Spaghetti Bread Packets

This recipe comes from inspiration from a neighbor who pinned a Braided Spaghetti Bread recipe on Pinterest.  You can find all of that HERE.  So I decided to try it and although it didn't turn out well enough to be braided, it was still yummy.  Here was my version.

Here's what you need:

• 6 oz of spaghetti
• Lean hamburger (or sausage or ground turkey)
• Chopped onion
• Mushrooms
• 1-2 cups spaghetti sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Parley flakes
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder
• One egg
• Frozen bread dough - I used Kroger brand; recipe is inspired by Rhodes, but couldn't find it 

The first thing you need to do is plan to allow enough time for the dough to thaw.  I thawed mine in the refrigerator all day.
 

I actually did most of my prep the night before.  I prepared the pasta, cooked the beef with some chopped onions and Italian seasoning and mixed it all up with the spaghetti sauce.  I also sauteed some mushrooms, but kept them separate.  I put all of that in the refrigerator until the next evening.

The first step in putting it all together is to roll out the dough.  This is where it went all wrong for me.  I could not get it to roll out into a large rectangle as instructed.  I apparently was not patient enough! 

So instead, I ended up dividing the dough into 4 sections and creating "packets".  On top of each dough circle I put some of the spaghetti mixture and then added some mozzarella cheese.  Due to this, there was a lot of leftover spaghetti mixture.

Inside two of them I also added the mushrooms and put a couple on top to note the difference.

I spread some egg whites over each one and sprinkled some garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top.

Then they were baked on 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

They were a bit more doughy than expected since I didn't follow the "braiding" instructions.  However, I just served some more of the pasta mixture on the side (thanks to the leftovers) and everyone enjoyed!

Yes, it's basically spaghetti and bread so why put it all together?  We eat a lot of pasta at our house.  So this changed it up for us a bit and the kids thought it was funny to have spaghetti inside their bread.  Will I do it every week?  Nope.  But it was fun to add some variety to the menu.

Velveeta Tex-Mex Beef & Potatoes

Recipe is from www.kraftfoods.com

prep time 10 min
total time 45 min
makes 6 servings, about 1-1/3 cups each

This one is NOT healthy, but a good casserole to throw in the mix every once and awhile. I think it's about 400 calories a serving.

1 lb. ground beef
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup water
4 cups frozen Southern-style hash browns (cubed not shredded variety)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Brown meat with peppers and onions in large skillet; drain. Return to skillet.
3. Stir in taco mix and water.

4. Add potatoes, corn and VELVEETA; mix well.

5. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish; cover.
6. Bake 20 min.; stir. Bake, uncovered, 15 min. or until heated through.

When I made this, I did steps 1-3 the night before and put it in the fridge.

Beef Taco Bake

This is one recipe that my kids will actually eat. 

They've even thanked me for the great dinner afterwards!

Ingredients:
1lb lean ground beef
1 low sodium taco seasoning packet
cayenne pepper (optional)
1 can (10 3/4oz) Campbells Healthy Request Condensed Tomato Soup
1 can black beans drained or undrained
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1/2 cup skim milk
4-6 of your favorite flour tortillas (cut into 1"pieces)
1 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
Reduced fat sour cream

1. Brown meat and pour off fat in a large pan (can do this the day before)
2. Add soup, beans, taco packet, cayenne pepper, salsa, milk, tortillas and 1/2 the cheese
3. Mix and spoon into casserole dish
4. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot
5. Sprinkle remainder of cheese over top
6. Serve with sour cream

Thanks Debi! We still keep this in our rotation.