Cheeseburger Casserole

Got a craving for cheeseburgers...I have one now just saying the word! Mmmmm. But I'm not talking McDonald's burger that can sit on a counter for a year without going bad junk. (vom!) Mix it, cook it, and eat it...and then eat it again and again! That's my kind of meal. I even invited my mom and brother over to share and they approved.

2 cups of whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles (or noodles of your choice)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onions (as you can see I used pre-chopped frozen ones)

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 clove minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tbsp organic tomato paste

2 cans of diced tomatoes, drained (I only used one because I'm not huge on tomatoes), no salt added

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 cups of the cheese of your choice (this is what I had but would prefer reduced fat)

(optional chopped dill pickles for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with non stick cooking spray (I use olive oil spray). Cook the pasta according to the package al dente and drain.

In a large skillet heat the oil, add the onions and cook until soft. Stir in garlic and add meat. Cook until browned and season with salt and pepper. In the skillet add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and mustard and stir well until mixed through. Let this mixture cook until bubbly and thickening for about 2 minutes. 

Stir the meat mixture into the pasta and spread into casserole dish. Top with cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

When it is finished you can sprinkle the chopped pickles over the top and serve. 

1 serving= about 1 cup and this recipe makes about 9 servings. As usual I portioned it out and packaged it up and there's my lunch and dinner for a few days!!

This recipe is on a few different websites so I just made it how I liked it with the ingredients that best suited me. :) Hope you like it too! 

Skinny Enchilada Bake

This is one that I made a while back and had on my list to share because of its deliciousness. I am a sucker for Mexican food so this hit the spot! It makes 6 servings so as soon as it cooled down, I cut it six ways and packaged five pieces up. That's dinner and lunch for half of the week! 

1/2 pound lean ground turkey

1 cup onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 

1 teaspoon chili powder (I used a little less)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained well

10 oz can of Rotel Original diced tomatoes, drained (I used mild)

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

15 oz can of corn, rinsed and drained well

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

6 large whole grain tortillas

10 oz can red enchilada sauce

1/2 cup reduced fat sharp shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non stick cooking spray (I use olive oil spray). 

In a large pan over medium-high heat cook turkey, onions, cumin, and chili powder. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. 

Mix in black beans and rotel and set aside from heat. 

In a small bowl mix together corn, sour cream, cottage cheese, and garlic powder. (This is where I might add some brown rice next time for a thicker texture and I love rice with Mexican food.)

Place two tortillas on the bottom of the dish. They will overlap. 

Layer with half of the turkey mix, half of the sour cream mix, and half of the enchilada sauce. Repeat all layers. Top with 2 more tortillas. 

Bake, covered for 30-35 minutes. 

Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese over the top. 

Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

Remove from oven and let it set for about 10 more minutes. 

Thank you SkinnyMom.com for brilliant ideas that I can work with! 

Spaghetti Pie

If you can't tell by now I LOVE Italian food! What's better? Quick and easy Italian food. I stumbled across this, added my touch, and it was delicious. 

1/2 box of whole grain spaghetti noodles

2 tablespoons of butter (this is the worst part)

2 eggs, beaten (I used Egg Beaters)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup part skim cottage cheese

1 12oz package chicken sausage, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 a can of no salt added diced tomatoes

1 6oz can of organic tomato paste

1 teaspoon of sugar 

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 cup shredded mozzarella (or amount of your choice) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pie dish with olive oil or cooking spray. 

Cook spaghetti al dente and drain. 

Stir butter in hot noodles until melted. Stir in egg and Parmesan. 

Form this mixture into a crust in pie dish. Spread cottage cheese over noodle crust. 

In a skillet cook the meat and onion. Stir in drained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, and garlic powder and heat through. Stir well. 

Spread meat mixture over cottage cheese.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. 

Adapted from moneysavingmom.com

5 Ingredient Pizza Bake

I am a pizza queen. I mean I love all foods but pizza is up there in a tie with a few other favorites! Anyways, as we all know pizza isn't the best for you either. I found this recipe and changed it up a little to suit my needs and made it a little healthier. I LOVED it! The gluten free Bisquick was a little dry but I fixed that with pizza sauce. Hope you love it too. 

1 box 16oz Gluten free Bisquick pancake and baking mix  (can use regular Bisquick if preferred)

1½  cup water

14 oz jar organic pizza sauce

1 package turkey pepperoni

2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray (I use olive oil spray.)

In a medium bowl mix Bisquick with water until a soft dough forms. (I started with 1 cup of water and slowly added more as needed.)

Drop half of the dough by the spoonful into the bottom of the baking dish. (This will not completely cover the bottom of the dish.)

Drizzle half of the pizza sauce over the dough balls. Place half of the pepperoni over the top of that. Top with half of the cheese.

Repeat the layers with the remaining dough, sauce, pepperoni, and cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut into 8 squares to serve.

Quick, delicious, not too unhealthy, Friday night favorite. 

Adapted from bettycrocker.com