Spaghetti and Meatball Soup | Italian Wedding Soup | Cooking for Two

Now that the kids have grown and flown, it's just the hubby and I home for dinner. A nice bowl of homemade Italian Wedding soup , along with some homemade bread is just the answer for dinner.

Italian Wedding Soup

There are many recipes I make with spaghetti, that thin Italian pasta. Spaghetti doesn't always have to be covered with red sauce, or as some say, gravy. I make my mother-in-law's favorite Irish Spaghetti Casserole, made from ham and spaghetti and an easy and quick weeknight supper. It also happens to be my oldest daughter's requested favorite birthday meal! For real!

Try this easy version of little meatball soup for lunch or dinner some night with homemade bread.  This soup can also be made Mediterranean Diet friendly.

If you enjoy your pasta with authentic Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (also known as Red Gravy) here in the Northeast, check out my favorite recipe.  It can also be used on Homemade Pizza.

Easy kitchen clean up with my Handmade crochet Reusable Handmade Dish Cloths from my Moomettes Crochet shop!

Spaghetti and Meatball Italian Soup

1/2 lb. Hamburg (ground beef or ground turkey)
1 c. Bread Crumbs (Whole Wheat if following Mediterranean Diet WOE)
1 Carrot, grated
1 Onion, chopped
1 Egg
salt, pepper (to taste)

Chicken Broth 
Orzo (Whole Wheat Pasta can be used)

*Meatballs:*

Combine hamburg (or ground turkey or ground chicken), bread crumbs, onions, carrot, egg, salt and pepper.  Roll into small, mini meatballs.

*Broth:*
Simmer the chicken broth with meatballs, tomatoes and spices until the meatballs are cooked.  Add zucchini, cook 15 minutes.  If you have homemade broth, that's even better. Then add pasta of your choice, cook 5 minutes more.

Like my Recipes?  Buy me a Bag of Flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen 

Adapted from: Never Enough Thyme

Old Fashion American Goulash Recipe | Simple Easy Pasta Supper

This recipe for basic old fashion American Goulash comes together quickly for a simple easy pasta supper.

Ground Beef and Elbow Macaroni Dinner American Goulash

My mom would make this easy ground beef dinner a few times a month for us.  Back when I was a kid, we just called ground beef plain old hamburger meat.  Now you can get 80% Lean, 85% Lean, 90% Lean, Ground Chicken, Ground Turkey, or Turkeyburger.  Use whatever  you like.  I use whatever's on sale, as my husband and since I've switched to the Mediterranean Diet for healthy eating, we now use Ground Turkey or Ground Chicken.

Of course, everything homemade tastes better, because you can control the ingredients and seasonings.  I won't use the box mixes similar to Goulash (or sometimes called American Chop Suey).  It's just too easy to make your own.

To make supper come together even faster, I prepare Freezer Meal packets of ground beef ahead, that already have diced tomatoes and onions in it.  I freeze in quart bags, about 2 cups each.

You might want to try my frugal casserole or skillet recipes for 

Ham and Spaghetti Casserole, using a Ham Steak or leftover ham
Pot Roast Sheppard Pie Casserole

Beef and Cabbage Casserole (Deconstructed Polish Golumpki)

Chicken Paprika Shepard Pie Casserole

Easy cleanup with Handmade Kitchen Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet !

I like to make a big batch in my skillet that was part of my Cuisinart Pots and Pans Set and then freeze some in my Food Saver Vaccum sealer for when I'm short on time.

American Goulash Casserole

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Oregano, to taste

28 ounces diced tomatoes

15 ounces tomato sauce

1 lb elbow macaroni or 1 lb medium pasta shells

1 cup cheddar cheese or 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Brown ground beef, onion and pepper in a large skillet 
Season with garlic salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Simmer 10 minutes while macaroni is cooking.

Boil macaroni al dente, drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Then rinse.

Return macaroni to pot, add beef mixture along with the reserved pasta water.

Serve in dinner bowls with shredded cheese.

Goulash is even better left over and reheated (add a little tomato juice when reheating, if too dry).

Like my Recipes?  Buy me a Bag of Flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen 

Louisiana Beef Stew | Crockpot Beef Stew | Church Supper Recipe

Here's an interesting stew recipe featuring molasses, raisins, and a hint of ginger. Make this Crockpot Beef Stew for a busy weeknight supper, or simmer on the back burner for Sunday supper.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

We like to use plenty of molasses when baking here in New England. Traditionally molasses are used in cookie recipes. We also like to think we make the best beef stew.

I know many people are using an Instapot to cook meals, but I prefer to stick with my trusty Crockpot, and I've had many over the years! My mom and aunts used to use a pressure cooker, but my comfort zone is with a slow cooker.

However, Mardis Gras is coming up, and rather than a seafood stew or gumbo, try this old fashioned beef stew recipe version with a side of homemade dumplings or biscuits.

You can get a faster start on this beef stew recipe by using some freezer cooking tips. I just got a Food Saver sealing bag machine, which is perfect for freezer meal prep. 

If cooking in a dutch oven casserole dish, cook for 2 hours.

