Pasta Bake

3 cups cooked pasta (I have used angel hair, penne, bowtie...)
1 lb. sausage (you could also use ground beef or ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teas. garlic salt
3 cups spaghetti sauce
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup sour cream
1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided into 1/2 & 1/2 cups


Brown the sausage, onion and garlic until no longer pink; drain.  Add spaghetti sauce and garlic salt; simmer for 10 minutes.  Combine cream cheese and milk in microwave safe container and cook on high 1-2 minutes stirring once.  Stir with whisk until well blended.  Stir in the sour cream, green pepper, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.  Mix cream cheese mixture with cooked pasta and place in bottom of greased 9 x 13 pan.  Top with sausage and spaghetti sauce mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes til bubbly.

Serve with garlic bread or breadsticks!

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

1 box Fettuccine noodles (break them in half and it makes it easier to spoon out of the casserole dish.)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery (optional; my family liked it without it)
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tsp canola oil or butter
2 cup fat free milk
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
3 Tbs cornstarch

1 cup half and half  (nonfat half and half works justs as good)
1/3-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used 1 cup--we like it cheesy)
3 cups cubed chicken (I used chicken breasts that Ron grilled)
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup frozen peas, optional (adding peas makes it taste like Pasta Carrabba from Carrabba's restaurant)

Cook noodles in boiling water. In a large skillet, sauté onion, celery (opt) and garlic in oil or butter for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms. Cook and stir until tender. Stir in nonfat milk and salt. Bring to a boil.

Mix cornstarch and half and half till smooth. Stir into skillet. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in parmesan cheese just until melted.

Stir in cooked chicken. Drain noodles; add to chicken mixture. Heat through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and broil for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted.

Missy M shared this recipe on Facebook--yummy! I changed a few things by adding or subtracting items to suit my family's taste, but those changes were minimal.

Manicotti (or Stuffed Shells)

1 small tub of ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 box manicotti noodles or (large shells)
1 jar or can spaghetti sauce

Boil noodles as per package.  Drain and set aside.  Mix the rest of the ingredients except for sauce and stuff the shells.  Pour part of spaghetti on bottom of greased 9x13 pan.  Place stuffed shells in pan.  Pour the rest of the sauce on top of the noodles.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Big K's Mac And Cheese

Make a light-colored roux:
1/2 c. flour
1 stick butter
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
sauteed shallots

Add to roux:
10 oz. grated Gruyere cheese
10 oz. grated cheddar cheese
4 oz. grated Swiss cheese
chopped ham (optional)
chopped cooked bacon (optional)
cooked egg noodles or macaroni (al dente)

Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs or grated cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Place under broiler until top is bubbly.