Macaroni-and-Cheese Deluxe (Southern Living 1979)

I didn't think I was going to get this mac and cheese dish into the menu plan the week of the 13th, but we did - and the kids loved it.  I used about 3.5 cups rotini pasta instead of an 8-ounce box of elbow macaroni because I had rotini in the house.

I also decided I wanted for us to try it, because it would use cottage cheese, and I had made a mistake in my purchase choice for cottage cheese.  It was on sale, but I failed to recognize that it had no salt added.  I'm not sure if that was the problem, but we really didn't like it with fruit.  I thought, though, that it would work in a recipe or two, and it did!  I really don't like throwing away recently purchased food if I can help it.

Macaroni-and-Cheese Deluxe (Southern Living 1979)
3.5 cups whole grain rotini pasta
2 cups low-fat, small curd cottage cheese
1 cup light sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 t salt
Dash pepper
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Stir in Cheddar cheese.  Add macaroni; stir well.
Pour into well-sprayed 9-inch baking pan.  Cook for approximately 30 minutes at 375F.

Lindy

Cheesy Spinach Lasagna (Southern Living, 1980)

Another lasagna!  Or... another pasta bake....

This one wasn't wow.  It was good - but just a run of the mill lasagna. 

I think I removed the "key" ingredient - can you guess what I left out??  Well, other than the mushrooms and the red meat (we used turkey)... you got it!  We left out the "can cocktail vegetable juice".  I just couldn't do it.  I thought about it.  Spent some time staring at the V-8 section in the grocery store... and just had to walk away.  I know, I left out the major defining ingredient.  Perhaps some other brave soul out there will take this one and try the "can cocktail vegetable juice" and let me know how it goes.

Cheesy Spinach Lasagna

1 lb lean turkey meat

1 med onion, minced

1 tbls oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp crushed red pepper

6 oz can tomato paste

1/4 cup marinara sauce

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

3/4 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

frozen spinach, thawed

noodles (gluten free and regular), cooked

8 oz. Mozzarella cheese

Parmesean cheese

* Cook turkey, add in the onion and seasonings.  

* Once meat is fully cooked, combine in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and marina sauce.

* Add ricotta, cottage and about 6 ozs mozzarella cheeses and spinach to the meat mixture.

* Add meat/cheese to pasta noodles, combine well.  Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesean to taste.

* Bake at 350 for about 20 - 25 minutes.  

It was good.  Contrary to the name, we didn't think it was overly cheesy.  It was a little dry, I think I might add a little more marina sauce - or just more tomatoes.  I didn't include the milk/flour because I didn't include the infamous juice and I didn't want to add a thickener.  We gave this one 3 stars.

- Chery