Recipes: Beef Taco & Rice Casserole
My husband comes up with some delicious recipes. Sometimes he starts from scratch while other times he finds leftovers in the refrigerator that need to be used up and makes them into a delicious meal meal. On this particular day we had leftover rice from an earlier meal that week so he came up with this tasty Taco Rice Casserole. Add whatever toppings you like to this casserole and enjoy!
Taco Rice Casserole Recipe:
- 1 pound Ground Hamburger (cooked and drained)
- 1/4 small Onion
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 2 cups Rice (cooked)
- 1 pack Taco Seasoning
- 1 can regular diced Tomatoes
- 1 can diced Tomatoes with Chilies
- Topping Options (sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, olives)
Saute the onion in Olive Oil for about 5 minutes. Add the ground hamburger to the onions, cook thoroughly, and drain the fat. Add the pack of taco seasoning according to directions. Cook the rice according to directions and drain. Add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes to the taco hamburger mixture and heat to a boil and simmer on low for 3 minutes. Add the pasta to the hamburger mixture and mix.
Pour the mixture into a greased casserole dish and cook on 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through. Optional: The last five minutes add the 2 cups of corn chips and/or shredded cheese on top. Serve with taco toppings such as sour cream, shredded cheese, and salsa, olives, and fresh diced tomatoes.
Recipes: Red & Blue Patriotic Salad
Fresh Red & Blue Patriotic Salad
I have been enjoying the fresh salads lately with the warmer temperatures. The other day as I was looking through the refrigerator for lunch ideas and decided to use up some leftovers along with some fresh fruit and greens. The salad turned out delicious. It was cool and crispy with a touch of sweetness in every bite.
The recipe below is for a single serving, however, this would be a great one to make into a larger salad to share for the July 4th Holiday or really anytime throughout the hot summer season. Whether at a picnic, party, celebration, or any other event the salad is sure to be a hit. Plus it’s healthy, colorful, and delicious!
Red & Blue Patriotic Salad Recipe:
- 2 cups Fresh Romaine Lettuce
- 1/4 cup cut Fresh Strawberries
- 1/4 cup Fresh Blueberries
- 3 oz Sirloin Steak, slivered
- 1 tablespoon Walden Farms Raspberry Vinaigrette
Rinse the romaine lettuce, strawberries, and blueberries. Cut up the romaine lettuce (if not already done so). Place the romaine onto your plate or serving dish. Cut the strawberries into quarters and add them to the top of the romaine. Add the blueberries on top as well. Sliver your sirloin steak and place it on the bed of romaine. Sprinkle the Walden Farms Raspberry Viniagrette salad dressing over your salad, mix gently, and enjoy!
Optional: If you want to add a little bit of white to your Red & Blue salad to make it a Red, White, and Blue Salad I was suggest adding a sprinkling of cheese on top such as crumbled blue cheese, shredded parmesean, or mozzarella.
Total Calories: 333 | Total Net Carbs: 4.4
Fresh & Delicious!
Lunch is ready!
Chicken Pasta Bake
The other day I had leftover items that I needed to use up so I came up with this Chicken Pasta Bake. I don’t like letting leftovers go to waste and this casserole turned out really well. You can play around with this recipe and add various ingredients depending what you have in the refrigerator that needs to be used up.
Chicken Pasta Bake
- 1 lb sliced, cooked, and season Chicken Breasts
- 16 oz Noodles (any type, I used Rotini)
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Mushrooms (optional)
- 1 cup Pasta Sauce (optional)
Grease an 9×13 pyrex dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If your pasta has not already been cooked, go ahead and make it according to the directions on the box. While the pasta is cooking if your chicken is not already sliced and cooked go ahead and slice your chicken and cook it in a skillet, bake or fry it (add whatever seasoning you want to it). Layer drained pasta noodles on the bottom of the pyrex then mix a cup of pasta sauce in with the noodles. Layer the chicken and mushrooms (if using mushrooms) on top of the pasta. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted completely.
Recipe: Pizza Cups
Pizza Cup
Our family enjoys pizza cups. This main dish contains only 4 ingredients and easy to put together. You can make them from scratch or if you have leftover spaghetti or lasagna meat sauce you can make these pretty quickly. These are simple, fun, and delicious for the family to eat for dinner (plus you can use up some of your leftovers). The girls like helping put these pizza cups together and taking them to school.
Pizza Cups:
- 1/2 pound lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 (12 oz) jar Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 (8 count) can Biscuits
- 4 oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Pepperoni Slices (optional)
Brown the ground beef in a pan, drain the excess oil. Add the spaghetti sauce to the meat and heat until begins to boil then turn down to simmer. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the biscuits in half, flatten them, and press them into a greased cupcake cups (16 count). Use an ice cream scoop and put the meat mixture into the biscuit cup, sprinkle shredded cheese over it, and bake for 10 minutes (or until the cheese melts).
Whole Biscuit
Cut the biscuits in half
Biscuits pressed into a cupcake pan.
Scoop meat sauce mixture into the individual biscuit cups.
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the meat mixture
Baked Pizza Cup
Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Recipes)
I am now wrapping up week number 5 in my No Grocery Shopping challenge! It has been a fun adventure for our family as we continue to find ways to make the food in our fridge and pantry stretch! Some of the recipes over the last few weeks have been a huge hit in our family for years while others were different. We are always looking for ways to create healthy meals that everyone enjoys without wasting the food we have in our home.For those who have been emailing me about what we’ve been eating here are a few of our low budget main dish recipes:
Macaroni & Cheese Casserole
I came up with this recipe a couple years ago when I was trying to use up some leftovers in the fridge. It has since become a favorite at our house. The neat part about this recipe is that it can be easily altered based on the ingredients you have in your refrigerator. We usually have a stock pile of Wacky Mac because we use double coupons at Ingles, Bi-Lo, or Publix plus we get extra money back from Upromise eCoupons which makes most of our purchases of Wacky Mac free plus some overage. Dairy products are regular staples in our house so it makes this recipe fairly easy to make anytime.