Try some of my other easy Crockpot meals and desserts - 
Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore 

Crockpot Beef Vegetable Barley Soup

Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup

Crockpot Molton Lava Pudding Cake

Serve with Crockpot Bread Pudding and hard sauce for dessert.

Clean up your kitchen with my crochet handmade Dish Cloths from my Moomettes Crochet shop!

Crockpot Beef Stew

3 Tbl. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. ginger
3 lbs. beef chuck, cut in 2" cubes
2 Tbl. cooking oil
1 16-oz. can tomatoes
3 medium onions, sliced
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. molasses
1/2 c. water
6-8 carrots, cut on diagonal
1/2 c. raisins

Combine first 6 ingredients and sprinkle over beef cubes.
Brown beef in hot oil.
Remove to crockpot or slow cooker and add tomatoes, onions, carrots, vinegar, molasses and water.
Cook on low about 4 hours.
Add raisins and simmer about 30 minutes longer.

Like my Recipes?  Buy me a Bag of Flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen 

photo credit: Back to the Cutting Board via photopin cc

Adapted from: Yankee's Main Dish Church Supper Cookbook

Ham and Spaghetti Casserole | Easy Ham Casserole Recipe

Here's a family favorite easy and quick skillet supper pasta casserole recipe for a weeknight using ham steak, canned stewed tomatoes and spaghetti. It's pretty inexpensive to make, and I like to keep the canned ingredients on-hand for a hurry-up dinner .  

This is an easy way to use up leftover ham from your Holiday dinners - Easter or Christmas!

Easy Quick Night Supper

My mother-in-law was Irish and never cooked spaghetti and meat sauce. If my husband and his siblings wanted Italian pasta, they had to order it out!  This is my mother-in-law's version of pasta that we fondly refer to as "Irish Spaghetti Casserole."  It works well using either leftover ham and then use the ham bone to make pea soup!  You can also use canned ham or a ham steak in this casserole recipe.

I like to look for Smithfield Ham Steaks when they're on sale - this is such a great way to feed a crowd and watch your pennies with the cost of food today.

I have a new cast iron skillet to replace an old fry pan, and this will be perfect to cook it in for skillet dinners.

It's even easier to make if you do OAMC freezer cooking. I've been putting up quite a few make-ahead freezer mixes to simplify mealtime preparation. Here's one of the ham meal starter mixes that I put together using a freezer recipe from The Family Homestead eBook cookbook.

If there's any leftover, I often turn this into soup for lunch by adding some beef or veggie broth

Check out my other week night easy casseroles for dinner -
American Goulash Casserole
Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Polish Beef and Cabbage Casserole (Deconstructed Goumpki)
New England Shepard Pie Casserole

Easy cleanup with Handmade Kitchen Dishcloths from Moomettes Crochet Shop!

Ham and Spaghetti Casserole

1 ham steak, cut into cubes
2 cans (16 oz.) stewed tomatoes (or 1 can stewed tomatoes, 1 can regular tomato sauce)
1 large green pepper, seeded and cut into cubes
2 - 3 tbl. cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste
Italian Seasoning, to taste
parmesan cheese, to taste
1 lb. cooked spaghetti pasta

In a large sided frying pan, add oil, and saute cut up ham steak until golden brown.
Add cut peppers and saute until tender.
Add stewed tomatoes, (including the juice).
Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions separately.
Drain and add to ham mixture. You may not want to add all at once so as not to use up all the juice.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add parmesan cheese if desired.
Serve with crusty garlic bread.

Like my Recipes?  Buy me a Bag of Flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen 

New England Shepards Pie Recipe | Irish Shepards Pie

The ultimate food testers in the family are my husband and son-in-law. Today I'm going to show you how to make a New England Shepards Pie. This one pot casserole dish is one of my charming son-in-law's favorite recipes that he always asks me to make.

New England Shepard Pie One Pot Casserole

Living in New England all my life, I'm pretty used to being holed up in the house whenever we have blizzards. Since I like to cook, it's the perfect opportunity to try out new recipes on the family and fill the house with delightful aromas wafing from the kitchen!

The kitchen is where this frugal grandmom spends most of her time, and I decided it was time to redecorate and update the kitchen. As I spend a lot of time on Pinterest searching for interesting recipes and craft ideas to keep the grandkids entertained whenever I babysit, I also like to pin photos of DIY home handyman kitchen and household tips.

Shepard Pie is traditionally made with lamb, however, when it's made with beef chunks or ground beef, it's known as Cottage Pie. It's a frugal way to use up leftover beef if you cube it, ground meat you purchase in bulk, leftover vegetable such as peas, carrots, or mashed potatoes for the topping.  The seasoning can be your choice.

Charming son-in-law, my favorite handyman, recently installed wainscoting panels in the Frugal New England Kitchen. One remodeling project led to another, and I got tired of looking at the outdated wallpaper in this old house, it just screamed 70's, 80's and 90's. So I rented a wallpaper steamer and spent the entire weekend steaming off wallpaper with a wallpaper steamer. Everyone's updating their homes with paint and painting techniques - I found some wonderful Martha Stewart paint colors that I'll tell you more about later.

