Taco Lasagne

One thing I love about making casseroles is that IT Guy will take leftovers in his lunch. He's always been so good about leftovers. I think he got that from his dad. And if the casseroles have any kind of Mexican flair to them..then he's in heaven. This was really good. So easy to make and you can switch up what you add to it. If you don't need a huge pan full, split it up between two smaller ones and freeze one for later...or give it away to a friend!

Taco Lasagne



1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning (or 6 teaspoons)
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
3-4 green onions ~ chopped
2 small tomatoes ~ diced
1 8-ounce can corn
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups grated jack cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 16-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 egg
No-bake lasagne noodles
3-4 cups salsa
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

Brown ground beef then add taco seasonings according to package directions. Add the green chilies and stir.

In a medium bowl, stir ricotta cheese together with the egg. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place a layer of noodles on the bottom of the pan.

Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top.

Sprinkle half of each of the grated cheese on top.

Spread with half of the salsa.

Sprinkle with all of the ground beef mixture.

Repeat with all remaining ingredients.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly.



 

Okay...here we go.

 

Mix the egg with the ricotta cheese.

 

Lay down some noodles and 

spread 1/2 the ricotta cheese on top.

 

Then some grated cheese.

 

Cook the beef then add the green 

chile and the taco seasoning.

 

Add some salsa.

 

Add the ground beef.

 

Then another layer of the noodles.

 

Sprinkle with corn, beans, or whatever you have.

 

Add some cheese.

 

Then bake it up!!!

Scroodles

This is a super easy dish and it brings back fond memories for me. Whenever IT Guy and I would go visit his parents, his mom would makes this dish lots of times. I always loved it because it was so easy but so good. After we had kids and we'd go visit, my kids would eat this and always enjoy it. It's family friendly, I guess. We like to add El Pato Mexican tomato sauce to give it a little extra kick but you can increase the regular tomato sauce by one can and eliminate the El Pato if you're not spicy yourself. Or add some diced green chile...or some cheese on top. Make sure you use Rotini pasta because they look like little corkscrews....hence the name Scroodles! Just go make 'em!!
Scroodles

1 16-ounce box Rotini pasta ~ cooked and drained
1 pound ground beef
Medium onion ~ diced
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 8-ounce can El Pato Mexican tomato sauce (found in the Mexican food aisle) *see note
Salt \ pepper

In a large skillet, cook the onion with the salt and pepper in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cook until meat is done.

Add the sauces and stir.

Add the pasta and stir.

Heat through and serve from the skillet!

*NOTE: You can use 3 cans of tomato sauce and eliminate the El Pato for those who don't want the spice.

 

Our ingredients.

 

Brown the onion and ground beef.

 

Add the sauces.

 

Cook and drain the pasta.

 

Add the pasta to the meat mixture.

 

Serve in the skillet!! Enjoy!

Ground Beef Egg Rolls with Sweet & Sour Sauce

I'm not sure where my mom got the recipe for these, but she's had it for years. She used to make them for us and we always thought they were so fun and different. If you've got a hankerin' for something out of the ordinary...try these. A little bit on the Asian side with a little American thrown in for good measure. You can make them as a main dish or serve them as appetizers. The original recipe used won-ton wrappers but I cut to the chase and made the egg roll size. Good either way!

Ground Beef Egg Rolls 
with Sweet & Sour Sauce



1 pound ground beef
12 water chestnuts ~ finely diced
2 green onions ~ diced
2 eggs ~ beaten
1 teaspoon oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
1 package egg roll wrapper
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with a little water)

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Heat 2 - 3 cups of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Place 3 - 4 tablespoons of meat filling on an egg roll wrapper and fold to enclose filling. Brush with egg wash around the edges to seal.

Fry egg rolls for 3 - 4 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with sweet & sour sauce. Recipe follows.


Sweet & Sour Sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar
5 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce.

In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water and add to vinegar mixture.

Heat over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils.

Remove from heat and serve with egg rolls.

Here's what you need for the 

egg rolls. Oops. And 2 green onions.

Throw it all in a bowl.

Mix it up.

Place about 3 tablespoons of 

the meat mixture on an egg roll 

wrapper. Brush the edges with the egg wash.

Bring up the bottom portion.

Fold in the sides.

Fold down the sharp corners.

Roll 'em up, fry 'em up! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Nice and golden brown.

The stuff for the sauce!

Throw it all in a saucepan and stir 

over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Egg rolls and sweet & sour sauce. Yummy!

Messy Misters

I went to a birthday party the other day and as we sat around the table talking about food, one of the girls started telling about this recipe. The name intrigued me and the simplicity of the recipe made it even better. I made the mistake of not writing anything down, so I had to improvise.  I think I came pretty close to her recipe description. Use any kind of bbq sauce you want. I used a 1/2 recipe of my homemade honey chipotle sauce. That recipe is HERE. The men in my family thought these were fantastic! They'd be great for a quick lunch or for a snack as you're heading out the door. They're yummy! 

Messy Misters



1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup bbq sauce
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 containers 8-count Crescent rolls
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet, saute the diced onion for a few minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink.

Add 1 cup bbq sauce, salt and pepper and heat through. 

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

Separate the crescent rolls into triangles. Stretch the triangles a little bigger than normal.

Fit the dough into the muffin tins with some of the edges hanging over.

Fill each muffin tin with a couple of spoonfuls of the meat mixture then top with cheese.

Fold dough over to enclose beef. These will not be neat...hence the name Messy Mister.

Beat egg in a small bowl and brush tops of dough.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

The line-up.

Stretch the crescents rolls a little 

larger than their normal size. I just

 pressed them out on my countertop.

Then lay them in the greased pan 

with the edges hanging over. I used

 a 12-cup muffin tin and then 4 

more cups from a 6-cup tin.

Saute the onion for a few minutes

 then add the ground beef and brown.

Add the bbq sauce and heat through.

Fill the cups with the meat mixture, 

dividing equally. Then top with a little grated cheese.

Fold up the tops. No need to be 

precise and neat. They're called Messy 

Misters for a reason. Then brush with the beaten egg.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes 

until golden brown on top. Allow 

to sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing.

Gobble 'em up!

10 Ground Beef Recipes

 Well..here you go. Ten of our most favorite ground beef recipes. It sure was hard to only pick 10, lemme tell ya'! I tried to get a good cross section for you but it was very difficult to not pick ALL Mexican food!! I hope you enjoy them! 

Here are the LINKS to the recipes on Facebook and Pinterest.

10 Ground Beef Recipes        

          

Is it Mexican? Is it Italian? It's both! Mexitalian! It's also one of the best things ever! Little little bundles of deliciousness and just that....delicious! Of course with it being Mexican food, IT Guy was smiling from ear to ear! Es muy bueno!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

1 pound ground beef

1 package taco seasoning

3 green onions, chopped

3 cups grated cheese

20 large pasta shells ~ cooked al dente

1 19-ounce can enchilada sauce

Cook ground beef until no longer pink.

Add taco seasoning and water and cook until thick, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine cooked, seasoned beef, green onions and 1 cups of the cheese. Toss gently.

Fill shells and place into a greased 9x13 pan.

Pour enchilada sauce over filled shells.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

The cast of characters.

Brown the meat and add the taco seasonings.

Combine the cooked meat, 

the cheese and the green onions in a large bowl.

Fill the cooked pasta shells with the meat mixture.

Lay the filled shells in a 9x13 inch pan.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the filled shells. 

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil, sprinkle with grated cheese 

and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve!