Category: ground beef

Posted in Family Recipe, ground beef, Ingredients, onions, Pasta, pasta, Recipes

Johnny Marzetti – Updated

Posted on by traci

One of my mom’s favorite meals was Johnny Marzetti. When I was Googling the history of the name of Johnny Marzetti, I noticed a lot of the recipes bake it. The difference with my recipe is that I don’t. My recipe is more of an American goulash.

It was named after a restaurant in Columbus that shut down in 1972 when the owner died.

When I made it this week, I modernized or added some depth to the spaghetti sauce that I used in the dish. I added a splash of dry red wine while the sauce was simmering. So delicious!

It’s a simple pantry item dish. Here’s what you need to make the dish.

  1. ground beef – I know the price for ground beef has increased. I get the frozen ground beef at this current time because it is cheaper.
  2. spaghetti sauce – I used a simple spaghetti sauce from Aldi. Less than a dollar for the jar.
  3. dry red wine – Doesn’t need to be expensive. Or use beef broth for a deeper flavor.
  4. onions
  5. elbow macaroni – Aldi has 3 pound boxes for less than $1.50
  6. shredded cheddar cheese
  7. Spices: Dried oregano and Italian seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste
  8. optional: mushrooms and green peppers

Johnny Marzetti

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped or 1/2 of a medium or large onion, chopped
  • 1 (24 to 26 oz) jar of spaghetti sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. dry red wine or beef broth
  • 1 lb or 2 c. dry elbow macaroni
  • 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
  • Optional: 1/4 c. white or Bella mushroom, chopped
  • Optional: 1/2 green pepper chopped

Steps:

  1. Cook the elbow macaroni according to directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Brown the ground beef in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Drain and remove from pan. Set aside.
  3. Add the onions, mushroom (if using), and green pepper (if using) to the pan. Add some oil to the pan if needed. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
  4. Add the cooked ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and red wine to the onions. Simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. Add the pasta and shredded cheddar cheese to the pot. Stir to combine.
  6. Enjoy with garlic bread and a salad.

You can leave the wine out if don’t want to use wine. I just used it to add some depth to the dish.

Printable Recipe

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in dinner, ground beef, Lunch, Recipes, sandwich, Sandwiches, slow cooker, Write 31 2016

Sloppy Joes (Day 6)

Posted on by traci

sloppy-joes

Welcome to Day 6 of the 31 Days of Slow Cooking.  Today I’m featuring sloppy Joes.

The Imaginative One is a Boy Scout.  For the past year, he’s tried to get all of the requirements done so that he can move up to first class.  On Tuesday night, he met up with an Eagle Scout who helps with the troop to assure he has all the requirements done.  Then once he got home from the meeting, he called the advisor who holds the Board of Review so that he could set up an appointment.  Next Tuesday, he’s going to meet with the advisors so that they could determine if he’s ready to move up to first class.  I’m so proud of him.

We also had his parent teacher conference.  One thing about the Imaginative One is that he is a big reader.  When he crossed over to Boy Scouts in February of 2015, he would read during the majority of the meetings instead of paying attention.  As time passed, he has become more and more social.  Anywho, Hubby was told that the teacher didn’t know if the Imaginative One was paying attention in class because he will socialize at times.  It turns out the class is the English Language Arts class.  One of his Boy Scouts buddies is in that class.  I never thought I would hear that about the Imaginative One.

This is an easy recipe to put together in the slow cooker.  Sloppy Joes are great for lunch or even dinner.

Once you make up a batch, freeze smaller portions so you can have sloppy Joes whenever you don’t feel like cooking.  I did this before the Fourth of July. Then I ended up getting sick on the Fourth.  Luckily I had the sloppy Joes in the freezer so the family still had a delicious meal on the Fourth of July.

