Lasagna with bechamel

 Ingredients

• 1/4 C (28g) gluten free flour blend (original recipe suggests a high starch blend they call "Donut and Fritter Blend" but I think Bob's Red Mill 1-1 gf flour still tastes better).
• 1 t salt (original says 1 1/2)
• 1/2 t white pepper
• 4 T butter
• 2 1/2 C milk
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 2 C asiago or parmesan cheese (could try less, it was very heavy)

• 1 lb ground beef (or original suggests veal)
• 1/4 c onion, finely grated or diced was also fine
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t thyme (or 1 t fresh)
• 1/2 t oregano (or 1 t fresh)
• 1/2 t cumin

• approx 10 oz lasagna noodles (can also sub 4 medium zucchini, cut very thin. Need to drizzle with a little salt and let sit for 15 minutes for some of the water to drain out. Then lightly cook on a nonstick griddle)
  
• 24 oz spaghetti/pasta sauce
• 2 C shredded mozzarela
• 1/4 C grated Asiago or Parmesan 

Bechamel

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. 
2. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add dry ingredients and mix until a thick paste forms, about 1 min. 
3. Reduce heat to low and add milk a little at a time, allowing to thicken. Add nutmeg and turn off heat, but it needs to stay warm enough to be somewhat pourable. Add cheese, mix until no lumps. 

Meat sauce

1. Brown meat in a skillet. 
2. Drain all but 2 T oil and add onion (may need to remove meat first if you're worried about it drying out) and cook about 5 minutes. 
3. Add salt, thyme, oregano, cumin (and meat back in if you took it out). 

Assembly

1. Cook pasta.
   
2. In a 9x13 pan layer tomato sauce, noodles, meat, bechamel, except on the last layer put noodles, then a thin layer of sauce. Sprinkle with cheeses. 
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until bubbling. Let rest for around 30 minutes.

Gluten Free Meatballs

 This is adapted from America's Test Kitchen "How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook Collection." On my first attempt at this recipe, many of the meatballs fell apart. I wondered if the issue was because the meat had been previously frozen and the extra moisture created the problem. I've doubled the recipe from the original and included a greater percentage of sausage from the original recipe. Another area of experimentation should be the potato flakes, which ATK says is a much better substitute for regular bread crumbs than gluten free bread crumbs, although we've also liked Aleia's gluten free bread crumbs as a substitute in our other recipe so I think either could work. I think ATK is saying that making homemade gluten free bread crumbs doesn't work in meatballs and meatloaf because they get too gummy, but store-bought are already well dried out, so hasn't been a problem for us. The flavor is definitely very different between the two.

•  1 c buttermilk
• 2 large egg yolks (I think 1-2 whole eggs should also work)
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 oz grated Parmesan (1 C?-this seems like a typo from the original recipe)
• 1/2 c instant potato flakes (I used the four cheese flavored ones which contain ingredients other than potato flakes in it, so this will require some further experiments)
• 4-6 T minced fresh parsley
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 t salt (possibly up to 1 t if potato flakes don't have any sodium)
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1 lb ground beef

1. Whisk together buttermilk and egg. Add remaining ingredients, except beef and mix until thoroughly combined. Add beef and knead until uniform. Form mixture into 1.5 in round meatballs (better to be too small than too large, they'll make at least 24 meatballs). 

2. Preheat skillet with a little olive oil and fry or see the spinach meatballs recipe for baking in the oven.

Burgers

Ingredients:

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon mustard (regular or Dijon)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small onion, finely grated (or minced dried onion)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper

- 1 lb medium ground beef

Directions:

Lightly oil grill. Heat to medium.

Whisk egg in a bowl. Add next 6 ingredients. Add any "stir-ins" that appeal to you (sun dried tomato, lemon or lime rind, ketchup, barbecue sauce, curry powder, fresh herbs, cajun seasoning, teriyaki sauce, etc.).

Crumble in the beef. Use your hands or a fork to gently mix. Handle the meat as little as possible to avoid toughness. Gently shape the mixture into burgers, about 3/4" thick. Use your thumb to make a shallow depression in the middle of each burger to prevent puffing up while cooking.

Place burgers on grill. Close lid. Cook until no longer pink inside, turning once (about 6-8 minutes per side). Meat thermometer should read 160F.

Beef Bolognese with Penne

Ingredients:

- 4-6 pieces of center-cut bacon, chopped

- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage, bison, or lean pork

- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
- 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic

- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 2/3 cup dry red wine

- 1 can (14.5 oz) unsalted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional

Directions:

Place bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute 5 minutes or until bacon begins to crisp.

Add ground beef and sausage/pork/bison to pan. Cook 6 minutes or until partly browned, stirring to crumble. Remove mixture from pan.

Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute 4 minutes. Add tomato paste; saute 1 minute. Add chicken stock, beef broth, and red wine; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in tomatoes, pepper, and salt.

Serve Bolognese sauce over cooked penne pasta. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients:

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1 medium onion, chopped (or equivalent onion powder)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper

- 2 lb of 80% lean ground beef

- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 3/4 cup skim milk
- 2 cans (10 1/2 oz each) condensed beef consomme, undiluted
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- angel hair pasta

- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Add the ground beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1 1/2-inch meatballs (makes about 36).

In a large skillet, brown the meatballs in batches. Remove to paper towels to drain, reserving drippings in pan.

For gravy, stir the flour into the meatball drippings; cook and stir until light brown (do not burn). Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Stir in the consomme, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Return meatballs to pan. Cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Serve with meatballs and gravy; sprinkle with parsley.

Pesto Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

- 24 jumbo pasta shells, uncooked

- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped

- 1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia Creamy Pesto Cooking Creme, divided
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook shells as directed on package, omitting salt.

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef with the onions in a large skillet, then drain. Remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup cooking creme, ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and Parmesan.

Drain shells. Stuff shells with meat mixture.

Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Top with the stuffed shells and the remaining spaghetti sauce.

Cover and bake for 25 minutes.

Mix remaining cooking creme and milk; drizzle over shells. Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

Beef a la King

Ingredients:

- 1 package (10 oz) frozen puff pasty shells

- 1 package (16 oz) fresh baby carrots, cut in half (or 1 lb carrots, sliced)
- 1 cup water

- 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 package (8 oz) sliced baby portobello mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallots (optional)

- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed beef broth, undiluted

- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon (or equivalent minced dried tarragon)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Bake pastry shells according to package direction.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the carrots and 1 cup water. Cover and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until crisp tender. (Alternatively, steam carrots on the stove until crisp-tender.)

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, mushrooms, and shallots over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, then drain.

Combine the flour and beef broth until smooth.

Add the broth mixture, tomato paste, wine, tarragon, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup water to the ground beef mixture; stir to combine.

Drain carrots; add to skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove top of pastry shells; fill with beef mixture.

Ground Beef Wellington

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper

- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper

- 1/2 pound ground beef

- 1 package (4 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, saute the mushrooms in butter until softened. Stir in flour and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until blended. Gradually add the cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened; remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the egg yolk, onion, salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the mushroom sauce. Crumble beef over mixture; mix well. Shape into 2 loaves.

Separate crescent dough into 2 rectangles on a baking sheet. Seal perforations. Place 1 meat loaf on each rectangle. Bring edges together at the top and pinch to seal.

Bake for 24-28 minutes. Meanwhile, warm remaining sauce over low heat; stir in parsley. Serve sauce with Wellingtons.