Recipes for "budget meals"

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss the pasta with butter.

3. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven set over medium heat, add the sausage, beef, onion, bell peppers, and Italian seasoning. Brown all over, 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Simmer 10 minutes, until just slightly thickened. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Remove from the heat.

4. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

5. In a large casserole dish, layer 1 cup of the meat sauce with the spaghetti, white sauce, and remaining meat sauce. Top with mozzarella, provolone cheese, and the pepperoni. Bake 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Let sit for 10 minutes. Top with fresh basil, and enjoy!

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add 1/4 cup warm water, the brown sugar, and the yeast. Let sit until it is puffed and foamy on top, about 10 minutes. It will smell like bread!

2. To the bowl, add the warm milk, eggs, molasses, flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and very soft butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add a 1/4 cup of flour at a time. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

3. To make the filling. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except the butter.

4. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 12x8 inches. Spread 4 tablespoons of butter over the dough. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar. Fold one side of the dough into the center, then the other side on top. Like a letter. Turn the dough horizontally. Roll into a rectangle again. Spread with 2 tablespoons of butter and the remaining cinnamon sugar.

5. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log. Pinch along the edge to seal. Cut into 12 rolls. Place into a buttered baking dish.

6. Cover and let sit 10 minutes or transfer to the fridge to rise overnight.

7. Remove from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

8. To make the icing. Beat together all ingredients until whipped and fluffy. Spread the icing over the warm rolls. Serve and enjoy!

Fill a large pot with water, add salt, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes or 1 to 2 minutes before the cooking time recommended on the package. The pasta will still be firm. Drain the pasta into a colander set in the sink.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook it, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. If you'd like, drain the excess fat.

Stir the pasta sauce into the ground beef and cook until warm, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.

Pour half of the mixture into a 13x9-inch casserole. Make dollops of cottage cheese on top, then cover with half of the shredded cheese. Spread the remaining pasta on top and finish with the remaining shredded cheese evenly scattered on top.

Bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave in 30-second increments until heated through.

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Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and bell pepper and cook until onions and peppers are softened, a couple minutes.

Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

Push the vegetables to the edge of one side of the pan and position that side of the pan so that it is off the burner, away from the heat. The empty part of the pan should be right over the burner.

Add one or two more tablespoons of oil to coat the empty part of the pan. Put crumpled chunks of ground turkey in the pan, sprinkle with salt and chipotle or chili powder.

Cook the turkey without stirring until it is browned on one side, then turn the pieces over to brown the other side.

Once the turkey is just cooked through, stir in the onions and peppers, and sprinkle with more salt and chili powder to taste. Remove from heat.

Stir in fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.

Serve alone, or with steamed rice or noodles.

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Simply Recipes / Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

Heat to boiling a large pot with 4 quarts of water in it. Once the water is boiling, salt it with 2 tablespoons of salt. Once the water returns to a boil add the pasta to the pot.

Leave uncovered, let cook on high heat with a vigorous boil. Put the timer on for 8 to 10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package says is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain.

Once you've started to heat the water, start working on the sauce. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a large cast iron pan on high heat. Salt the bottom of the pan generously. Once the pan is hot, break up small chunks of ground beef and add them to the pan, without stirring. (You may need to work in batches; do not crowd the pan.) You want the meat to get well browned.

If the pan is too hot and the meat is burning, not browning, take the pan off the heat for a little, and reduce the heat to medium high. On our coil electric stove, it takes the high heat setting for the meat to brown sufficiently, but your stove may be different.

Once the meat is browned on one side (a couple of minutes), use a metal spatula to flip the meat over to brown on the other side. At this point, assuming you are using a cast iron pan, you can remove the pan from the heat. The residual heat in the pan will finish cooking the meat.

Use a slotted spoon to lift the meat from the cast iron pan and add it to the pan with the seasoned onions.

Add tomato sauce. Use the edge of your metal spatula to break up the bigger chunks of meat into smaller pieces.

Add basil. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a simmer on low heat, let cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Once the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, adjust seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more sugar if the sauce is too acidic. Add more tomato sauce if the sauce is a little dry. Stir in the cooked penne pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

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On a rimmed baking sheet, mound the squash in the center. Sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat the squash, massaging the oil into the cubes to coat them.

Spread into a single layer and roast for about 20 minutes, turning it once after 15 minutes, until tender and browned in places. Remove from oven and let cool.

Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it with cold running water for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the strainer and stirring with your hands to remove the bitter coating (saponin) from the seeds.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the garlic, oregano, chili powder, and cumin, and stir for 1 minute.

Add the quinoa, water or broth, diced tomatoes (including the juices), drained beans, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the spinach and cook for another minute, or until the spinach wilts.

While the quinoa cooks, add the pumpkin seeds to a small skillet over medium heat and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they begin to crackle and turn golden brown. Transfer to a plate to cool. (If you leave them in the hot pan, they may burn.)

Fold the squash into the skillet. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds, cheese, and cilantro, and serve.

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