Sloppy Joes

Stars of the Recipe:

  • 1 & ½ lbs. Ground beef, browned and drained
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix or ¼ c. homemade onion soup mix
  • 1 c. ketchup
  • 1 c. water
  • 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
  • Hamburger buns

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients except for buns in the slow cooker.
  2. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or 2 to 3 on high.
  3. Serve on buns.
  4. Enjoy!
happy-slow-cooking-1
Posted in dinner, ground beef, Recipes, secret recipe club

Taco Hamburger Helper – Secret Recipe Club (July 2016)

Posted on by traci

Today’s my monthly Secret Recipe Club Reveal.  Before I reveal who I was assigned this month, I’m going to have a quick commercial break because it’s a special day at our house.  I don’t want the person whose blog I’m featuring to feel slighted so I’m going to try to keep it quick. Continue reading “Taco Hamburger Helper – Secret Recipe Club (July 2016)” →

Posted in dinner, easy, ground beef, Recipes

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce (Wee One’s Sauce)

Posted on by traci

The other day I had to change our menu because we changed our plans for the week.  I had gone through our pantry and noticed we had a lot of spaghetti noodles.  So instead of barbecue chicken legs, I decided to have spaghetti.

Continue reading “Meaty Spaghetti Sauce (Wee One’s Sauce)” →

Posted in easy, ground beef, Recipes

Lawnmower Tacos

Posted on by traci

The Wee One loves tacos so when I saw this recipe, I decided we needed to try this recipe.  Hubby loved it which is a great thing because he typically only likes Fritos and I used tortilla chips.

It’s called lawnmower tacos because it basically looks like a lawnmower ran over the meal.  It might not look pretty but it tastes delicious.

IMG_0276

Lawnmower Taco

adapted from Life as Mom

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp.Taco Seasoning Mix
  • 1/4 c. flour
  • 1.5 c. beef or chicken broth
  • 1 to 2 c. crushed tortilla chips
  • 2 c. cheddar cheese
  • taco toppings:  lettuce, tomato, sour cream, avocado, salsa, etc. . .

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Brown the ground beef over medium high heat.
  3. Sprinkle taco seasoning over the browned ground beef.  Stir until combined.
  4. Sprinkle flour over the ground beef.  Stir until combined.
  5. Add the beef or chicken broth.  Turn heat to high.  Allow to boil.
  6. Turn heat down to medium.  Simmer until sauce is thickened.
  7. Grease a 9 by 13 baking dish.
  8. Layer in this order:  (I did 3 layers.)
    1. Crushed Tortilla chips
    2. Ground beef mixture
    3. Cheese
  9. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
  10. Enjoy with your favorite taco toppings.

Happy eating,
Traci

Posted in dinner, ground beef, Meat

Meatloaf Muffins with Meatloaf Glaze

Posted on by traci

IMG_0724 (1)This is one of the Imaginative One’s favorite meals.

IMG_0724 (1)

Meatloaf Muffins

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 lb. of ground beef
  • ¼ c. rolled oats
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ c. diced onion or minced dried onion
  • spices – salt, pepper

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Place ground beef in a mixing bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients to the ground beef.
  3. Mix to incorporate all ingredients but don’t mix too much.
  4. Form into muffins. (about ¼ c. to ½ c.)
  5. Place the meatloaf muffins into a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.
  6. Top each muffin with meatloaf glaze (recipe below).
  7. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until completely cooked through.  (Internal temp of 155 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.)
  8. Enjoy with your favorite side dish!

 

Meatloaf Glaze

Stars of the recipe:

  • ¼ c. ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Steps:

  1. Combine the ingredients together.
  2. Use to top your meatloaf or meatloaf muffins.

For a Printable Version of the recipe

Posted in 31 days, ground beef, onions, slow cooker, soup

Taco Soup (Day 29)

Posted on by traci

I’ve signed up for a 31 day  writing challenge.  Everyday in October, I am posting a new slow cooker recipe, a link to a previous posted slow cooker recipe, or a link to a recipe from another blog.

Yes, I know this is another soup recipe.

We had lots of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday so it was a good thing I had the taco soup on the menu for Tuesday.  There is something about soup on a dreary day.  It helps brighten your soul.

The Wee One loves tacos so I thought he would like this soup.  He probably would have liked it better if I served it with tortilla chips.

Hubby and I loved the soup.  It’s easy to put together in the morning.  The soup uses ingredients that most people have in the pantry.

wpid-im-hungry.jpg

Acting crazy

The boys decided they wanted me to take a picture of them.  I was trying to get a picture of the soup.

