Mediterranean pasta bake

Mediterranean Pasta Bake Recipe

Ingredients

8 oz. chickpea pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper, cracked

12 oz. sirloin beef, cube

3 cups spinach

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup halved artichoke hearts, halved

1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ginger, minced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper, cracked

1 cup pineapple, cube

1 cup cantaloupe, cube

1/2 cup blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425ºF and lightly grease an 8×11 casserole dish.

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.

While pasta cooks, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet for 2 minutes.

Season beef with salt and pepper.

Add beef to skillet and sear for 2 minutes.

Turn beef using tongs and add spinach to the skillet. Cook 2 minutes longer to wilt spinach.

Cook beef until temperature reaches 145°F for medium rare.

Drain pasta and add to the casserole dish.

Stir together ingredients for dressing.

Pour half of the dressing over warm pasta and toss to coat. Stir in steak and spinach.

Top with olives, tomatoes and kalamata olives.

Pour remaining dressing over vegetables. Top with crumbled feta cheese and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.

Divide pasta between large compartments of 4 teal meal prep containers. Add fruit salad to small compartments.

Pizza Casserole

PIZZA CASSEROLE

1 pkg. pepperoni

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1 pkg. cooked egg noodles

1 small can mushrooms, drained (optional)

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 jar pizza sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Add all of the ingredients together except for the mozzarella cheese. 

Sprinkle it on the top of the casserole. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. 

You can make this in two casserole dishes. Then can have one whenever you make it and another to put in the freezer. 

Thaw before baking. 

This one could be put into a freezer bag and frozen as a dump-n-go without the cheese or pasta. 

Day of, dump into crock pot, low for 3 hours. Cook pasta when you get home and mix in. Half hour before serving, sprink cheese on top and out the lid back on the crockpot. When it's melted, it's ready. 

Appetizer Meatballs

You know those meatballs with the sauce and toothpicks at every potluck ever? 

Yeah those. My kid loves them. We serve them over rice with something green on the side. 

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz) jar chili sauce

1 (16-18 oz) jar grape jelly

1 (2 lb) package frozen meatballs 

 

Directions:

In a bowl, combine chili sauce and grape jelly until smooth. Place meatballs in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Pour in the chili sauce mixture and mix together in the bag until thoroughly combined. Zip bag closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW for 3-4 hours. Serve over rice or with toothpicks (makes a great appetizer too!).

Notes: bc we serve them over rice, I make a double batch of the sauce.

Freezer meals: Berry BBQ chicken

CP berry bbq chicken 

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breasts

1/4 cup dried minced onion

1 (16 oz) can whole cranberry sauce

1 cup barbecue sauce

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and zip closed.  When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours. 

Freezer meals: black beans and corny chicken

Slow Cooker Black Bean and Chicken

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 (14 oz) cans corn, drained

1 (1 oz) package taco seasoning

4-5 chicken breasts (mine were frozen)

1 cup salsa

3/4 cup water

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients in resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together in bag and zip closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours. 

When finished cooking, shred chicken and serve over rice, with tortilla chips, over a salad, in tortilla shells, or wrapped in a soft tortilla (this meat is so versatile). Garnish with cheese, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and hot sauce.

Salsa Chicken Day 3: Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken spaghetti: 

I'm making this next week and will write down what I use.

I make it out of my head and adjust as I go until it's moist enough. And I make enough for st least 2 dinners and lunches bc we eat it alllll. 

I'll even take pictures! 

Salsa Chicken, Day 1: soft tacos and nachos

Salsa Chicken 

Chicken breasts (I never thaw anything) 

Salsa of choice 

Rotel or chili-ready diced tomatoes 

Note: i have days worth of meals we use this for so I make a LOT. 

Put Chicken in crockpot. Single layer is good but not necessary. 

Dump tomatoes/salsa on top. 

Cook on low 8 hiurs (frozen) or hi 3-4 hiurs of thawed.

Pull cooked chicken from salsa and shred however you do it. This is the primary use.of my kitchen aid mixer. Just dump it inand turn it on. 

Dump shredded chicken back into the crockpot and mix with salsa liquid. 

Now have soft tacos, nachos, whatever with that chicken. It will be wet, so drain your spoonfuls so you don't ruin your chips or tortillas. 

Do not get rid of the liquid. Store leftover chicken in the juice.

To freeze: 

Uncooked:

Put uncooked chicken breasts,  frozen or thawed, into gallon ziploc bag. For 8 breasts, I use 1 large jar of salsa or 2 cans chili-ready/rotel tomatoes. Freeze and dump it into yiur crockpot the morning you want to use it.

Cooked: portion out your meat in the salsa into freezer bags and use later. Will last 1-3 months depending on how you package it.