Beefy Macaroni Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into medium dice
• 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (with juices)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, measured salt, oregano, paprika, and measured pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste, stir to combine, and cook until the raw flavor has cooked out, about 1 minute. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until it’s just cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling pot of water and cook until still chewy and underdone, usually 1 or 2 minutes less than the package directions suggest (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and rinse with cold water until no longer steaming; set aside.
4. Add the flour to the beef mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw taste has cooked out of the flour, about 2 minutes. Add the milk, tomatoes and their juices, and broth or stock, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the cooked pasta and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is heated through and steaming, about 1 minute. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
6. Transfer to a 5-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and bake until bubbling and lightly browned on top, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

One-Pan Paprika Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

• 6 to 8 chicken thighs (about 3 pounds, bone-in and skin-on)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes
• 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• Handful of thyme sprigs
• Leaves from 3 to 4 parsley sprigs, for garnish

METHOD

1 Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a rack in the middle position.

2 Prepare the chicken: With scissors or a sharp knife, trim the excess chicken skin and fat from the thighs. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

3 Marinate the chicken in the sauce: In a large bowl, stir together the mustard, lemon juice, paprika, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat. Set aside while you chop the vegetables.

4 Prepare the vegetables: Cut the baby potatoes into halves. Peel the red onion and cut it into 8 wedges through the root end. Smash the garlic cloves lightly with the flat of a knife, just to break the skin. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, but keep them separate from the other vegetables.

5 Bake the chicken and vegetables: In a large baking dish (9x13-inch pan, 3-quart dish, or other similar sized baking dish), toss the potatoes, onion, and garlic with salt, pepper, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread them evenly in the pan and top with thyme sprigs. Nestle the chicken into the vegetables and scrape any extra sauce over top. Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered.

6 Add the tomatoes: Remove the pan from the oven, scatter the cherry tomatoes on top, and return the pan to the oven.

7 Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of a thigh registers 165F. Serve with a salad or crusty bread.

Cabbage roll casserole

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp dry thyme
• ½ large cabbage, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1½ cups uncooked rice
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
• 3 cups water or beef broth

Instructions

1. Brown the beef in a skillet. Drain the grease and stir in the onions, garlic and spices. Cook on medium/low heat until the onions soften and become transparent.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients and dump into a large casserole dish or deep 13x9 lasagna pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 90 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, take the casserole out of the oven and give it a stir.

Notes

If you prefer to have the cabbage soft and the rice very tender, similar to cabbage rolls, add another ¼ cup of water after the 90 minutes and cook for another 30 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 300 Fat: 13.8 g Saturated fat: 5.4 g Unsaturated fat: 6.7 g Carbohydrates: 28.9Sodium: 472 mg Protein: 15.6 g Cholesterol: 47.8 mg

Unstuffed cabbage rolls

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 small head green cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ cup beef broth
• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ cup uncooked white rice

Instructions

1. Lightly coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Add ground beef and onion and cook until ground beef is no longer pink, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Drain off any fat.
2. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. Add tomato paste and stir in well.
4. Add all remaining ingredients except rice.
5. Partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Stir in rice and continue to cook partially covered for 15 to 20 minutes