer to a greased 11x7 baking dish.  Cover and bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with tortilla chips.  Bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

I was a little worried as I made this that there would be overwhelming amounts of tomato.  However, this came out perfect.  It wasn't saucy at all.  I sprinkled a little bit of cheese over the top and then put the chips on it and baked it.  This really helped the chips to stick to it instead of being "loose".  This makes quite a bit of casserole, and the leftovers are good, but the chips get soggy.  I just crumbled up a few fresh ones over the top, and it was just as good as it was the night before.  However, the next time that I make this, I'm only going to put chips on half, and the just crumble fresh chips over the leftovers the next day.

Lemon Chicken with Pasta

Lemon Chicken with Pasta

1 1/2 cups uncooked medium pasta shells
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
6 tsp canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup reduced fat chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large resealable bag, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Add chicken a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.

2.  In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute chicken in 4 tsp oil until juices run clear.  Remove and keep warm.

3.  In the same skillet, cook onion in remaining oil over medium heat until tender.  Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended.  Gradually stir in broth and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

4.  Drain pasta; toss with lemon sauce.  Serve with chicken, sprinkle with cheese.

makes 4 servings

Cal 428; fat 12; fiber 2

I loved this, it was creamy, and lemony and just all around fabulous.  It was something that you would expect to find on a resturant menu.  My husband thought it was a little too lemony, so if you aren't a fan of the tart stuff, I would use a little less than the 1/4 cup of lemon juice called for. 

Taco Pasta Shells

Taco Pasta Shells

18 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 bottle (16 oz) taco sauce, divided
3 oz fat free cream cheese, cubed
2 tsp chili powder
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend, divided
20 baked tortilla chip scoops, coarsely crushed

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef until no longer pink; drain.  Add 1/2 cup taco sauce, cream cheese and chili powder; cook and stir until blended.  Stir in 1/4 cup cheese blend.

2.  Drain pasta and rinse with cold water; stuff each shell with about 2 tbsp beef mixture.  Arrange in an baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Spoon remaining taco sauce over the top.

3.  Cover and bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese blend.  Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with chips.

Makes 18 shells, 3 per serving
Cal 384; fat 13; fiber 3

These things are fabulous.  We like them the best with Pace brand taco sauce.  I also use the ground turkey and I typically only use a 1 pound package and it's more than enough to stuff the shells with.

South of the Border Casserole

South of the Border Casserole

1 tsp olive oil
1 pound extra lean ground beef
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced sweet green peppers
2 seeded, fresh jalapeno peppers, minced
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
2 cups nonfat sour cream
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz uncooked penne or macaroni pasta

1.  Add the olive oil to a nonstick pan and place over medium high heat.

2.  Add the ground beef, breaking it up, cook until no longer pink.  Drain any fat from the pan.

3.  Add the onions, green pepper, cooking until softened.  Stir in the jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, sour cream, honey, chili powder and salt.

4. Add the pasta. Stir, cover, lower the heat and gently simmer until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes.  Stir every five minutes, to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.


We love this stuff.  But I do things a whole lot differently than the recipe suggests.  I use ground turkey and add it, the onions, and green pepper to the pan at the same time.  Once that is finished up, I just dump.  I use diced tomatoes instead of whole, because otherwise you have to break up the tomatoes, and that just saves a step.  I don't use fresh jalapenos, I typically just use pickled, and depnding on how spicy we want it, depends on how much I add, but I don't add anywhere near 2 whole peppers.  If I actually have the fresh jalapeno, I typically only use half of one pepper.  Do it to your own liking.

Chicken Parmesan

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Combine 1/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, basil and cayenne.  Coat chicken breast in flour, dip in egg, and then in bread crumbs.  Brown breast in olive oil, then bake at 375* for 20 minutes.

This recipe was only half copied down when I recieved it.  So I don't know how many chicken breasts exactly this recipe makes.  I usually make anywhere between 4-6 and have leftover breading materials.  I don't brown it in the olive oil, I just throw them in a pan and bake them until the chicken is done.  When I had this (got the recipe from a friend), she had made the spaghetti, placed it in the bottom of the pan, placed the chicken on top, then sprinkled chees all over it, and baked it until the chicken was finished cooking.  She follows recipes better than I do.  It comes out really great, very resturant like taste.

Bacon Mac

Bacon Mac


3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 oz penne pasta
4 tsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
2 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
cooking spray

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tbsp salt to a boil. Add pasta, cook 8 minutes or until al-dente; drain.

3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk, bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155*. stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 tsp salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2 quart broiler safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.

makes 6 servings; about 1 cup each.

Cal 399; fat 13.8, fiber 2

Notes: I didn't add the salt to the water, I see no purpose, other than to waste salt and add sodium, so I never add salt to pasta water. My pasta always comes out just fine too. I used whole wheat pasta, don't use anything else anymore. I also used the Kraft 2% cheese.

This was really good the night I made it, however it was used as a side dish, Mac & Cheese was never a meal itself, so it's hard to adjust to that fact as an adult. The longer it sits in the fridge, the drier it gets. So make sure you can eat it all within a day or so of cooking it. Next time, I am going to "doctor" it up. Instead of just plain ole mac & cheese, I'm going to double the sauce recipe, and add chicken, broccoli, cauliflower and probably a few baby carrots. I'll steam the veggies and have the chicken already cooked and chopped and throw it in before I broil it. I also have a cheese sauce recipe that I may substitute and see if I can't cut the calories down once I doctor it. It's not that great leftover as it tastes like plain noodles.  So I highly reccomend doing something else with it if you have leftovers.

Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese

Sloppy Joe Mac and Cheese


1 package (16 oz) elbow macaroni
3/4 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 envelope sloppy joe mix
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups 2% milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
8 oz reduced fat Velveeta, cubed
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided


1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook turkey, celery and carrot over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and sloppy joe mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Drain macaroni; set aside. In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add the milk and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Velveeta until melted. Add macaroni and 1 cup cheddar cheese; mix well.

3. Spread two thirds of the macaroni mixture in a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread turkey mixture to with 2 inches of the edges. Spoon remaining macaroni mixture around edges of pan. Cover and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese. Cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

Makes 10 servings; 1 cup equals
Cal 353; fat 12; fiber 3; sodium 877



Can we say salt lick?!?! 3/4 of a tsp of salt. These people are nuts! I used 1/4 tsp of sea salt. I just couldn't bring myself to add more salt than that. And guess what, it came out just fine. No one added salt either. They added pepper, but we are pepper addicts. I made substitutions like you wouldn't believe. I only used 1/4 tsp salt. I used whole-wheat pasta. The cheese. The recipe calls for a pound of cheese between the Velveeta and the cheddar. When I make mac & cheese from scratch I never use anything but Velveeta. So, I played with this a little. I used what the recipe called for in Velveeta, and only half of what it called for in the shredded. Then I tasted of it, was happy with its cheese factor, and left it at that. Feel free to leave the recipe, but a pound of cheese in a "healthy" recipe. Who makes these guidelines? We were actually kinda disappointed in this.  We ended up mixing it all together, and it was mostly mac and cheese.  I highly reccomend cutting the maccaroni ingredients in half.  It makes a whole lotta food, we ended up throwing about 1/4 of it away because we just got so sick of it.  I kept the recipe, but not really sure if I will ever make it again unless I'm feeding a minimum of 6 people.