Make Ahead Meal

Browning the Italian sausage and ground beef is the most time consuming task with this meal.  Assembly above is the easy part.

  

We all have our favorite one pan meals we can oven bake once Fall has arrived.  One of mine is a lasagna. It's hearty and warms the soul. Because lasagna takes time to make, I like to make 2-3 at a time using disposable pans. Once assembled, I cover liberally with aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to make a pan, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Bake time is listed below.

This dish is easy to make and assemble. After you have browned and drained your ground beef and sausage, preheat the oven to 375. Place a layer of meat and marinara sauce (store bought or homemade) in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Cover with a layer of dry lasagnas noodles. Spread a layer of ricotta cheese then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Cover with another layer of sauce and repeat ending with meat and sauce on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the dish is heated through.  Take it out of the oven when ready and let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving.  

Best served with a fresh loaf of Italian bread! 

Pumpkin Joe for Halloween Supper

On Halloween we don't have time to fuss over supper when we have little ones to take trick or treating or are busy answering the door for trick or treaters.  This easy sloppy joe pie is sure to impress your family and as a time saver, make the sloppy joe's the night before.  

All you will need is a pie pan, 15 oz. can of tomato sauce, 4.5-6 oz. tomato paste, a packet of sloppy joe seasoning (I like using Fresh Thyme), ground beef and refrigerated pie crusts of your choice. I used Immaculate Baking organic crust for this recipe.

Combine browned ground beef with envelope of taco seasoning, tomato paste,  and tomato sauce and cook on stove top until it's done.

Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before using.  When ready to use, gently roll the crust and place one crust into a pre sprayed pie pan.

Scoop the sloppy joe meat mixture into the bottom pie crust.

Carefully unroll the second crust and place on top of the sloppy joe meat. Pinch the top and bottom crust together to seal.  To make it festive for Halloween, take a knife and carefully cut out a pumpkin face of eyes, nose and mouth.
Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is slightly brown and crisp.

My attempt at a smiling pumpkin came out as more of a scary skeleton! 

I loved the simplicity of this recipe and my family thought it was delicious. I hope you like it too.

~HAPPY HALLOWEEN~👻

(and Happy Birthday to my sweet Dad!)