Hello Lovelies,

Tonight, I wanted a comforting meal. I have been so busy this week I wanted a nice glass of Merlot, a good meal and relax.

Babydoll and I got a 10lb package of ground beef in bulk on sale for $14. We pre-made seasoned taco meat, Italian seasoned ground beef along with a few meat loaves we stored in the freezer. The tins we use are from Dollar Tree.  Remember those tin containers with the press down edges you get at mom and pop Italian restaurants? Find these at Dollar Tree 3/$1 in round, square, and rectangle. They are fantastic for storing freezer meals such as casseroles, meats, anything that you would just throw in a casserole dish and pop in the oven. These aren’t ideal for large family because they are on the smaller side. But for us three with Babydoll not being home much, it’s perfect. Just beef up the veggies and fresh bread on the side!

Italian Hamburg Bake
-1/2 lb ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning
-1 bag or box of pasta shells
-1 jar low sodium Alfredo sauce

Cook your pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente. Meanwhile, bake your hamburg at 400 degrees for 15 or so minutes. Remember to just reheat as the meat is already cooked.  Or brown and season your meat until cooked through.  Drain the pasta and put it back in the same pan. Add jar of Alfredo sauce or you can make your own. Simmer for a few moments. Add your beef and taste test for flavor. Pour into a buttered casserole dish and top with fresh grated parmesan or buttered breadcrumbs and bake for 5 minutes until lightly browned.

There ya go! Easy peasy dinner in less than 30 minutes. Cook your meat ahead so you can just pull from your freezer and pop the tin in the oven. By doing this, i used one pot that can transfer from stove to oven in the end.

Total cost for this meal is around $2.32 and I got 4 good size single portion containers to pop back in the freezer for a quick meal next time. That’s .58 cents a serving.