ground beef

Mini Shepherd’s Pies (Also known as Cottage Pies)

If you have parchment paper, place a strip, long enough so that it hangs out on each side, in each section of the muffin tin. This will help when you remove the mini pies.

I had planned to share these with my neighbors…. but ended up eating them all – that’s how much I love them! I based both the ground beef filling and creamy mashed potatoes on my recipe for Shepherds Pie, with a few adjustments. – – https://myyellowfarmhouse.com/2013/01/10/shepherds-pie/

Mini Shepherds Pies are easy to make! The recipe calls for purchased pie crust and – if you’re short on time – a 24 oz. container of ready-to-eat mashed potatoes can be used. Making these mini pies is fun and easy – and so is eating them.

Ingredients and Method

1 box refrigerated pie crusts
24 oz. refrigerated mashed potatoes – OR – homemade mashed potatoes
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
5 cups cubed Yukon Gold potatoes ++ Peeled and cut into 2″ chunks
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 – 3 Tbs. butter
1/3+ cup milk or Half and Half ++ I used Half and Half
Ground Beef & Vegetable Filling
1 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1/2 medium-sized onion, chopped ++ About 1/3 cup
1/2 lb. ground (minced) beef ++ I used 80%
3/4 cup frozen corn ++ No need to thaw
3/4 cup frozen peas ++ No need to thaw
1 Tbs. tomato paste ++ Freeze tomato paste in 1 Tbs. portions in a ziploc bag.
1 beef or chicken bouillon cube
1/3 cup water
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pepper

Place 5 cups chopped, peeled Yukon Gold potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and cover saucepan. Allow potatoes to simmer for 25 – 30 minutes or until potatoes can easily be pierced with a sharp knife. ++ It’s better to cook the potatoes longer than end up with lumpy potatoes!! I know – Been There – Done That!

While potatoes are cooking, begin beef/veggie filling. Place 1 Tbs. butter In a large non-stick skillet. Add 1/3 cup chopped onion. Cook onions, stirring often, over medium heat until they soften. Add 1/2 pound chopped (minced) beef. Continue to cook until beef loses its pink color. ++ Break up any large chunks of beef. ++ Remove any extra grease, although I leave about 2 Tbs. – for the flavor.

Add 3/4 cup still-frozen corn and 3/4 cup still-frozen peas, 1/3 cup water, 1 Tbs. tomato paste, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/3 tsp. pepper and either a chicken or beef bouillon cube.

Continue cooking, stirring often, for an additional 4 to 5 minutes… until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside.

Now it’s time for the mini-pie crusts. This is fun! ++ Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before so the crusts will be soft enough to work with.

Unroll pie crusts. Roll each crust into a 12″ circle, which only takes a second ’cause the crusts are almost that big already. Using a 4″ circle (I used the 4″ top of a plastic food container – or you could use a piece of cardboard) cut out 12 circles.

Place one pie crust circle in each of the sections of a 12-cup muffin tin. Gently press pie crust to fit.

Bake at 400F for 8 minutes. ++ Lower oven temperature to 350F once you’ve removed muffin tin with bottom crusts from oven.

Finishing the mashed potatoes

Drain cooked potatoes. Mash down with a potato masher. Add 2 – 3 Tbs. butter, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and approximately 1/3 cup milk – or ‘Half ‘n Half‘ – or Single Cream – and beat with a mixer until the potatoes are creamy but still stiff enough to hold their shape on top of the beef filling.

Putting it all together

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, put a portion of the meat/vegetable filling in each section. Top with 1/4 cup mashed potatoes. ++ If you have extra mashed potatoes, add a bit more to each mini-pie.

Sprinkle with a bit of paprika to give the Mini Shepherds Pies a bit of color. You know, part of finding a particular food delicious is often due to it’s color, so adding a bit of paprika not only makes things taste better but also gives them better eye-appeal. You can also sprinkle on a bit of cheese!

Bake the Mini-Shepherds Pies at 350F for 25 – 30 minutes. Potatoes and crust will be slightly browned.

++ Let stand 10 minutes before serving, which helps the pie crust to not fall apart when you remove the mini-pies. Enjoy !!

