Creamy Sausage Mac 'n Cheese

This was a super easy thing to throw together. And it tastes sooo much better than boxed macaroni!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup diced onions
2 cups chicken broth (may need to add a tad more or less depending on the size of your noodles)
1 can diced tomatoes (optional, we don't like tomatoes so I didn't add this)
1/2 cup heavy cream (use fat free milk to cut down on calories)
8 oz dry pasta, any shape bowtie, twirls ect.
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped green onions

 

 

1. Heat olive oil over medium/high heat. Sautee onions and sausage until lightly browned. Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute, make sure not to overcook the garlic.

2. Add chicken broth, noodles, seasonings, cream (and tomatoes if you wish). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until noodles are tender.

 

3. Remove from heat and add shredded cheese. Top with green onions.

 

Chili Macaroni

This an easy meal to throw together and kids love it! Its super filling and great for those kids with endless pits.

Ingredients

1 box of elbow macaroni
1 lb. ground beef
1 can kidney beans, drained
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder


1. Boil macaroni with a dash of salt and a splash of oil. Drain and set aside.

2. While macaroni is boiling, cook ground beef. You can add in some onions and minced garlic towards the end of cooking if you like (just take the onion and garlic powder down to 1 tsp.) Drain ground beef.

3. Add the tomato sauce, beans and seasonings to the drained beef. Mix well then add macaroni to mixture.

4. Top with cheese and serve warm!

"Healthy" Hamburger Helper

So I used to buy Hamburger Helper quite often. It was a quick, easy meal the hubs could make while I was working or at my night class. The past few years we have been trying to eat more healthy, and stay away from preservatives and additives. Have you ever read the ingredient list on a box of Hamburger Helper? Wow! Its packed with sodium, preservatives  and additives. Yuck! Taking inspiration from several similar recipes, I came up with my own healthy version of Hamburger Helper. It is easy to put together and refridgerate, so all Mr. Browning has to do is pop it in the oven.

Ingredients

1 box of elbow macaroni

1lb. ground beef

Half an onion

1 can tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 tbsp salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. cumin

Grated cheese

1. Brown the ground beef. Chop the onion and add to the beef. (My onions are a bit big, our onion hater was over at his girlfriend's so I was rather liberal with them.) Drain.

2. Boil macaroni. Don't overcook, make sure they are a little firm. I also like to add a splash of olive oil to my boiling noodles to keep them from sticking. Drain.

3. Add tomato sauce, water and spices to beef mixture. Let simmer for 10 minutes or so.

4. Add macaroni to to beef mixture. You may want to use only 3/4 of the noodles, a whole box makes quite a lot! Stir together and then pour into cassarole dish.

5. Grate cheese over the top and cover with foil.

6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Take foil off and cook another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!