Meat Filled Jumbo Shells

I feel so fancy when I make this dish for guests, lol.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Jumbo Shells
• 2 lbs. Ground Beef
• 4 Eggs Slightly Beaten
• 3/4 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 3/4 Cup Chopped Onion ("Food Chopper" is all I'll say, tehe)
• 3/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano Leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 3 Cups Spaghetti Sauce

Preparation

• Cook pasta according to package directions (You never realize how much you need The Pampered Chef "5" Strainer" until you are trying to fish these suckers out of the pot without breaking them) 
• Cool shells in a single layer on foil
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Meanwhile, in large skillet brown meat and drain
• In large bowl stir together meat, eggs, bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese, onion, oregano, salt, and pepper
• Fill each shell with about 2 Tablespoons of meat filling
• Spread thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking dish (if you are lucky enough to keep all the shells from breaking then you will need more than one baking dish)
• Place shells in dish and cover with remaining sauce
• Cover with foil
• Bake for 45 minutes

Tara's Sidenote: If you are able to fill multiple baking dishes and you aren't having company over I recommend placing one of the covered dishes in the oven and the other in the freezer for a future dinner. If you freeze one then just cook it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour when the day comes to finally cook it.

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Oodles of Noodles

This recipe is my mother-in-laws. I love it but my husband refuses to eat it since he recently realized it contained Creamed Corn. Don't let that scare you off though, it's time to put that forgotten can of cream corn in the back of the pantry to use.

Ingredients

• 1 Box Rotini Noodles
• 3 Cans Creamed Corn
• 3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 Cans Rotel
• 16 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Brown and drain meat and return to skillet; add corn, Rotel, and chili powder
• Cook mixture over medium heat about 20 to 25 minutes
• Prepare noodles according to package directions
• Place noodles in a 13" x 9" casserole dish (The Pampered Chef "Rectangular Baker" works perfect here)
• Pour the mixture over the noodles and cover with cheese
• Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes

Tara's Sidenote (Just imagine this is me, whispering over your shoulder in the kitchen, creepy huh? lol jk) Most people prefer to serve this dish with some tortilla chips

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Cheeseburger Pasta

So this is the homemade version of Hamburger Helper. I got this from my good friend Sara a few years ago and she'd probably laugh if she knew how often I still make it.

I love recipes that I can just throw together with some of the random stuff I've got in the kitchen and this is definitely one of them. My whole family loves this recipe and if you knew my kids you would know what a feat that is.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
• 1 Can of Beef Broth
• 1/2 Cup of Ketchup
• 1 Can Cheddar Cheese Soup
• 1 1/2 Cups Water
• 2 Cups Uncooked Shell Pasta

Preparation

• Cook ground beef in skillet and drain (I use The Pampered Chef "Stainless Mesh Colanders")
• Place ground beef back in the skillet and add soup, broth, water, ketchup, and pasta
• Heat to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes stirring often

Yep, that was it. It is seriously that easy.

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BBQ Bacon Meatloaf

This ain't your grandma's meatloaf. Yes, this recipe is just as fattening as it sounds but it is SOOO good. One of these days.... when I'm not being forced to be lazy I'll take step-by-step pictures like the fancy blogs do and post them here. But until then I guess the ingredients and steps will have to do.

Ingredients

• 12 oz Chopped Bacon
• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
• 1 1/2 Cups BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Corn Flake Crumbs
• 1 Small White Onion Chopped
• 1 Egg
• 6 oz Shredded Cheese

Preparation

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• Cook bacon over medium heat until browned, drain, and chop in The Pampered Chef "Food Chopper"
• Mix together in large bowl (I prefer The Pampered Chef "Stainless Mixing Bowl Set") the ground beef, egg, and BBQ sauce
• Using The Pampered Chef "Food Chopper" chop the onion into small pieces and "crumb" the cornflakes
• Mix in the onion and 4 oz of the cheese, then add all but 1 Tablespoon of the bacon
• Mix in the cornflakes
• Shape into a loaf and place into a meatloaf pan (I recommend a pan with ridges in the bottom to keep all the fat away from the food, like The Pampered Chef "Small Ridged Baker")
• Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon
• Return to over for 5 minutes or until melted

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