Tomato-Basil Meat Loaves

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday!

A little late putting this up… got lost in THE wedding! LOL!

Here is a recipe for 4 small meat loaves (  2 servings each ), but I think I will make 2 family size meat loaves out of it. One for dinner and the other for the freezer.

Please share a recipe and link it below. Comments are always welcome!

Tomato-Basil Meat Loaves

3 eggs
2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
½ cup Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs
1 cup chopped Italian plum tomatoes (3 medium)
½ cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)
½ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in all remaining ingredients until well blended. On large sheet of waxed paper, shape mixture into 4 (6 1/2×3-inch) loaves. Wrap 3 meat loaves tightly in heavy-duty foil; freeze up to 2 months.

2. Place 1 loaf in ungreased shallow baking pan; bake 40 to 50 minutes or until thoroughly cooked in center and meat thermometer reads 160°F. Let meat loaf stand 5 minutes before serving.

3. To thaw frozen meat loaf, place in refrigerator for 24 hours, or unwrap and place on microwavable plate; microwave on Defrost about 10 minutes or until thawed. Bake meat loaf as directed above.

Makes 8 servings (1/2 meat loaf each)

Hamburger Steak With Sweet Onion-Mushroom Gravy

 Welcome to Freezer Food Friday!

Please share a recipe you can prepare ahead and freeze for later use.  Add a link to your blog, using Mr Linky below, or leave a recipe inthe comments if you do not have a blog. Thanks for visiting, let me know if you find something you like!

Hamburger Steak With Sweet Onion-Mushroom Gravy

Preparation Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes minutes
Yield: Makes 4 servings

2 honey-wheat bread slices
1 pound ground round
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (1.2-oz.) envelope brown gravy mix
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium-size sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced

1. Process bread slices in a food processor 10 seconds or until finely chopped. Place breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl; add ground round and next 4 ingredients. Gently combine until blended, using your hands. Shape into 4 (4-inch) patties.

2. Whisk together brown gravy mix and 1 1/2 cups water.

3. Cook patties in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes on each side or just until browned. Remove patties from skillet. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in prepared gravy, and bring to a light boil. Return patties to skillet, and spoon gravy over each patty. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Note: To make ahead, proceed with Step 1 as directed. Wrap each patty individually in plastic wrap, and place in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw frozen patties in refrigerator 8 hours; proceed with Steps 2 and 3.

Turkey Meatball Gumbo

Turkey Meatball Gumbo

2 packages (12 ounces each) Shady Brook Farms® Fresh Italian Style Turkey Meatballs
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
2 cups frozen chopped okra ( I might skip the okra and use zucchini )
Salt, black pepper and hot sauce
6 cups cooked (boiled or steamed) white rice
1 bunch green onions, chopped

1.     In a medium-size slow cooker, combine meatballs, celery, onion, bell pepper, chicken broth, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf and thyme.

2.     Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.

3.     Turn cooker to LOW and cook for 2 hours.

4.     Discard bay leaf; add okra and cook on LOW 1 hour longer.

5.     Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

6.     Serve in bowls over rice; garnish with green onions.

Baked Spaghetti Casserole – Gooseberry Patch

 

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef 1 onion, chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 t. chili powder 10-3/4 oz. can tomato soup 10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup 1-1/4 c. water 16-oz. pkg. spaghetti, cooked 1/3 c. catsup 1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, soups and water; simmer 30 minutes. Place cooked spaghetti in an ungreased 13″x9″ baking pan; top with beef mixture, stirring to combine. Spread catsup over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until bubbly. Serves 6 to 8.

Mexi Beef Casserole ( Freezer Recipe )

Welcome to Freezer Food Friday. Today I have a Mexican casserole that can be prepared ahead and frozen to be used later.  Please share a recipe on your blog and link it below using Mr Linky.

Mexi Beef Casserole ( from Mom’s Budget ) 

1 pound ground beef
1 15-oz can sweet corn, drained
1 cup mild, chunky salsa
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 pkg cooked egg noodles
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup taco sauce
1 package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Cook egg noodles according to instructions, drain. Meanwhile, brown beef in a skillet until brown and fully cooked. Drain any grease. In a bowl, combine all ingredients, then pour into a freezer container or a 9×13 baking dish. Freeze (may want to allow it to come down to room temperature before placing in freezer)

On cooking day, thaw completely in fridge (take it out the night before or morning of). In a preheated 325F oven, cook for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly and completely hot throughout. Serve!