++ Recipe adapted from myfridgefood.com/recipes/entree-beef/mini-meat-pies

April 11, 2015March 16, 2016

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!21 Comments

Italian Pasta Sauce with Meat and Fresh Herbs

Recipe makes approximately 2 quarts. The sauce freezes well, so you can make a lot and freeze it for later! Or, you can easily halve the recipe.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. olive oil
3/4 lb. ground beef
3/4 lb. ground pork
1 large onion, chopped (About 1 1/2 cups)
8 cloves garlic, minced (I highly recommend using a garlic press.)
4 Tbs. roughly chopped fresh parsley – divided
4 Tbs. roughly chopped fresh basil – divided
1/2 tsp.salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 to 1 cup red wine
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano
OPTIONAL – 10 Crimini (or any type of brown mushroom) mushrooms, sliced

In a large skillet with high sides – or a large pan, such as the size you boil pasta in, heat 3 Tbs. olive oil – add 3/4 lb. ground beef and 3/4 lb. ground pork. Break up the meat as it cooks, and continue cooking until juices run clear. Continue cooking until all liquid is absorbed and meat is browned a bit. Add chopped onion, HALF the chopped parsley, HALF the chopped basil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Continue cooking until onion is translucent.

Add tomato paste and mix until paste is thoroughly combined with the meat/onion mixture. Cook for another minute, then add the red wine. Allow to simmer a few minutes to intensify the flavors, then pour in the two cans of diced tomatoes.

I like to use a mesh cover to cut down on splashing. (I wonder why I bother… my kitchen is always a total disaster when I cook!)

Simmer the sauce – uncovered – for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every once in a while. ++ If you prefer your sauce thicker, just continue simmering a bit longer.

Photo shows Italian Pasta Sauce with Meat and Fresh Herbs – 1 hour into cooking time.

Add the rest of the chopped fresh basil and chopped fresh parsley, which will gives you a wonderful burst of flavor.

++ The diced tomatoes may still be a bit “chunky at the end of the cooking time. If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can “mash” the the diced tomatoes down a bit with a potato masher, which is what I do.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Pour yourself a glass of some of that red wine and enjoy !

Here’s the link to my friend John’s Italian Pasta Sauce recipe, which was the basis of this recipe. http://fromthebartolinikitchens.com/2013/01/16/basic-meat-sauce-sugo-di-carne/

June 18, 2013January 28, 2015

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!7 Comments

Tex-Mex Casserole with Crescent Roll Crust

Although I intended to post a recipe for soup, I changed my mind once I began searching through my refrigerator. As I “dug around”, I found ground beef, crescent rolls, a left-over green pepper, half an onion, some button mushrooms, a half a bag of shredded cheese and some sour cream. My mind started “percolating” even more as I rummaged through my cupboards and found a can of tomato paste, a can of diced tomatoes and a can of cannellini beans. Bingo – with a little imagination and a dash of spices, this could turn into something deliciously Tex-Mex!! (I also had a small can of black olives, which I forgot to put in. Maybe they weren’t meant to be part of the recipe!!)

I think you’re gonna like this Tex-Mex Casserole with Crescent Roll Crust – it’s hearty, spicy and filling. And – you might already have most of the ingredients. Enjoy!

++ UPDATE A ‘Reddit” reader from Texas commented that, in Texas, they use Pinto beans or even black beans & they don’t use mushrooms. I appreciate their input… I’ll just consider this my version of “Tex-Mex”. Hey – I like mushrooms !! ; o )

Oven at 350F Large Casserole Cook for 25 – 35 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (19 oz.) cannellini or kidney beans – DRAINED and RINSED
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce with basil, garlic & oregano
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano – DRAINED
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded cheese – any type will do – I had Four Cheese Pizza Style
1 package Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
paprika – for color, if desired

Place 1 Tbs. olive oil In a large skillet and, over medium heat, cook pepper and onion until softened – about 8 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms and cook for another few minutes, then add 1 lb. ground beef. Continue cooking and stirring until ground beef is totally cooked. Add the next nine ingredients – rinsed, drained cannellini (or kidney) beans through to 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Pour approximately HALF of the mixture into a large casserole – or 10″ x 13″ pan. Sprinkle two cups shredded cheese over the meat mixture, and then spread on the rest of the meat mixture.

Unroll the crescent rolls and place them on top of the meat in a single layer. Sprinkle crescent rolls with a bit of paprika, for color, if desired.

Cook in a 350F oven for between 25 – 35 minutes. Beef mixture will be bubbly and the crescent rolls will be a deeper brown and less fluffy than usual. To be sure the crescent rolls are fully cooked, use a fork and lift up a section in the middle. If the crescent rolls aren’t fully cooked, just continue to cook a few minutes more until they are. Enjoy !!

February 25, 2013October 5, 2014

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‘Chinese’ Meatballs – A Great Make-Ahead Appetizer!

