Magic Meat (Where's the Beef Meat Sauce?)

Another versatile meat sauce. Thaw. Reheat.

Meat sauce can be used in a variety of ways: lasagna sauce, sloppy joes, taco meat, stuffed peppers, etc.

Sloppy Joes:

1 1/2 cups of beef sauce

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup ketchup

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T chili powder

2 t dried basil

1/8 t cayenne pepper

4 Kaiser rolls, halved

Spoon meat sauce into a large saucepan. Add corn, green pepper, ketchup, Dijon, chili powder, basil & cayenne pepper & bring mixture to a simmer. Cook 5-7 minutes, until green pepper is soft & mixture is heated through. Spoon mixture onto rolls and serve hot.

Beef Taco with Mango Salsa

2 cups meat sauce

2 t chili powder

1 t ground cumin

2 cups diced fresh mango

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 T minced red onion

2 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 T fresh lime juice

Salt & pepper

8 Taco shells

1 cup shredded Romaine lettuce

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/2 cups sour cream

Spoon meat sauce into a large skillet and add chili powder & cumin. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine mango, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Season, to taste, with salt & pepper. Can substitute your own salsa.

Lasagna:

4 cups ricotta cheese

8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese, divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Combine ricotta, half of the mozzarella, egg and black pepper. Mix well.Pour 1 cup of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 lasagna pan. Arrange 4 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce, overlapping noodles slightly to cover the bottom. Spoon half of the cheese mixture over noodles. Top with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and 4 more noodles. Top second layer of noodles with remaining cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and 4 more noodles. Top noodles with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until top is golden & bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

For peppers (shown above) - use 1 lb magic meat, 1 can black beans, 3 peppers in half & cheese to your delight. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Add cheese after 30 minutes until melted.