1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 jar (700 ml) pasta sauce
2 cups water
3 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1 cup mozzarella shredded cheese

1. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat.
2. Add pasta sauce and water; mix well.  Stir in pasta.  Bring to boil; cover.  Simmer on medium heat 16 to 18 minutes or until pasta is tender; stir.
3. Top with mozzarella; cook, covered, 1 minute or until cheese has melted.

Tips/Tricks/Notes

I got this recipe from my future Mother-in-Law and it has to be one of the easiest and tastiest recipes.  It is the type of recipe that is easily customized based on what you have in the house.  The last time I made it, I added chopped garlic in with the meat and also added some chilli power in with the pasta sauce to spice it up a little!  Don't be afraid to try almost anything!  

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (10 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef, onion, peppers and chili powder.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.  Drain.  Add the soup, tomato sauce and tomato paste; simmer until heated through.
2. Drain noodles.  Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish.  Layer with four noodles, half of the remaining sauce and a third of the cheese.  Repeat layers once.  Top with remaining noodles and cheese.
3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese in melted.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Tip/Tricks/Notes 

This had to be one of the best lasagna's I've ever had!  I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine that I bought well waiting in line at the grocery store one day.  The recipe was super easy to follow and turned out perfect!  The only tip I have is to be careful when cutting the jalapeno peppers.  You will either want to use disposable gloves or make sure to wash you hands throughly and definitely avoid touching your face!

The picture seen above is an actual picture I took of my completed lasagna, it is not taken from the internet or played with in anyway.

1 package (16 oz) hot dogs
2 cups uncooked corkscrew pasta
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups 1% milk

1. Slice hot dogs into bite sized pieces; set aside.
2. In large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to saucepan.
3. Stir in hot dogs, cheese and milk.  Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.

Tips/Tricks/Notes

I LOVE this recipe!  It is so quick and so easy, and brings back memories of being a kid!  My only tip for this recipe is to do with the amount of milk.  I found the pasta ended up a little more runny then I would like.  Next time I will probably put a little less then the 2 cups of milk, but not too much less.

Also, I wanted to share with everyone my camera/picture experiment.  I've been a little unhappy with my food pictures and have been trying to figure out why they aren't as good as others I have seen.  I had Kev bring his camera home from work and took pictures of the pasta with his and with mine.  As you can see in the comparison pictures below, his camera is definitely much better then mine!



















The picture seen above is an actual picture I took of my completed macaroni, it is not taken from the internet or played with in anyway.