Comfort Food

Meanwhile,  here's an easy recipe for Shepard's Pie that can be made ahead the night before - just pop it in the oven after your projects are done! I like to make this easy casserole dish with Guinness Stout as it adds a nice flavor and cooks out. You don't have to wait for St. Patrick's Day to make this Irish Shepard's Pie! Cook it up for an easy weeknight dinner for your favorite handyman!

Also be sure to serve with my Breadmaker Irish Soda Bread Recipe or traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe 

Easy clean-up with my crochet handmade Dish Cloths from my Moomettes Crochet Shop!

Be sure to check out my other dinner favorite recipes such as Pot Roast Shepard Pie and also my  Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore . If you're following a Mediterranean Diet, you can easily adapt this recipe with chicken, turkey burger, and veggies and a sauce of your choice.

New England Shepard Pie with Guinness Stout

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (ground turkey, ground chicken or ground lamb)
1/3 cup diced onion
1 stalk celery, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 cup Guinness Stout (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks
1/4 cup butter or EVOO
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
2 tablespoons chives
1 16-ounce can whole kernel corn
2 16-ounce cans creamed corn
Paprika
Saute Hamburger Ground Beef mixture in large, shallow saute pan.
Meanwhile, cook potatoes in a stockpot with water. Mash and season with butter, milk, sour cream, chives and salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain corn, and mix with creamed corn. Layer corn mixture on burger mixture and spread evenly. Layer on mashed potatoes. Sprinkle paprika lightly over top.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Can be frozen for meal prep or freezer meals.

Happy Baking!

Like my Recipes?  Buy me a Bag of Flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen 

Easter Kielbasa and Chicken Paprika Shepherd Pie Recipe with Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Add seasoned mashed potatoes to your preferred recipe such as this Kielbasa or Chicken Paprika Shepard Pie for an ideal addition to any suppertime dish. With  a frugal value price, flavored mashed potatoes are the ideal go-to side dish for your favorite meals. Add sour cream, chive, onions, spices.  Your choice.

Our family gets together for a pot-luck Easter Buffet.  I'm part Polish and like to share and celebrate my heritage with an Easter Kielbasa dish.  Check out my other Polish recipes for Golumpki and Pierogi here .

Easy clean up with these Handmade Kitchen Dishcloths from Moomettes Crochet !

Chicken Paprika Shepherd's Pie

1 or 2 c. Mashed” potatoes 

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, or kielbasa

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 jar (12 oz) home-style chicken gravy

2 1/4 teaspoons paprika

1/2 cup sour cream

  Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2-quart shallow casserole or 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Make mashed potatoes with1/2 cup milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter.
    Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion; cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Stir in mixed vegetables, gravy and 2 teaspoons of the paprika. Add leftover kielbasa if desired. Cover; cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
    Stir sour cream into chicken and kielbasa mixture. Spoon into casserole. Spoon or pipe potatoes in 8 mounds around edge of casserole. Sprinkle potatoes with remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika.
    Bake uncovered 25 to 35 minutes or until mixture bubbles around edge of casserole.

Like my Recipes?  Buy me a Bag of Flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen 

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers Recipe | Slow Cooker Meals

Here's a pretty easy recipe for a easy frugal family meal staple - old-fashioned Crockpot Stuffed Peppers.

We've had a fair amount of rain this year in New England, much of it falling on weekends!  On those types of days I like to stay home and cook up a "storm."

Slow Cooker Meal Ideas

How to make Stuffed Peppers

I've been preparing quite a few OAMC Freezer Meals and I just replaced my old slow cooker with a new crockpot from a 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker and am having so much fun checking out new recipes and enjoying ones I had forgotten about!  

I also often make Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers recipe by simply chopping everything up into a casserole dish to bake. If there are leftovers, turn it into Stuffed Pepper soup.

Easy kitchen cleaning with these crochet handmade cotton dishcloths available for sale in my Moomettes Crochet Shop !

In the meanwhile, hope you enjoy this quick recipe for an easy workweek dinner! File it away for a rainy day!  It's a good way to get the kids or grandkids to eat their vegetables!

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

1 - 1/2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey burger or chicken
1 bag Boil-a-Bag Rice (I prefer Brown Rice or even Barley or Farro)
1/2 c. Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce (reserve 2 Tbl.)
2 (8-oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 tsp. Lawry's seasoning (or spice of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste
6-7 large Bell green peppers

Cook rice according to package instructions. Drain well.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine mix together meat, rice, seasonings and Country Bob's All purpose sauce until thoroughly blended.
Cut tops from peppers and remove seeds. Fill peppers loosely with meat and rice mixture.
Add 1/2 can tomato sauce to button of crockpot. Place peppers inside. Cover with remaining sauce.
Cook on low approximately 6 hours. About one-half hour before peppers are done, remove top from crockpot and cover peppers with second can of tomato sauce mixed with 2 Tbl. Country Bob's Sauce.

Like my Recipes?  Buy me a Bag of Flour

© Frugal New England Kitchen