For the last several years I’ve hosted a “Women Only Pre-Holiday Madness Party”, usually on the first Saturday of December. We always have tons of fun! Everyone brings whatever they want to drink – and an appetizer to share, so there’s lots of “nibbling” going on all night. And, of course, the beverages are flowing! I invented these Chinese (or Sweet and Sour Meatballs) for one of those parties and they were a BIG hit. Take my word for it – these are delicious!

++ Makes 25 – 1 1/2″ appetizer-size meatballs

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry purchased bread crumbs (“Italian” is fine.)
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 lbs. (90 % lean) ground beef
1 egg
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. teriyaki sauce
2 (8 oz.) cans crushed pineapple – divided
2 Tbs. minced onion
1 tsp. maraschino cherry juice
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
rest of juice & pineapple from 1st can & all of 2nd can
2 Tbs. maraschino cherry juice
10 or so maraschino cherries

FOR MEATBALLS – In a medium bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk, then add ground beef, egg, 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp. Teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup DRAINED crushed pineapple – (reserve rest of pineapple and juice), 2 Tbs. minced onion, 2 tsp. maraschino cherry juice, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Form into meatballs 1 1/2 ” across. Place each meatball about 1 1/2″ apart on a baking sheet, and bake in a 375 F oven for 20 minutes.

FOR SAUCE – In a large frying pan, place the rest of the ingredients – beginning with the cup of packed brown sugar down to the 10 maraschino cherries. On medium-high heat, bring sauce to a boil, while stirring.

Once sauce boils, immediately lower heat. Add cooked meatballs and continue cooking – at a simmer – until sauce is slightly thickened and coats meatballs.

++ These can be made ahead and served the next day. I reheat them gently in an electric frying pan and serve them right from the pan so they remain warm. Of course, they can also be warmed up & served from your slow-cooker. Enjoy!!

February 15, 2013October 25, 2015

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Shepherd’s Pie

Please excuse the ‘lousy’ photo. I’ve gotten much at taking photos!!

My new recipe for Shepherd’s Pie was a big hit last night with my “Taste Testers”, who call themselves my “Guinea Pigs”, but they never refuse an invitation to come over to try something new!! And, knowing I was going to have guests arriving gave me a good reason to FINALLY put away the last of the Christmas platters and bowls etc. which had been sitting on my dining room table for two weeks!!

There’s nothing quite like good, old comfort food and, for me, Shepherd’s Pie is up there on the top of the list. This’ll warm the “cockles of your heart”, so to speak. (I just looked up what, exactly, is the true meaning of “warming the cockles of your heart”. And it means – it makes you happy!)

Onions, red wine and just a bit of tomato paste, among other things, gives this Shepherd’s Pie a bit of a “flavor boost”. On top of the beef/vegetable mixture goes creamy mashed potatoes – made with lots of butter and – surprise – an egg! So, break out your potato peeler and your oven-proof skillet, and give this recipe a try. I believe this will end up being one of your family’s favorites!

Oven at 375 F Bakes for about 30 minutes

Oven-proof skillet or 10″ x 13″ pan Servings – Approx. 8

Ingredients

9 cups cubed (cut into 1 1/2″ pieces) raw potatoes, peeled
6 Tbs. butter
1/2 – 1 cup milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1 BIG onion, chopped – about 1 cup
about 1 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. hamburg / minced beef
1 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube (I prefer Knorr)
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. pepper – or – to taste
1 1/2 cups frozen peas – still frozen..
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 Tbs. butter
2 cups FRESH breadcrumbs
paprika

Place the peeled, cubed potatoes in a large saucepan and add just enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover and lower heat. Allow potatoes to simmer for about 30 minutes – or until potatoes are easily pierced with a sharp knife.

While potatoes are cooking, prepare the meat/vegetable layer. In a large frying pan, add 2 Tbs. olive oil and cook chopped onions over medium heat until they become translucent – about 8 minutes.

++ If you have a large – covered – frying pan which is oven-proof, you’ll be able to prepare AND bake in the same pan!!)

Add the ground beef and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink. ++ As long as there’s not more than, perhaps, 2 Tbs. of grease in the pan after cooking the beef, just leave it in. Otherwise, scoop out the extra with a big spoon.

Add 1 Tbs. butter and 2 Tbs. flour to the onion/beef mixture. Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. ++ The addition of the butter and flour helps to thicken the sauce once you add the wine and water.

Add 1/4 cup red wine, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 chicken bouillon cube, 2 Tbs. tomato paste and 1/4 tsp. pepper. ++ You shouldn’t need salt, if you’ve used the Knorr cube, but taste it and see…. add some salt if you wish.

Now add 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and the drained can of whole kernel corn. Continue cooking – and stirring – for another two minutes or so, until the mixture has thickened up a bit. Turn off the heat under the frying pan – and turn on your oven to 375 F.

