The Easiest (Fake) Lasagna Ever

This is seriously the easiest thing to make. And it only has four ingredients. Easiest. Thing. Ever. I kid you not. It doesn't even need any more explanation than that. So I'm done.

Baked Ravioli
via Pinterest
4-6 Servings

1 25oz package frozen ravioli, any variety
1 jar pasta sauce, whatever kind you like
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
<1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Spread about 3/4 cup sauce over the bottom of the dish to coat. Arrange half of the ravioli over the sauce in one layer. Spread about 1 cup sauce over the ravioli, then sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella over the sauce. Create another layer with the remaining ravioli, top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan over mozzarella. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 400* for 30 minutes. Remove foil, bake for another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Grandma's Norwegian Spaghetti

Ok, so before you look at the picture and decide it doesn't look delicious, please forgive my photo taking skills, or lack thereof. It's hard to photograph a mainly white-ish food in a white bowl under fluorescent light at night, ok? So this is the best I could do…

But anyways, this is Grandma Renae's Norwegian Spaghetti recipe. Her mother came to America from Norway, and I'm not sure if this recipe came with her or if she created it in a Norwegian state of mind during a cold Michigan winter… However it came to be, it's an old family recipe that's graced our table more than once, in memory of our sweet grandma. It's warm, cheesy, ham(my?), and I can't really explain the flavor, but it's good, ok? Don't knock it until you try it.

Norwegian Spaghetti
What's Cookin Sister?
Serves 4-5

2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
8 oz cooked spaghetti
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 can French style green beans
pepper to taste
3 cups cubed, cooked ham
1 1/2 cups shredded jack cheese

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add garlic salt, green onion, and celery; cook until tender. Add ham and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream and cottage cheese. Add pepper to taste. Stir in green beans, spaghetti, and cheese. Stir until combined. Transfer mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes, until heated through and bubbling.

One Pan Buttery Parmesan Chicken and Pasta

So, I made this for dinner the other night. I found the recipe here, and modified it a bit to work with what we had. It basically became a new recipe, because it definitely wasn't Chicken Alfredo. It did turn out to be super yummy and was a happy change from our typical noodles and sauce. We BBQ'd chicken the night before, so I used that instead. Rotisserie chicken would be great for this, too. And honestly, I didn't measure the chicken. I just kept adding pieces until it looked right. Eyeball it! It just depends on what chicken/pasta ratio you want. We also didn't have any cream so I used a substitute for that, too.

One Pan Buttery Parmesan Chicken and Pasta

Serves 4

2 Chicken Breasts

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup milk

2 cups water

2 teaspoons chicken bullion

1/2 lb. uncooked, bite-sized pasta

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

dried parsley, for garnish, if desired

If using raw chicken, brown in a skillet with a little olive oil until no longer pink. If using pre-cooked chicken, heat in a skillet until warm. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 or 2 minutes. Add butter, milk, water, bullion, and pasta. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is cooked. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese and salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with parsley. 

The kids ate this up, husband loved it, and I thought it was pretty good, too. It was definitely a quick, easy dinner!