DSC00489

This is the Wee One taste testing the soup.  I have no clue while he is holding his head.

taco soup #2

DSC00498

Taco Soup

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 lb. hamburger, browned or 2 c. already browned hamburger
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 3 heaping Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning or 1 package store bought taco seasoning
  • 1 1/2  c. water
  • 2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomato
  • 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 c. frozen corn

Steps:

  1.  Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.
  2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  3. Top with your favorite toppings – cheese, sour cream, etc. . .
  4. Enjoy!

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If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it on Facebook or Pinterest.  Here is a link to my Facebook page and my Pinterest page.

To check out the rest of the recipes I’ve shared during this challenge, click on this link.

Oh and please check back during the first week of November.  I’m planning a small giveaway.  No, it is not a crock pot.  More information will be forthcoming about the giveaway.

Happy eating,
Traci

Posted in 31 days, bell peppers, ground beef, onions, Rice, slow cooker, soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup (Day 21)

Posted on by traci

I’ve signed up for a 31 day  writing challenge.  Everyday in October, I am posting a new slow cooker recipe, a link to a previous posted slow cooker recipe, or a link to a recipe from another blog.

Last night, my school had parent teacher conferences.  Even though I only had one parent show up, last night was productive.  The parent who came was crying happy tears because of how much more confident her child has become this year.

Later after talking for a while, we both realized we were Christians.  The mom told me and another staff member about a great Christian singer, Jonathan McReynolds.  I ended up listening to his song “Pressure.”  It’s such a great song with a great message.

I hope you enjoyed listening to the message from Jon.  He is truly blessed by God.

wpid-im-hungry.jpgAnyway onto the recipe for today.

On Monday, I made stuffed pepper soup using some of the bulk hamburger I cooked up over the weekend.  I put the rice in the slow cooker when I put the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker.  The rice ended  up falling apart after being cooked for that long.

If you make the soup and decide to put the rice in at the beginning, use brown rice instead of white like I did.  Or cook the rice at the end and then put it in the bowls as you serve up the soup.  It’s your decision.

Oh, I used a 6 quart crock pot.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 lb of ground beef, browned or 2 c. bulk hamburger from the freezer
  • 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
  • 2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with juices or 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 c. beef broth
  • 1 16 oz. bag of frozen pepper stir fry mix
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 c. brown rice
  • cheddar cheese to top the soup

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients into your crock except for the cheese and rice if you opt to make the rice at the end.
  2. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
  3. (OPTIONAL STEP)  If you opted to make the rice at the end, make the rice.  Place about 1/4 c. of cooked rice in the bowls before servings.
  4. Serve with cheese.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Screen-Shot-2014-10-01-at-1.48.07-PM

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it on Facebook or Pinterest.  Here is a link to my Facebook page and my Pinterest page.

To check out the rest of the recipes I’ve shared during this challenge, click on this link.

Oh and please check back during the first week of November.  I’m planning a small giveaway.  No, it is not a crock pot.  More information will be forthcoming about the giveaway.

Happy eating,
Traci

Posted in 31 days, dinner, easy, ground beef

Taco Meat (Day 18)

Posted on by traci

I’ve signed up for a 31 day  writing challenge.  Everyday in October, I am posting a new slow cooker recipe, a link to a previous posted slow cooker recipe, or a link to a recipe from another blog.

wpid-im-hungry.jpg

The Wee One loves tacos.  He will eat 2 to 3 tacos when I make tacos for him which is good because he needs to eat.

On Friday, the Imaginative One was not going to be around for dinner.  Hubby and I had plans with my co-workers. So I decided to make tacos for the Wee One and my mother-in-law who was going to be watching him.  He loved this recipe.  In fact, he ate 3 tacos on Friday night.

Taco Meat

Taco Meat

Stars of the recipe:

Steps:

  1. Place the browned ground beef in the slow cooker.
  2. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the ground beef.
  3. Pour water over the ground beef.
  4. Cook on low for 4 hours.  It will be soupy.  Just use a slotted spoon to get the meat out of the slow cooker.
  5. Enjoy with your favorite taco fixings!

For a printable version of this recipe, click on this link.

Screen-Shot-2014-10-01-at-1.48.07-PM

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share it on Facebook or Pinterest.  Here is a link to my Facebook page and my Pinterest page.

To check out the rest of the recipes I’ve shared during this challenge, click on this link.

Oh and please check back during the first week of November.  I’m planning a small giveaway.  No, it is not a crock pot.  More information will be forthcoming about the giveaway.

Happy eating,
Traci