Now it’s time to mash up those cooked potatoes. I like to start with a potato masher, then give ’em “the big, creamy finish” with an electric mixer. So, mash those ‘spuds’ down ’til there’s no more chunks. Add 2 Tbs. butter, 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and whip the potatoes with your electric mixer.

++ If the mashed potatoes don’t seem creamy enough, continue adding milk – up to another 1/2 cup – until the potatoes are nice and creamy.

Spread the mashed potatoes – evenly – on top of the meat/veggie mixture.

FOR THE BREAD CRUMBS – In a medium skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. butter (I know, I know… this is NOT diet food here….) and throw in 2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs.

++ I make a bunch of fresh breadcrumbs, then put them in a zip-lock baggy in the freezer. Voila – fresh bread crumbs whenever I need them!

Turn off the heat and stir until the breadcrumbs are evenly mixed with the melted butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the potato mixture, and sprinkle on a bit of paprika for color. Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!!!

January 10, 2013April 11, 2015

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!3 Comments

Grammy Brouillette’s French Canadian Meat Pie (Also known as Tourtière) – – Filling Can Be Used as a Stuffing

Recipe makes TWO French Canadian Meat Pies

For French Canadian Meat Stuffing – Make half the recipe.

If you prefer having extra stuffing, prepare recipe as written. Warm in a covered casserole.

Grammy Brouillette’s French Canadian Meat Pies – Christmas 2016 According to my sons (and my twin brother) these were the best pies yet!

grammy-brouillettes-french-canadian-meat-pies-myyellowfarmhouse-com-2

grammy-brouillettes-french-canadian-meat-pies-myyellowfarmhouse-com

This recipe is my mother’s mother’s and has been handed down for from mother to daughter for who-knows-how long. (My grandmother (Memere in French, but we called her Grammy) was born in Quebec in the late 1880’s. She and her family moved to Boston when she was young. Of course our family thinks our handed-down recipe is ‘The Best French Canadian Meat Pie’.. but everyone believes their family recipe to be The Best! Today most recipes call for a mixture of ground beef and pork. In the Old Days, Tourtiere could be made using pork, beef, rabbit or other game, or, possibly, a mixture of different meats – whatever was available.

French Canadian Meat Pie – or Tourtiere – recipes can vary quite a bit from family to family – and each family believes theirs to be the best!! I’ve found it extremely interesting just how many variations there are between different family recipes. My mother’s family uses ground pork, potatoes, onions – plus salt & pepper. My husband’s family only uses hamburger, onions, salt & pepper and a bit of cloves. And an aunt on my father’s side puts crushed cracker crumbs in her meat pies instead of potatoes. I’ve found it doesn’t matter whose recipe you follow – to me, they’re all delicious!

“à chacun son goût” – – ‘To each his own taste”

As far as seasonings go, except for salt & pepper, most of the flavor in Grammy Brouillette’s recipe comes from the ground pork, potato and onion mixture. My mother and my Grammy never added any spices, but I like to add a bit of poultry seasoning (Bell’s). Some meat pie recipes call for a bit of allspice, cloves or mace. Feel free to add/adjust seasonings to suit your own family’s tastes. And – if you’re lucky enough to live in Quebec – you can buy Meat Pie Seasoning!

Meat Pie is traditionally served on Christmas Eve (Réveillon) and New Year’s Eve. Our family still continues that time-honored tradition, and we look forward to it every year. I usually make four pies – two for Christmas Eve and one for each of my twin sons to take home. (And this year I’m going to ‘try’ to be organized and make the pies ahead and then freeze them.)

Joyeux Noel et une Bonne Année !!

Oven at 400 F

Ingredients & Method

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (About 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 lbs. ground pork ++ If you prefer, substitute ground beef for ground pork. Buy 80% lean. ++ You also have the option to use half ground beef & half ground pork.
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning – I like Bell’s. ++ If desired, add a bit of allspice .. or a bit of mace .. or a bit of ground cloves.

crust enough for TWO pies – – – – – – 2 top crusts & 2 bottoms crusts

one beaten egg – to spread on the 2 top crusts

– – – –

In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in a few inches of water until fully cooked. Once cooked. drain and mash. (Don’t add any butter or milk !!) Set aside.

In a large frying pan, cook the ground pork and onions until the pork is no longer pink and the onions have become fully cooked – perhaps 10 minutes or so. While cooking the pork and onions, break up the pork so you have crumbles and not hunks. (If you don’t have a big enough frying pan, cook the pork and onions in two batches.)

