We had a very nice Thanksgiving, if a little smaller than usual. I got my once-peryear turkey fix and if I don’t see a roast turkey again until next Thanksgiving that’ll be just fine with me. I am ready for some beef. Or seafood. Or pork. Or anything that isn’t turkey.
Something tomato-y and cheesy sounds good to me right now. This is something I made up but have never written down until now. And there are a million recipes just like it.
You can make this with ground beef or a mixture of beef and Italian sausage. I like the hot kind. Just use two pounds of whatever you like.
And don’t ever let a recipe tell you how much garlic to use. Use as much as you want. Same with the cheese.
Italian-y Casserole
2 lbs Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carton mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 jar (2-oz) of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-oz) fire roasted tomatoes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
3 cups dried pasta, shells or macaroni
Grated provolone and mozzarella cheese
Brown meat, onions and mushrooms together until the meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and continue cooking another minute or so. (Mushrooms are weird so I usually brown them separately, but you don’t have to.)
Add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer at least 20 minutes. (Or you can put it all in the crockpot and cook all day while you’re at work which is what I normally do.)
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Mix everything together and put into a 9x13 casserole. No need to grease it. Top with as much cheese as you like and bake at 350 until bubbly (25 to 30 minutes.) I usually put in half the mixture, then a layer of cheese, then the other half of the mixture and top with cheese. It’ll thicken up if you let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes.
Here’s an easy beef recipe for the crockpot. This would be good on a cold day. I’d probably serve this over mashed potatoes, but rice or pasta would be good too.
Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy
3 lbs top sirloin, cubed
3 tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp seasoning salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 cups beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dry thyme
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp cornstarch
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When nice and hot, add half the beef cubes and season them with 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt and fresh ground black pepper. Allow to sit undisturbed for a couple of minutes then stir and cook just long enough to sear the beef without cooking it through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer beef to the slow cooker. Add remaining oil to pan and repeat with remaining beef cubes, seasoning salt and pepper.
Add the beef cubes, beef broth and Worcestershire sauce to the slow cooker and sprinkle the beef with the Italian seasoning and thyme. Sprinkle the diced onions and garlic over the top. Tuck a bay leaf into the mixture.
Cover and cook on low all day or on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until beef is fork tender.
Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl and add to slow cooker. Stir until sauce has thickened and cook on low for an additional 10 minutes.
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