And I Feel Fine

I have a large package of ground beef to "do something with". I even made a list of dinners we like that use ground beef.

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane-

I am not afraid. Eye of a hurrican, listen to yourself churn-

Things to do with ground beef:
        Tacos
Sloppy Joes
Camper's stew
Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage Soup
Stuffed Peppers
Chili
Meatloaf
Shepherd's Pie
Enchiladas
Crockpot lasagne
So many choices.... but

I want mostaccioli.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

It's not that I have a problem with Italians, or that it is a wedding buffet staple, or even that I have to look it up to spell it. (I use a dictionary maybe 3 times a month. Most times, I have it spelled correctly, just doubted myself. Including this time. Silly blogger spellchecker making me question myself.) I never make spaghetti, the easiest and cheapest of meals that aren't a box of mac n cheese. Kid pleaser. HATE IT.

I want mostaccioli

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

I hate the "mess" of cooking pasta. Big pan for cooking pasta. Large skillet for making sauce. Colander for draining pasta. Really? Isn't a big, boiling vat of water clean? Isn't BOILING the pasta, in effect, making it sterile? NO, 30 seconds of straining in the colander and it needs washed.... everything isn't going to fit into the dishwasher after dinner.

Wash the colander by hand?

I need to adjust the pain level for this meal... and I'm cooking the whole package of ground beef... I should find comfort that this can be a part of a "cook once, eat twice" scenario... Alright... gonna cook nearly 6lbs hamburger in batches. Add some garlic and onion powder.

 Brown ground beef while boiling water for first batch of pasta.

Once browned....

 Drain and move to dish lined with paper towels.

 drain first batch of pasta, refill pot with water, put back on stove

 First batch of pasta is becoming baked mostaccioli... the meal that started all this...

Mix ground beef, pasta sauce, and can of diced tomatoes

Start layering pasta in a pan or crock

 Layer pasta sauce and cheese next

 And layer again, bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 mins

 Maybe it's not the end of the world... but if it is, this is the way to go.

For the remaining ground beef, put into to ziploc bags and freeze

Cook and drain one other box of pasta

 Once drained... what to do with it? A little googling indicates cooked pasta will stay fresh/usable 3-5 days in refrigerator. 5 days might work, but if icky at 3, this extra effort will go to waste. I'm going to try freezing.. if Green Giant can freeze pasta, why can't I?

Since I'm making a mess anyway, I trimmed some fresh green beans, peeled and cut up carrots,and washed new potatoes.

 We get bagged carrots from produce co-op, no one eats them. So I add them to things

 Bag on left is veggies for crockpot tomato soup for one night, bag on right is for crockpot ham and potatoes for another night.

 After draining second batch of pasta, rinsed out pot and tossed in tomatoes

 Added 2 cups of water and put on med high heat for about 30 mins.

 Drain tomatoes and start a batch of El Macho Enchilada Sauce.... bag and freeze. Can use this with a bag of ground beef.

Recap from 2 hours of kitchen time:
baked mostaccioli - fully cooked and served for dinner
1 bag ground beef and sauce for enchiladas
1 bag of pasta for chicken and pasta dinner
1 bag ground beef for stuffed peppers
1 bag veggies for crockpot tomato soup
1 bag veggies for crockpot ham and potatoes