Manicotti with Cheese

14 pieces (8 oz) Manicotti pasta
1 3/4 cups Ricotta Cheese
2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped Parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1 28oz. jar Spaghetti Sauce (with meat or sausage)**

* Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Cool in a single layer on foil. Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, stir together cheeses, parsley, salt and pepper. Spoon (or pipe, using a plastic bag and cut one corner off) into cooled pasta tubes. Spread a thick layer of sauce on bottom of baking dish. Arrange filled pasta in single layer over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over pasta. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 min. longer.

**I have also substituted Alfredo sauce (or another jarred white Italian type sauce) and added cubed or shredded chicken instead of the spaghetti sauce.

Taco Skillet from Jeanette

1 lb. burger, browned and drained (you can season with taco seasoning if desired)
Add
1 can tomato soup
1 cup salsa
1/2 can water (use the can from the tomato soup)
1/4 cup cheese
Heat until a light boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Add tortilla strips or chips until covered on top. Simmer about 5-10 min. Add 1/4 cup cheese on top and serve.

Crunchy Munchy Lettuce Wraps from Jenni

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and minced
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnut, drained and minced
½ (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms, minced
4 green onions, minced
½ cup frozen sweet peas
Lawry’s sesame ginger 30-minute marinade
12 iceberg lettuce leaves

Cook turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well and set aside. Add oil to pan, and place pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and green onions. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in peas, ½ cup marinade, and cooked turkey. Cook, stirring constantly until thoroughly heated. Spoon about ½ cup turkey mixture onto each lettuce leaf; fold leaves in half. Dip lettuce wrap in marinade, if you’d like. Makes 6 servings.

Miracle Lasagna

Yep, this is just that...a miracle. Growing up, I always thought that lasagna was hard to make. You know, time consuming with a lot of cooking know-how. Well, this is just the opposite. I just made if for dinner tonight and it took me about 5 minutes to assemble (after I cooked the meat). I love serving this with green beans from Grandma and Grandpa's garden.

1 large jar of Spaghetti Sauce
**1 lb. ground beef, browned (optional), if you add meat, you may want to add a small can of tomato sauce. Add this to the sauce
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 15 oz. container of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1+cup grated Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

In 2 qt baking dish, spread 1 cup sauce. Top with 3 uncooked noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese (1 cup), parmesan cheese and 1 cup sauce (in that order). Top with remaing noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.
I think this actually took longer to type up than it did to assemble. Enjoy!

Easy Swedish Meatballs

30 pre-cooked frozen meatballs
1 pkg. country gravy mix
1 cup sour cream

Prepare gravy according to package directions. In a large saucepan, mix prepared gravy with sour cream. Add frozen meatballs and heat until the meatballs are cooked through and mixture is bubbly. Serve over prepared noodles (or rice).

**This recipe is also a great freezer recipe. Instead of adding meatballs and heating through, combine the gravy mixture and meatballs in a freezer bag. Don't forget to label the bag, including the date...freezer meals are best if used within 3 months.

Shepard's Pie

1 lb. ground beef, browned*
1 can green beans**
1 can tomoato soup
4-5 cups mashed potatoes
1+ cup shredded cheese

Layer, in order, the above ingredients into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

*Ground Turkey is a great alternative.
**This dish can be a freezer meal if you replace the beans with a can of corn.