Crites Family Stuff

Description

Years ago, I used to make this casserole for my family because I could serve one of the two pans and freeze the other for another quick meal in the future. I recently made it again for the family, this time for 2 year old granddaughter Livy who loved it. It's nice to go back to old recipes and comfort foods every now and then!

Ingredients for 10 servings

• 1 lb hamburger
• .5 onion, diced
• 8 oz cut tomatoes
• 6 oz tomato paste
• .5 tsp basil
• .5 tsp oregano
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 lb spaghetti noodles
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese
• 16 oz cottage cheese
• 1 lb grated Mozzarella cheese

Steps

1. Cook meat and onions together. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings. Simmer while pasta is cooking.
2. In a large pot, cook pasta in salted water. Drain. Return drained pasta to pot and add butter. Stir till melted. In a separate bowl beat eggs and Parmesan cheese together. Add to the buttered pasta and mix well.
3. Divide the pasta equally into two greased deep dish pie tins. Spoon 8 oz of cottage cheese onto each pile of pasta. Spread 1/2 lb of Mozzarella onto each dish.
4. Top each dish with the hamburger mixture, dividing it equally between the two tins. Bake at 350 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
5. If both dishes are not needed, freeze one before baking. Wrap tightly with foil and safe for later. Can be baked frozen but don't preheat your oven and plan for up to 1 and 1/2 hours for cooking time.

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Ingredients for 8 servings

• 1 lb penne pasta, cooked and drained
• 1.5 lbs chicken, cooked and cut into pieces (can use shrimp)

Sauce:

• olive oil
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• .33 cup chopped onion
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp parsley flakes
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 pint heavy cream
• .5 cup Parmesan cheese

Steps

1. Cook pasta, drain and set aside. Cook meat and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and sauté onions and garlic tip tender.
3. Add broth, tomato paste, and seasonings. Simmer 4 minutes.
4. Add cream and simmer on low for another 6-10 minutes.
5. Add Parmesan cheese. The sauce will thicken with the cheese.
6. Toss with the cooked pasta and meat. Serve warm.

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Ingredients for 4 servings

• 8 oz fettuccine noodles
• 2 cups roasted broccoli florets

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• .25 cup fat-free, plain Greek yogurt
• .25 cup skim milk
• .25 tsp pepper
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• .75 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps

1. In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is golden, 1-2 minutes.
3. Whisk in flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, Greek yogurt, milk, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer, stirring gently until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
4. Add drained pasta and roasted broccoli to sauce mixture. Toss to combine and serve with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Ingredients for 8 servings

• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• .25 cup butter
• .25 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 lbs shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 lb sliced bacon
• Saltine crackers, crushed to make 1 cup

Steps

1. Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain. Make a white sauce by melting the butter and stirring in the flour. Cook for several minutes and gradually stir in the milk. Stir together until no lumps are in the sauce and sauce has thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a large casserole dish, layer 1 cup of sauce, half the pasta, half the cheese, then repeat with 1 cup of sauce, the rest of the pasta and cheese. Finish with the remaining sauce and top crushed saltine crackers and line the top with slices of bacon. Bake at 350F until hot and bubbly and bacon is crisp, about 45 minutes.

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Ingredients for 8 servings

• 1 pint heavy cream
• .5 cup butter
• 2 tbsp cream cheese
• .75 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Steps

1. Combine butter, cream and cream cheese. Simmer until all is melted and mixed well. Add Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Simmer 15 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Description

Ask any child in the Crites' family the origin of this recipe. It has become a family joke because they have heard it a million times! Chuck was Dan's roommate in college.

Ingredients for 16 servings

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 (29 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 can water
• 12 oz can tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp cut oregano
• 1 tbsp cut basil
• 6 mild or sweet Italian sausage links
• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil in a large pot. Cut the sausages into bite size pieces. Add all ingredients together and stir well. Simmer 2-3 hours for meat to get tender and sauce to thicken. Watch for scorching and stir occasionally.
2. Can also add meatballs and sliced pieces of pepperoni links. I will often use onion and garlic powder in place of the fresh.
3. Use for spaghetti or with lasagna as you would a marinara sauce. We have traditionally used penne pasta with this recipe.

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Description

This is my stepdad's recipe.

Ingredients for 20 servings

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 (29 oz) cans Italian tomatoes, pureed
• 3 cans tomato paste
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Meatballs:

• 1.5 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• .25 cup minced parsley
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Steps

1. In a large saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and simmer 30 minutes. Add tomato paste, sugar, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 2- 3 hours, stirring often. If sauce gets too thick, add water.
2. Mix the beef, sausage, onion, garlic, beaten eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, and seasonings together. Roll into meatballs, using a 1/4 cup scoop to make the balls. Fry in pan. Add to sauce. Can also add browned Italian sausage links that have been cut into thirds to the sauce. Cook sausage for at least an hour of the sauce's cooking time.

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Ingredients for 10 servings

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage (if in link form, remove casing and cook like ground beef)
• 1 (16 oz) box Rigatoni pasta
• .5 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (26 oz) jar spagetti sauce
• 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• .5 tsp salt
• .5 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1.5 cups cottage cheese
• .66 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp parsley

Steps

1. Boil pasta till al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic in skillet till beef is done. Drain fat. Set aside.
3. Prepare sauce by simmering together the pre-made sauce , tomato sauce, and spices. Simmer about an hour
4. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese and parsley. Add 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and set aside.
5. Assemble in lightly greased 13x9 casserole dish in this order: 1 cup sauce, 1/2 of the cooked pasta, 1/2 of the meat, all of the cottage cheese mixture, 2 cups of sauce, remaining pasta, remaining meat, the remaining sauce, and 2 cups of mozzarella.
6. This should fill the entire casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375F for about 40 minutes or till sides start to bubble. Remove foil and bake about 10 minutes more or till cheese is melted and brown.

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Ingredients for 8 servings

• 1 lb fettucini
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
• .5 cup butter
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup milk

Steps

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, place all the rest of the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Put over medium-low heat and let it all melt together and become smooth. Add more milk if it becomes too think. You can also add cooked chicken or shrimp to the sauce or just top the dish off with grilled chicken on top.

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Ingredients for 15 servings

• 1 lb ground beef
• 5 cups mostaccoli noodles
• 1 pkg shredded mozzarella
• 30 oz Ragu Spaghetti sauce
• .5 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps

1. Cook pasta noodles. Drain and set aside. Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain. Add spaghetti sauce to browned meat. Heat through. Add Parmesan cheese and noodles and spoon into 9 x 13 pan. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.

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