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

1/2 pound lean ground beef
4 medium-sized fresh tomatoes
1 large yellow onion
1/2 cup celery, sliced
3 medium carrots
6 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh peas
1 cup fresh green beans

Brown the ground beef in a medium skillet on medium-high heat; drain off grease.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Peel the onion and cut in 1/4-inch pieces. Peel the carrots and slice them into 1/4-inch thick pieces.

Place the ground beef, beef broth, tomatoes, onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 hours.

Add the peas and green beans. Cover and cook on low 1-2 more hours.

Fresh Herb Meatball and Rice in Tomato Sauce

Fresh Herb Meatball and Rice in Tomato Sauce

This recipe shows off the power of what fresh herbs can do for a dish, especially when prepared in a slow cooker. The flavors have time to really seep into your soup leaving your palate one happy camper!

1 lb. hamburger
1 ½ cups of rice
2 ½ cups of water
2 – 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 green pepper
½ of a white onion
1 cup celery
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 tbsp. fresh basil
1 tbsp. fresh dill
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste.
3 or 4 slices of bread, or 1 ½ cups bread crumbs

Add rice, tomato sauce, water, and herbs to your slow cooker. Chop veggies into small pieces, put about half of the chopped veggies in the slow cooker and leave the other half in a medium sized bowl. Add hamburger to the bowl and mix. Add salt and pepper, roll into medium sized balls. One pound of hamburger should yield approximately 10 meatballs. Spread the breadcrumbs onto a chopping board and roll the meatballs on the bread. Place a medium sized skillet on medium heat, add a little olive oil cooking spray (or whatever oil you prefer to cook with) and brown the meatballs. Remove from pan and stick into the slow cooker, turn the slow cooker onto low and cook for 4 to 5 hours. Make sure the meatballs are thoroughly cooked, meat needs to reach at least 160 degrees.

Directions for making breadcrumbs:

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Take four slices of white bread and stick on a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes on one side turn over and bake 7 minutes on the other side. When they are done, crumble into pieces (you can use a blender, just break the bread into chunks and put them in there. Blend until it is into small tiny pieces and put it aside into a bowl or onto the chopping block.

Cheeseburger Soup

I can’t find the source for this… if you know the origins, let me  know and  I will gladly link it! 

 

 

Pour a 14.5 ounce can of beef broth, and a 10.75 ounce can ofcondensed cheddar cheese soup in your crock-pot. Mix well.

 

Add a 14.5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes, and a small can of green chilies to the crock-pot mixture.

 

In a medium skillet, over medium heat, brown one pound of lean ground beef, and a medium chopped onion.

Season with Mrs. Dash, and cook it until the beef is done.

 

Add the cooked beef and onions to the ingredients already in the

 

Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours. Add a half a cup (4 ounces) of half & half. Stir well.

 

Cover and cook on HIGH until it starts to bubble, and then reduce heat down to LOW.

 

Cook it for another 45 minutes. Stir before serving.

 

Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

 

 

TURKEY BAKED BEANS

TURKEY BAKED BEANS

 

1 pound ground turkey

1 envelope Lipton onion mix

1 cup water

2 tablespoons mustard

1 large can pork and beans

1 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons lite soy sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cooking oil

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat large skillet with the cooking oil and brown turkey until done. Add all other ingredients, stirring well.

 

Pour into a casserole dish and cook until bubble, about 12 minutes.

 

Note: This recipe freezes well and can be transferred to a crock pot for barbecues or church gatherings.

PICADILLO

Today is Slow Cooking Thursday, hosted by the lovely Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom . Share a recipe on your blog and go link it at her blog. Please come back and join me for Freezer Food Friday .

 

 

PICADILLO

This is from “Cooking Light Slow Cooker,” a book that will let you do great things in your “pot,” things that don’t require canned concentrated soup.

2 pounds ground round
1½ cups chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced green onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
¼ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
¼ cup slivered almonds, dry-toasted in a small skillet
Hot cooked rice (our Cinnamon Rice)

Cook beef through garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned, stirring to crumble beef. Drain well.

Place beef mixture in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add diced tomatoes and next 10 ingredients; stir well. Cover and cook on HIGH 3 hours. Stir in almonds. Serve over rice.