Seafood Pasta Casserole

This is my modified version of this recipe. I added/deleted some ingredients and increased the amount of pasta to get more meals out of it. I got the original recipe from allrecipes.com

I tried it once it had cooled, but I think this is going to be delicious when we make it tomorrow night. I will update once we've tried the finished product. It looks sooo good. I will also update w/ a photo of my version. The picture gives the gist of it, but they used spiral pasta.

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8-10 (I pre-made dinner for later in the week and froze 3 casserole dishes of this)

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz uncooked seashell pasta (equal to 2 one lb bags)
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used about 2 tablespoons of jarred minced garlic.
1/2 cup butter (I used margarine)
1 large package of imitation crabmeat, chopped
1 can, Alaskan salmon (Costco has some really great stuff--it's in the white can)
3/4 cup light sour cream
2 tsps salt (I didn't use because I don't like to salt things.)
1-1/2 tsp dried basil
1-1/2 cup (6 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (I don't measure cheese. I just sprinkle and go.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. (If you're only freezing it, I'd cook it until it's still a little firm.)
2. While pasta cooks, heat a small amount of butter in a skillet and saute onions, mushrooms, green pepper and garlic until onions are translucent and peppers are tender crisp. Remove skillet from the heat.
3. Drain pasta, then add to vegetable mixture in pot. Stir in the crab, salmon, butter, sour cream, salt and basil.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS:

Divide evenly in baking dishes (I use Dollar Tree foil containers, except for if I'm making it to bake that night or the next). Sprinkle cheese on each. Put foil container in gallon freezer bag and freeze.

On cooking day: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to bake it. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until heated throughout.

Baked Ziti

Prep Time: 20 Minutes (It takes me longer when I first try a recipe)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ready In: 55 Minutes
Servings: 8-10 (minimum. With this recipe, I had enough for dinner that night and 4 freezer meals.)

Ingredients:

2 pounds of uncooked ziti, rigatoni or penne rigata
1 pound Italian sausage, chopped1 pound ground beef1 package mushrooms, diced1 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium zucchini, diced
2-3 tbsp garlic, minced
One 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes in purée
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 egg whites
One 15-oz container part-skim Ricotta cheese
2/3 cup of part-skim Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions to al dente. (Still slightly firm so it doesn't get mushy when you bake it) If eating now, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. While pasta is cooking, warm the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, zucchini and garlic. (I used our food processor to chop everything.) Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes, making sure not to brown the garlic.
3. Add in the tomatoes, 2 tsp Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add the pasta to the mixture and combine well.
5. Blend together the egg whites, 1 tsp Italian seasoning and Ricotta cheese until smooth.
6. Add the Ricotta cheese blend to the pasta/sauce mixture in dollops and mix in slightly. (You don't want the Ricotta to disappear, but you do want it to be blended in.)
7. Cook for 30 minutes. Top with the Parmesan and Mozzerella and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and pasta is heated through.

FREEZER Instructions:

I use foil pans from Dollar Tree. (You can get 2 or 3 packs). Put each in gallon sized freezer bag. Freeze for up to two months.

Last Minute Preparation:

Thaw overnight and heat at 350 degrees until hot through. (About 30-45 minutes)

This was a really good recipe. I had modified the recipe from vegetables only to include ground beef and italian sausage, which I recommend. It added a lot to the dish. I liked the fact that we got a good helping of veggies without being overpowered by it. They're kind of hidden in the dish. The other thing I did differently was I used less tomatoes and added some tomato sauce to compensate. I think with the right amount of tomatoes (in puree), it would be even better!