Pasta Bake

3 cups pasta 

1 cup cooked ground beef 

1 medium zucchini, diced

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes

1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

½ cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil and cook pasta until just slightly firmer than al dente. Do not overcook pasta, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain pasta. Return strained pasta to stockpot and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, onion, and zucchini. Sauté just until zucchini is just slightly firmer than al dente. Add precooked ground beef and combine well. Remove from heat.

Add spaghetti sauce to the stockpot with the cooked pasta. Then add the meat mixture to the stockpot and combine well. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pour mixture into baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake uncovered for approximately 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and pasta is heated through. Serves 4-5. Enjoy!

Beef and Vegetable Pot Pie

Meat, veggies, and bread. This is a whole meal in one. I love the fluffy biscuits on top and Chris loves the hearty filling. This is a great way to get a lot of vegetables into one meal.

Ingredients:

Filling:
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 lbs mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
2 lbs ground beef
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas

Biscuit Topping:
2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon of baking powder
6 tablespoons of  butter
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 cup of milk


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook all vegetables until soft in 4 tablespoons of butter.
Add ground beef, thyme, and rosemary. Cook on med. high heat until the meat is no longer pink and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the milk and broth. Simmer until it thickens about 5 minutes.

Stir in salt and pepper and place in 9 x 13 baking dish.

Biscuit Topping:

In another bowl add the flour and cut in the butter until it resembles corn meal. Add the cheddar cheese. Stir in milk.
Place the dough in mounds over the meat and veggie mixture.

Bake for 40 minutes. If you have a broiler (we do not) you can broil the dish for 1 minute to brown the biscuits. Let the pot pie rest for 10 minutes before serving.