Grilled Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup prepared creamy Italian salad dressing

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine ground chicken, egg, onion, bread crumbs, drained and rinsed black beans, and creamy Italian dressing.
2. Prepare grill pan over medium-high heat (or prepare grill).
3. Shape mixture by hand into 6 patties, 3/4 inch thick.
4. Grill each patty on both sides until fully cooked.  (Approximately 4-5 minutes each side on our grill pan.)
5. Check for safe meat temperature with a meat thermometer (170 degrees F)
6. Serve with favorite burger toppings, if desired.

Hints:  Mixing with your hands insures the best texture!  The chicken and vegetable mixture makes a hearty patty that has good form and can be adapted easily by swapping in your favorite veggies.  Try spinach and feta instead of onion and black beans, for example.  These patties could also be prepared in advance and frozen for later use. Enjoy!!

**This recipe is being shared at Mom Trends Friday Food post - go check out the other great recipes being shared!**

Broccoli Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp gr nutmeg
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 9 lasagna noodles, (we use no-boil noodles)
• 1 1/3 cups diced ham
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced

Directions:

1. Saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender.
2. Gradually add flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until well blended
3. Next stir in broth and milk, continue to mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir while continuing to cook for an additional 2 minutes - or until mixture has thickened.
4. Add Parmesan cheese and broccoli to sauce - remove from heat. Stir well.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking dish with cooking spray.
6. Begin layering lasagna by first spreading the bottom of the baking dish with the 1/2 cup of the thickened broccoli sauce.
7. Layer 3 noodles on top of the broccoli mixture.
8. Next top the noodles with 1/3 of the remaining sauce, 1 cup of ham, 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and 3 more lasagna noodles.
9. Begin the next layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, all of the chicken, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese - then the 3 remaining lasagna noodles.
10. Last, top the lasagna noodles with the remaining sauce and ham. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on last.
11. Cover with foil, and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove foil cover for the last 5-10 minutes to allow cheese to brown slightly.
12. Remove from oven and allow lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before slicing or serving.

This recipe is being shared at the Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange over at Lil House on the Prairie Living - go check it out!!

Pepperoni and Ziti Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked ziti
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 (26.5 oz) can prepared spaghetti sauce
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 (8 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 (9 oz) package frozen, chopped spinach - thawed & drained
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz mini-pepperoni

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Brown ground turkey over medium heat until no longer pink - then drain.
3. In a large bowl, combine: browned ground turkey, large can spaghetti sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, chopped spinach, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Mix well.
4. Fold drained pasta into the turkey mixture.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Prepare 2 baking dishes with cooking spray. (One to bake, one to freeze - if desired.)
7. Fill both baking dishes with ziti-turkey mixture.
8. Combine water with regular tomato sauce. Pour that combination equally over both pasta dishes.
9. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mini-pepperoni.
10. Bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes - OR - cover and freeze until ready to use.

Mexi-Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

• 24 jumbo shelled, cooked as directed and cooled
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Optional Toppings:

• sliced black olives
• diced tomatoes
• diced onion
• fresh, chopped cilantro
• chopped green onions
• crushed tortilla chips

Begin by cooking the pasta shells as directed on the package. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain.

In the same skillet with the cooked, drained ground beef - add the tomato sauce, black beans, corn, and salsa. This will be the filling for the shells.

Next, make sure that the baking dish for the stuffed shells is prepared with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Fill the cooked, drained shells with the beef and vegetable mixture. Cover shells with any remaining filling mixture.

Top shells with shredded cheese, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

After removing the stuffed shells from the oven, top with your choice of toppings. (We used diced tomatoes, diced onions, fresh chopped cilantro, and sliced black olives.)

Hint: I found the shells much easier to fill by using 2 large table spoons and putting the shell into the skillet with the filling mixture as I filled each shell. I used one spoon to hold the shell and the other to fill it - worked so much easier than the last time I cooked shells! This recipe made 2 dishes for our family: one we cooked and ate for dinner tonight, the second we put in the freezer for a later date. This was a great alternative to taco night at our house. Enjoy!

This recipe is linked up at Little House on the Prairie Living's Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange. Go see what other great recipes are linked up!

Thai Spiced Chicken Patties

Last week we made Thai Spiced Chicken Pitas for dinner. The chicken patties used in that recipe can easily be made ahead and frozen to be used as needed. With grilling season quickly approaching, this is a recipe I will be referring to so that I can stock our family's freezer.

Assemble ingredients for chicken patties:

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 lb ground chicken

1 TBS fresh ground ginger root

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp Thai seasoning (I used Spice Islands Thai Seasoning blend)

1/2 tsp salt

* Combine in a medium bowl, shape into patties and place between sheets of wax paper before freezing. Place patties in wax paper in a freezer safe container, or freezer bag. (I like the freezer bags.)

