Lasagna Soup

I got this recipe from one of my co-workers at my new job (see last post). I had a feeling my husband would love it, since he loves Lasagna, and he absolutely did. It was pretty fast and easy too! My kind of recipe!1 lb. ground beef
1 onion
3 tsp. garlic, minced (I used less...)
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 small can tomato paste (I didn't have any paste, so I used tomato sauce)
3 cans diced tomatoes
3 cans chicken broth
12 oz. corkscrew pasta (I used penne because I didn't have corkscrew)
3 tsp. basil
6 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
6 oz. Cottage cheese blended until smooth
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or any other kind of cheese for the top)

In a large pot over med. heat, saute the onions and gr. beef, breaking it up into small pieces, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess grease from the pot. Add the garlic, pepper, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute for another minute. Add the tomato paste (or sauce) and saute until the paste turns a rusty brown-- about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with their juices and the broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the pasta, increase the heat to medium and boil until the pasta is tender. Depending on the type of pasta you use, this time will vary greatly. Penne takes considerably longer to soften than other kinds of pasta. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Add the blended cottage cheese and parmesan and stir. Serve with extra mozzarella or some other kind of cheese on top. YUM!

Layered Enchilada Bake

This was a recipe I found on the back of a recipe I tore out of a magazine. In other words, I didn't even know I had this recipe. I saw it and since I had everything to make it, I did! It was totally easy and tasted great. I was having one of those "blah" kind of days and just needed something simple to make... and this was it!

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion chopped (I used chopped dried onions)
2 cups salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Italian dressing
2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
6 flour tortillas
1 cup sour cream
Grated Mexican Style Cheese (or any other cheese you have!)

Preheat oven to 400. Brown meat and onions in large skillet on medium heat and drain fat. Add salsa, beans, dressing, taco seasoning and mix well.

Arrange 3 tortillas on the bottom of 9x13 pan in a single layer. (Don't line your pan with foil. The recipe said to do it, but it was SO hard to get it out without eating foil... so I don't recommend it!)Cover with layers of half the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat all layers again (tortillas, meat, sour cream and cheese).

Cover with foil and back in preheated oven for 30 minutes, covered. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

You could also freeze the uncooked casserole. When you want to use it, just bake covered for 1 hour, then remove the foil and back an additional 15-20 minutes.

I only made an 8x8, so I cut my ingredients down from this recipe since there really are only two of us to feed, but this was delicious! Give it a try!