4 Meals I Made For My Family of 5 This Week

This is officially baby week and my last week to fully cook dinners until well after baby is here. I made a few of my absolutely favorites and I hope you all enjoy! It may be a minute before I do another post like this as I will be eating on my 16 freezer meals that I prepped.

Meatball Sub Bubble Up Bake

Ingredients

• 2 cans 8 count refrigerated biscuits
• 14 oz bag Frozen Italian Style Meatballs, thawed (I used fresh meatballs this time)
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• fresh basil or parsley, minced (optional – for garnish)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees and spray a large oven safe skillet or 3 qt baking dish with non stick spray.  Set aside.  Lightly spray one side of a piece of aluminum foil with non stick spray and set aside.
• Remove biscuit dough from can and slice each biscuit into 8 pieces.  Add to greased skillet or baking dish.
• Top with marinara sauce, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  Stir around to mix seasonings into sauce and coat dough in sauce.
• Nestle thawed meatballs into and on top of the dough pieces.  Cover with half the shredded cheese, and cover skillet or dish with foil, sprayed side down.
• Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, add remaining cheese, and bake another 15 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.  If desired, broil a minute or two.
• Serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs, if using.

Mac & Cheese Meatloaf Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar barbecue sauce
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 30 Ritz Crackers
• 2 oz Lipton onion soup mix
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups macaroni noodles
• 2 cups milk
• 10.5 oz condensed cheddar cheese soup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Dump ketchup and barbecue sauce into a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside.
3. Dump ground beef into a large mixing bowl.
4. Place Ritz crackers in a large Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
5. Pour the cracker crumbs into the bowl with the ground beef.
6. Add the onion soup mix and eggs to the bowl with the ground beef.
7. Add ½ cup of the ketchup and barbecue sauce mixture to the bowl with the ground beef.
8. Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together until fully combined.
9. Dump the meatloaf mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and press it out evenly.
10. Spread the rest of the ketchup and barbecue sauce mixture on top of the meatloaf.
11. Place the dish in the oven and bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes.
12. While the meatloaf is in the oven, cook the macaroni noodles according to the directions on the package and then drain.
13. Pour the milk and cheddar soup into a large mixing bowl.
14. Whisk until no lumps remain.
15. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to the bowl and whisk well again.
16. Add the cooked macaroni noodles to the bowl and stir until all of the noodles are coated in the liquid.
17. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese to the bowl and stir well again.
18. Once the meatloaf has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven.
19. Pour the macaroni mixture on top of the meatloaf and spread it out evenly.
20. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of the meatloaf.
21. Return the dish to the oven and bake until the cheese on top is completely melted and just starting to brown. 17-20 minutes.
22. Remove the casserole from the oven and leave it to sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
23. Enjoy!

Italian Sausage & Parmesan Bowtie Pasta

Ingredients 

• 1 (16-ounce) package bow tie pasta
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage
• ½ cup chopped onion, optional
• 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans Italian stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Instructions 

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, onion, garlic, and pepper flakes, stirring, for 4–5 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
• Stir in tomatoes, cream, salt, basil, and ½ cup Parmesan and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until thickened.
• Add pasta to sausage mixture and toss.

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet

Ingredients  

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 bell peppers diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 can 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain extra fat.
2. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, cumin, sauce, salt, and pepper.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the peppers soften.
5. Fold in the rice and cookit through.
6. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
7. Cover until it melts