upside-down pizza casserole

In my search for easy recipes to tackle on nights where I'm short on time or am flat out exhausted, I came across this recipe for "upside-down pizza casserole".  It's fast.  It's easy.  Practically effortless.  And it's yummy.  You can easily add to the recipe to make it a bit heartier, but I chose to make it "as is" (aside from adding a bit of Tuscan seasoning while browning my ground turkey) for my first time around.  Served with salad on the side, both Travis and I enjoyed this meal.  It made the list.  I'll be making it again when we have a house full - it's all about easy dinners next week. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 15 oz. can Italian-style tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 10 oz. package refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large skillet, cook beef (or turkey) until no longer pink, stirring frequently.  Drain off fat.  Stir in tomato sauce; heat through.  Transfer mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish.  Sprinkle mixture with cheese.  Flatten each biscuit with your hands; arrange the biscuits on top of the cheese.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden.

these even reheat fairly well (in the oven) for lunch a few days later

sausage and spinach soup

Yesterday when Travis got home from work, we ran to the commissary to stock up on a few groceries.  (We ended up more than stocking up.)  By the time we got home it was almost 6pm, so the dinner making process had to be quick.  I had a recipe on my list of "to-makes" for the week, the prep seemed easy enough, it made the cut.  Sausage and Spinach soup, it was. 

The recipe is fast, easy, and has great flavor; it has officially made my list of cool weather meals.  It's satisfying and it warms your insides.  It might make your nose run a little.  You know that runny nose feeling when you sit over a bowl of warm soup?  <<sniff, sniff>>  It's worth it. 

Ingredients:
10 oz sweet turkey Italian sausage (I used 1 lb. of breakfast sausage, because that's what I had in the fridge)
cooking spray
1 c. chopped onion (I used a red onion)
2 tsp. minced garlic (I used a bit more than this)
1/2 c. water
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 c. baby spinach (fresh)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (I used dried, because I didn't have fresh)
2 Tbsp. grated fresh Romano cheese, for garnish (I used Parmesan)

Remove casings from sausage.  Cook sausage in a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium/high heat until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add onion and garlic to pan, cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in water, beans, tomatoes, and broth.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Uncover and cook for 3 minutes or until slightly thick.  Remove from heat, and stir in spinach, basil, and oregano.  Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.  (I also threw on a few croutons for a little something extra.)  Enjoy!

yum!