* Pull out frozen chicken patties to use as desired, and grill on low heat until fully cooked. (Internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F)

Pasta Sauce Plus

Tonight we are eating Spaghetti for dinner. Spaghetti like my Mama used to make!

Since we are going to cook a batch of pasta sauce, I decided to go ahead and cook enough to have sauce in the freezer ready for the next time we want to eat pasta.

We put a lot of vegetables in our sauce, and when in doubt - we add more tomatoes.

Making a double batch of pasta sauce to use half now and freeze half for later is a wonderful way to make the kitchen a more productive place in our home.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
1 large green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 TBS minced garlic
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (26.5 oz) can prepared spaghetti sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with onions & green peppers
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup red cooking wine
2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
1 tsp sugar

- After browning ground beef and draining, combine with all other ingredients in the crock-pot.

- Stir occasionally while cooking on LOW for 3-4 hours.

- Divide prepared sauce. Use half for dinner and freeze the other half in a freezer safe zipper bag or freezer safe container with a lid. (Don't forget to label!)

Stuffed Shells

As I started pulling out the ingredients to put this together, my husband asked "Are you making dinner already?" I answered no, but in all honesty - yes, yes I was!

I not only have dinner ready to bake for tonight, but I also have a second meal for my freezer. Score!!

Sunday afternoons I am away from home and my fellas need to eat lunch while I'm gone. Freezer meals are a great way to keep the meals a little more interesting than *just* ramen noodles or a PB & J sandwich. Freezer meals are also a great way to be prepared for those days or nights that we need to make life a little easier. One less meal to prepare, right?

With this recipe, the frozen Stuffed Shells can be pulled out of the freezer to thaw and then baked for a hot delicious meal your family will enjoy.



Ingredients:

1 box, uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 container (24 oz) small curd low-fat cottage cheese
1 (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend (divided)
1 1/2 cups of half-n-half (divided)
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (divided)
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can ( 15 oz) tomato sauce


* Boil pasta shells for 9 minutes in boiling water. Drain thoroughly, and let cool.

* In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, 24 oz container of cottage cheese, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and 3/4 cup of half-n-half. Next add drained spinach, garlic and Italian seasoning to cheese mixture.

* In another mixing bowl, combine spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, 3/4 cup of half-n-half. Divide in half. Reserving 1 cup of the first half of tomato sauce, pour the remainder into the bottom of a prepared freezer safe baking dish.

* Next, use a scoop or large spoon to fill pasta shells with cheese mixture. Once filled, set into tomato sauce mixture in baking dish. When you have filled the needed amount of shells for the first baking dish, cover the shells with the leftover cup of tomato sauce. Top with 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella and additional Parmesan if desired.

**Repeat the last step for the second dish, going into the freezer. I recommend the dish going into the freezer be covered with foil first, then the lid be placed on the freezer safe baking dish.**

Time to bake!

Thawed shells should bake, covered with foil for 40 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow shells to stand for10 minutes prior to serving.

The Stuffed Shells from the freezer should be thawed in the refrigerator and then set out prior to baking to avoid placing a frozen dish into a hot oven.

Chicken Pot Pie with Stuffing

We started out with 1 whole chicken that we roasted in the crock-pot with seasoning. This is meal #3 we were able to cook from that 1 chicken:

Ingredients:

2 1/2-3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 (29 oz) can home style mixed vegetables, drained
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
1 onion soup mix packet
1 cup shredded cheddar blend cheese
1 (6 oz) package stuffing, prepared

- Combine cooked chicken, mixed vegetables, cheddar cheese soup, onion soup mix, and shredded cheese.

- Turn into freezer safe/oven safe casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.

- Top with prepared stuffing mix.




- Cook at 350 degrees F 30-35 minutes, or until heated completely through.

- OR -

- Cover and freeze for up to 3 months before serving. In order to reheat, thaw casserole in refrigerate prior to cooking. *Be careful not to place a frozen glass dish into a heated oven to avoid breakage.*

Chicken Enchiladas

We started with 1 whole chicken. Roasted in the crock-pot with only seasoning. From that 1 whole chicken...we got 3 different meals. This is meal #2:

Ingredients:

2 1/2-3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 cup shredded cheddar blend cheese
1 cup salsa
8-10 fajita size flour tortillas
1 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar blend cheese
sliced black olives for garnish**
2 chopped green onions for garnish**

- Begin by combining the chicken, 1 cup of shredded cheese, sour cream, green chilies, and salsa.

- Spray freezer safe/oven safe casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Spoon chicken mixture into flour tortillas, roll and place in casserole dish seam side down.

- Cover filled tortillas with enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and black olives and green onions if desired.

- Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

- OR -

- Cover and freeze for up to 3 months before reheating and serving. To reheat and serve, allow prepared dish to thaw in refrigerator prior to cooking. *Placing a frozen glass dish in a preheated oven may cause glass to break.**