Minestrone Hamburger Helper Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1clove garlic, finely chopped
1box Hamburger Helper® lasagna
1cup water
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 medium stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
1 can (15.25 oz) Green Giant® whole kernel corn, undrained
1can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes, undrained
Grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions

1 Heat oven to 400ºF. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is brown; drain.
2 Stir in uncooked Pasta, Sauce Mix and remaining ingredients except cheese. Pour into ungreased 3-quart casserole.
3 Cover; bake 45 minutes. Serve with cheese.

Expert Tips

Make it Italian night at your house! Pull out the checkered tablecloth and add a candle in a wine bottle along with appropriate music to make tonight’s dinner extra special.

No more Italian seasoning? Just use dried oregano or basil--or a combination of the two--instead.

source : bettycrocker

Mexican Pasta Bake

Ingredients

1/2pound lean ground beef
2 1/2cups uncooked rigatoni pasta (8 ounces)
1cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ Niblets® frozen corn
1jar (24 ounces) Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 1/3cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (6 ounces)
2medium roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced

Directions

    1 Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 4-quart casserole.
    2 Cook beef in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.
    3 Cook and drain pasta in 4-quart Dutch oven as directed on package. Return pasta to Dutch oven. Stir in beef, corn, salsa and beans. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into casserole. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of the cheese. Spoon remaining pasta mixture into casserole. Place tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
    4 Cover and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.

Expert Tips

Rigatoni are short-cut (about 1 inch long), wide, tubular pasta with lengthwise grooves. The grooves and tube shape make it a perfect partner for chunky sauces.

Replace ground beef with ground turkey breast to lighten the calorie count of this dish.

SOURCE : bettycrocker

Broccoli Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 medium-sized baking potatoes
1 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup (loosely packed) shredded cheddar cheese
2-4 tbsp milk (or more, as needed)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 400 F.

Bake the potatoes for about 50-60 minutes, or until soft.
Carefully slice each potato in half lengthwise, and scoop the potato flesh into a bowl, leaving the skins intact.

Put the skins on a baking sheet.

Mash the flesh until smooth, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Add enough milk so that the mixture is soft and smooth, and add salt and pepper to taste
Scoop the filling into the potato skins and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

original recipe: http://catesworldkitchen.com/2009/07/broccoli-cheddar-twice-baked-potatoes/

Chicken Fajita Casserole

Tortillas stand in for noodles in a south of the border lasagna-style casserole.

Ingredients

1can (16 oz) Old El Paso® refried beans
1can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1package (1 oz) Old El Paso® fajita seasoning mix
1package (9 oz) frozen cooked Southwest-seasoned chicken breast strips, thawed
8Old El Paso® flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch; from 8.2-oz package)
1bag (1 lb) frozen stir-fry bell peppers and onions, thawed, drained
2cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)

Directions

    1 Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix refried beans, tomato sauce and fajita seasoning mix. Stir in chicken.

    2 Spread 1/2 cup of the bean mixture over bottom of baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas, overlapping if necessary, in baking dish. Top with half of remaining bean mixture, half of the stir-fry vegetables and 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, bean mixture, stir-fry vegetables and cheese.

    3 Cover baking dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Source : bettycrocker

Creamy Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:
Serves 4

4 large skinless & de-boned chicken breasts (Left whole, cubed or flattened)
2 large leeks, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250ml (8.45 fluid ounces) cream
2tsp Dijon mustard
1tsp wholegrain mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
starch of your choice to serve
fresh Parsley to serve
olive oil for frying

Instructions:

    Heat 2tbsn oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken until cooked through and browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
    Fry the leeks and garlic until fragrant and softened (about 5 minutes).
    Add the cream, mustards and lemon juice and allow to simmer and reduce for 3 minutes.
    Add lemon juice and place the chicken back into the sauce.
    Season to taste and serve with the starch of your choice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

original recipe: http://simply-delicious.co.za/2011/03/11/creamy-dijon-chicken/

Middle Eastern Rice Salad

Nutritional Information

Calories per serving:380
Fat per serving:9g
Saturated fat per serving:1g
Monounsaturated fat per serving:5.5g
Polyunsaturated fat per serving:1g
Protein per serving:8g
Carbohydrates per serving:    67g
Fiber per serving:    8g
Cholesterol per serving:0mg
Sodium per serving:360mg
Resistant starch per serving:4.1g

Ingredients

    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1/2 Vidalia or other sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
    1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    3 cups cooked brown rice
    1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
    1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
    1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Remove from heat, and stir in chickpeas, cumin, and salt. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

2. Combine rice, onion-chickpea mixture, dates, mint, and parsley in a large bowl. Toss well until thoroughly combined. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Slow Cooker Barbecued Ribs

These ribs are a great main dish for when friends come over to watch the game.

Ingredients

3 1/2pounds pork loin back ribs
1/4cup packed brown sugar
1teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3tablespoons liquid smoke
2garlic cloves, chopped
1medium onion, sliced
1/2cup cola
1 1/2cups barbecue sauce

Directions

Spray inside of 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.

Remove inner skin from ribs. Mix brown sugar, salt, pepper, liquid smoke and garlic; rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into 4-inch pieces. Layers ribs and onion in slow cooker. Pour cola over ribs.

 Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until tender. Remove ribs from slow cooker. Drain and discard liquid.
Pour barbecue sauce into shallow bowl. Dip ribs into sauce.

Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour any remaining sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on low heat setting 1 hour.

Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.

Source : bettycrocker