Macaroni & Cheese Casserole
The neat part about this recipe is that it can be easily altered based on the ingredients you have in your refrigerator. It is a simple recipe that is almost impossible to mess up.Servings: 8Equipment
- 9x7 Pyrex Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 12 oz Wacky Mac Veggie Noodles (Any shape pasta can be used, but the girls love the mixed shapes and colors of Wacky Mac)
- 1-2 cups Milk (depending on how rich you want it, powder milk works too or add a touch of sour cream to increase the richness)
- 1 cup Velveeta Cheese (cubed)
- 1 tbsp Butter or Margarine
- 1 cup Shredded Cheese (I use up the partial bags in our fridge so it is usually Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Colby, etc..)
- 2-3 cups Water (You want 4 cups liquid, if you add more milk, reduce the water)
- dash Salt, Pepper, and Garlic to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all the ingredients above except the water to a casserole dish.
- The water will be different based on what you add to your casserole. Add enough water to cover the noodles and stir everything together.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees. After 15 minutes of baking stir the casserole than continue baking for an additional 45 minutes. The top of the casserole will be crunchy (everyone’s favorite part) but should not burn.
Notes
I have also been known to cut of cheese slices or put in a couple spoons of cottage cheese. It really is a “use up the leftovers” type of Marconi & Cheese Casserole! If you want you can add a cup of fresh or canned tomatoes that tastes great too.Chicken Pot Pie
After several days of cooking we will often use the meat and vegetable leftovers in the fridge to make a Pot Pie. Our favorite is the Chicken Pot Pie, but we have made several variations of Beef and Ham Pot Pies as well. You can often get Store Brand Pie Crusts on sale or clearance for a great price if you them on hand use those otherwise the recipe below includes how to make your own pie crust with a few basic ingredients.
Chicken Pot Pie
A family favorite, chicken pot pie is a simple way to use up the remaining chicken that doesn't taste like a "leftovers" meal.Servings: 8Equipment
- 9 inch pie pan
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cups Crisco Shortening
- 1 tssp Salt
- 5 tbsp Water (cold)
Filling
- 1 to 2 cups Cooked Chicken (use leftover or canned Chicken)
- 1 to 2 cups Cooked Vegetables (use leftover or canned Veggies)
- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together the ingredients for the crust until the dough is formed, split the dough in half.
- Roll out half of the pie crust (add more flour if necessary). Place half of the pie crust in the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch pie pan.
- Stir together the Chicken Pot Pie filling ingredients. Add the filling to the pie pan.
- Top with remaining pie crust. Roll the edges of the bottom and top crust together. Cut a few slices in the top of the pot pie, (I usually will do a smile face or Christmas Tree or heart just for fun. The girls are always looking to see the design on the the top prior to eating it.)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check halfway through and if the crust is getting too dark put a piece of foil over the top to keep it from burning.
Pasta Night
We will often have a “Pasta” night which is a quick and easy meal that our family enjoys. It is one of our “meatless” meals. Many times Pasta nights consists of cooking:
Poor Man's Pasta
Don't let the name fool you. This is a simple staple that is quick and easy to make, yet still a comforting favorite.Servings: 4Cost: $3Ingredients
- 4 cups Elbow Noodles
- 1/2 tbsp Butter or Margarine
- Grated Parmesan Cheese (aka. "Shaky Cheese")
Instructions
- Cook the noodles, drain and add the butter. Sprinkle Shaky Cheese over your noodles and enjoy.
Notes
I add veggies and fruit to round out the meal. It is quick, simple, and inexpensive.Spinach Chicken Casserole
This is another one of those quick recipes I threw together to use up some extra chicken we had in the fridge that was a hit with the family.
Spinach Chicken Casserole
This is a quick "throw together" meal that tastes great and feels like it should have taken more time.Servings: 6Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cups Cubed Chicken (or you can use 2 to 3 frozen whole Chicken Breasts)
- 1 can Spinach
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 4 oz Sliced Mushrooms (Optional: Canned works best)
- 2 slices Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 cups Rice (uncooked)
- 2 to 4 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour the 2 cups of uncooked rice and water if necessary into a casserole dish. Add the Chicken on top of the rice.
- Mix together the Spinach and Cream of Mushroom then add it on top of the Chicken.
- Spread the sliced mushrooms over the spinach mixture.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
- Add the cheese on top 10 to 15 minutes before the casserole is done.
Veggie Beef Soup is another one we put together with items we have on hand.
Along with the main meals we have a fruit and vegetable. We still have chicken and beef weekly as well as fish every couple of weeks to make sure everyone is getting the nutritional meals they need.
I will continue to share with you the challenges and successes so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating and sharing your story. As I extend this goal into at least the first part of February I hope to have the opportunity to share more about what we are doing to make it stretch! Let’s see if we can finish yet another week of the No Grocery Shopping challenge!
Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others. Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff” and if you are like us we just have too much. I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives. When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.
Candy Cane Smile Pancakes!
Now that our Christmas festivities are done with family and friends I am trying to come up ways to use some of the extra goodies. Somehow throughout the various Holiday celebrations we accumulated a stack of candy canes and as we begin the first quarter of 2011 we are having fun finding ways to use up the remaining ones. Instead of sprinkles on the girls pancakes we decided to have candy cane smiles. They loved having minty pancakes for breakfast and the smiles added extra cheer for everyone, smiles really do spread cheer! Do you have a creative recipe or way of finishing up the last few candy canes around your house?
