Lasagna Beef 'n' Spinach Roll-Ups

Source: Country Italian Cookbook

I love lasagna, pasta and pretty much any other Italian carb-licious meal. This is a twist on the classic lasagna dish and incorporates the servings into a roll rather than layered with noodles in the traditional favorite.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (can use 1lb and decrease from 12 to 10 rolls)
1 28 oz. jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (Newman's Own Sweet Onion is quite tasty)
1/2 cup A.1. Original or Bold & Spicy
1/2 teas. dried basil leaves
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed & very well drained
2 c. (8 oz.) shredded italian cheese blend or mozzarella
1/3 c. parmasan cheese, divided
1 egg, beaten
12 lasagna noodles, cooked & drained (make a couple extra for breakage)
2 tbl. fresh or dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In lg. skillet, brown beef over med. high heat until no longer pink (I will usually add a crushed clove of garlic here to add some extra flavor), drain. In a small bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce, A.1. & basil. Stir 1 cup of the sauce mixture into the drained beef. Set aside remaining sauce.

2. In medium bowl, combine ricotta, drained spinach, shredded cheese (save a 1/2 cup for topping), 3 tbl. parmasan & the egg. Spread lasagna noodles on a baking sheet or other flat surface to cool enough to handle and to assemble rolls. On each noodle, spread about 1/4 c. ricotta mixture. Top with about 1/3 c. beef mixture. Roll each noodle from short end; lay each roll seam side down in lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Pour reserved sauce mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and shredded cheese. Add fresh or dried parsley and cover. Bake at 350 F 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes more or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with garlic bread or a simple cesar salad and a nice glass of wine. Hearty and perfect for a cold winter's night. It's great reheated too!

Baked Potato Casserole

Casseroles often get a bad rap as being a mosh pit of flavors that well...aren't so good. Not to fear! This one is different and takes the simple flavors of a baked potato and melds them into an entree this is both quick to make and yummy to eat. It's been in my recipe box for years and continues to be a favorite!

5 large baking potatoes, peeled & diced
10 slices of bacon (a standard pkg)
8 ox. shredded cheddar or other favorite (i prefer the colby mix)
1 pint sour cream - no reduced fat here!
6 green onion stems
salt & pepper to taste
butter
chives

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Place potatoes, cut & cleaned, into a large pot and cover with cold water. Heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until tender but still firm. Strain potatoes and keep warm until ready to use.

2. While potatoes are still simmering, chop bacon into small pieces and cook in saute pan. I find that chopping the bacon before hand makes for a better final dish. Feel free though to cook the pieces and crumble after if you prefer (or forget). I try to avoid crispy bacon with this one, but that's just a personal preference. Once bacon is cooked, place on a paper towel to soak up residual grease and continue heating the leftover pan grease to saute the green onions.

3. Place cut green onions in hot bacon grease for 1-2 minutes; drain excess grease and set aside onions. Combine potatoes, a couple pats of butter and salt and pepper in ungreased casserole dish. Add bacon, sour cream, onions & 1/2 of the cheese mixture and stir to combine. Spread evenly in dish.

4. Sprinkle remaining cheese over mixture and finish with fresh cut chives (dried work too). Bake 30 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.