Mix the cooked, mashed potatoes in with the pork/onion mixture. Add 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. At this point my mother used to, using a potato masher, “mash” down the mixture a bit to incorporate the potatoes into the pork/onion mixture.

If you wish, at this point, add 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning (I like Bell’s)… or a bit of allspice .. or a bit of mace .. or a bit of ground cloves – or any combination you chose. (Feel free to adjust salt, pepper & spices to taste.)

How easy has this been – and you’re almost done! Divide your pie filling equally between the TWO pie-crust lined pie plates. Cover each with the 2nd crust.

Crimp the edges of the pie crust with your fingers or with a fork.

++ Here’s a video which shows you how to ‘crimp’ a pie crust. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJRY1vdCMkQ

++ If you’re feeling really creative – here’s a video showing how to make ‘fancy’ crimps! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcQGja6jpbE

Spread SOME of the beaten egg onto each crust, using your fingers (my personal choice!) or with a bit of paper towel. (This isn’t necessary, but it does give the crust a lovely, golden look!!)

Bake at 400F for about 30 – 40 minutes. The crust should be a nice golden brown and the filling should be nice and hot. Enjoy !

++ If planning to make pies a few days ahead – – Bake pies for only 25 minutes at 400F. Allow pies to cool. Cover with foil and refrigerate. To Reheat Pre-Baked Pies – remove foil. Bake pies at 350F for 30 – 40 minutes, until thoroughly heated through.

How to Freeze Prepared Pies

Below are two different directions concerning ‘freezing Meat Pies’. One set of directions comes from my Uncle George and the other comes from my Godmother, my Aunt Yvonne – both of whom ‘inherited’ the recipe from my grandmother.

You chose if you want to cook the pies & then freeze them – or freeze them without baking them.

++ A few tips from my Uncle George – How to Freeze UNBAKED Meat Pies ++

Based on my grandmother’s directions (according to my uncle) you do NOT have to bake the pies before you freeze them!! ++ Cover the unbaked pies with foil and freeze them. While still frozen (but with foil removed) bake the pies at 400F degree for 25 minutes. Then lower heat to 350F and continue to bake pies until crusts are browned and pie(s) are heated through.

++ A few tips from my Aunt Yvonne – How to Freeze PRE-BAKED Pies ++

++ If planning to freeze the pies, bake them for only 25 minutes at 400F. Allow pies to cool, then cover with foil and place them in the freezer.

++ To Reheat – Allow pies to thaw in the refrigerator, then bake (with foil removed) at 350F for 30 – 40 minutes, until thoroughly heated through.

Enjoy – – Bon Appetit !!

December 21, 2012January 1, 2017

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!32 Comments

Penne Mozzarella Bake

Hi There – well, here’s another recipe from the woman who’s in the running for The World’s Worst Procrastinator! I’ve recently been thinking, “Maybe I’ll put these recipes out there – and no one’s gonna ever see them”. Then, I noticed that almost 100 people have “checked out” my little recipe blog so far….even though I have, at this point, so few recipes. If that’s not a motivating factor, then I don’t know what is!! I’m sending out a great, big THANKS to my first 100 visitors! And I promise, there’ll be lots and lots of delicious recipes “comin’ at ya” from My Yellow Farmhouse!

I made up this recipe recently – and – I gotta say – it’s damn good!! Perhaps it’s the additional depth of flavor due to adding some red wine, and simmering everything together for a bit before assembling and baking this Penne Mozzarella Bake.

Oven at 350 F Serves 6

smaller-sized Penne (macaroni) – measure 3 cups, then cook “al dente”
1 lb. ground beef – 80% lean
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper – or mixture of red & green
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt with parsley
black pepper to taste – about 1/4 tsp.
1 tsp. salt
4 cups prepared spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan – divided in two – 1/4 cup portions
7 oz. container of sliced fresh mozzarella, drained

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Remove beef from skillet, taking out most of the fat, but not all. Add the chopped onion and pepper to the skillet; cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes. Return beef to skillet. Simmer with the chopped onions and peppers for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add spaghetti sauce, spices and red wine. Lower heat, cover skillet, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you don’t have a big lid, cover with foil.)

Add the cooked Penne to the simmered spaghetti sauce mixture. (If there’s not enough room in the skillet, mix Penne and sauce mixture in a large bowl.)

Place half the Penne/sauce mixture in a 2-quart casserole. Then, in a single layer, place the drained mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Cover this layer with the rest of the Penne/sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 F – uncovered – for 30 minutes. Pour yourself a nice glass of the red wine left-over from making the sauce – and ENJOY!!