Leftover Use Up Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz

Grocery shopping day--time for my weekly Waste Not, Want Not refrigerator clean out, leftover use up meal. Today's was Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz. Here's how I made it cleaning up all those bags of cheese, veggies, and leftover meat and pasta.  

Grocery shopping day--time for my weekly Waste Not, Want Not refrigerator clean out, leftover use up meal. Today's was 

Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz (here's how I made it)

Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 
Spread leftover noodles, any kind even spaghetti, in pan (drain first). 
Mix any leftover cottage cheese, ricotta, plain yogurt or sour cream with Parmesan cheese. Blend in 4 eggs. Spread mixture over pasta. 
Place a layer of leftover cheese (any kind) chopped. I used up several chunk sand bags of shredded (you know how six get opened and half-used?)
Season with basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, garlic, pepper.
Pour leftover spaghetti sauce over cheese.
Add layers of leftover spinach, green peppers, sliced zucchini, mushrooms, onions, scallions, summer squash.
Use up sausage (links, patties, ground), pepperoni and hamburger.
Pour another cup or so of cheese on top and sprinkle with more Italian seasoning and Parmesan. 
Bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Serve with stale bread garlic bread (spread bread with margarine and minced garlic and bake till crispy). For dieters, use lowfat cheeses and omit meat. These recipes are designed to be flexible and use up what you have on hand. Don't buy special ingredients. This meal is quick--10 minutes to assemble. 

Cheap, Quick, Healthy Cooking Cheats for Crazy-busy Parents

Mealtimes present a dilemma for me: I want the kids to enjoy hot, hearty, healthy meals, but I generally lack adequate time to cook. If you're a crazy-busy parent who values nutritious meals, you need shortcuts to "get-er-done" fast. Here are cooking cheats from a veteran mom of four and Omi to 13! Tailor recipe sizes to family need. These meals are easy on the budget as well. 

* 2-for-1 meals: Cook once, eat twice (or three times!) Make big meals that you can nibble on all week. A popular one is stuffed chicken breasts (or pork loin). 

Multitasking Chicken Casserole. Cover coated baking dish with thin-sliced chicken or pork. Sprinkle with rosemary. Mix bread cubes, chopped onion and celery, melted butter, sage, garlic, marjoram and black pepper. Or cheat and use boxed stuffing mix and add chopped celery and onion. Spread over meat. Layer more cutlets over stuffing. Add a can of green beans and pour a can of cream soup (with rinse water) over all and bake. Reheat and serve as many times as you can! This works great with Thanksgiving leftovers. 

Multi-Purpose Pasta Bake. Make spaghetti and meatballs one night. Then pour sauce, meatballs over pasta, top with shredded cheese and bake, for night two. 

* Soupcon supper: In a saucepan, add one can each tuna, chicken noodle soup, mushroom soup and peas or beans (rinse each can and add water). Press slices of bread in muffin tin slots and toast for 10 minutes to make bread "bowls." Fill with soup. This was my grandmother's washday recipe. Soupcon means "a small amount" in French and can be said "soup can!" My kids absolutely love this cute meal in minutes.

* Precut fruit and vegetables: I used to think it was lazy and wasteful to use pre-cut foods. That was before I had four kids and started homeschooling. Now I welcome time-savers. To cut costs, buy pre-cut produce when they're reduced for clearance. Use in order of expiration date.

* Bagged salad supper. Get one of those salad kits when they are cheap. Add crumbled bacon, or canned chicken cubes and extra cheese. If you have going-bad veggies, quick chop and add in. 

* Salad sandwiches. If there's leftover salad supper, make sandwiches the next night. Fill croissants or bagels. 

* Once-a-week cooking: In individual pans, cook rice, pasta and potatoes. Place in Ziploc bags or use food sealer. Fry hamburger, chicken (or turkey) breast cubes and/or pork cubes in the same pans (saves dishes). Fill Ziploc bags. Refrigerate and mix and match. Buy frozen peas, beans, broccoli and cauliflower. Each night, grab one package starch, one meat and one bag vegetables. Throw in oven stove top, with water, can of cream soup and seasonings, as desired. You'll get two weeks or more worth of meals and an endless variety of entrees. Our meal choice is chicken tetrazzini: pasta, chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, mushroom soup, Parmesan cheese, diced onions and black olives.

* Super speedy stir-fry suppers: Use frozen fish, shrimp and vegetables to save time. For fried rice stir-fry, mix cooked rice, fish, peas and carrots and eggs. Fry. For egg foo yung, mix eggs, pea pods, chopped bell peppers, chopped onions, fresh cut Asian vegetables or coleslaw with cabbage and carrots, canned Asian vegetables (water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts) and fish if desired. Make quick gravy with soy sauce, corn starch and water. Serve over rice or chow mien noodles. Our favorite is stir-fry curry. Cook fresh-cut oriental vegetables and diced chicken breasts with oil and Thai curry spice. Add half plain Greek yogurt and honey for a sweeter curry.

Using these cooking cheats, I can have supper on the table in 15 minutes.

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