Have not read the responses, so sorry if I repeat what someone else has posted.
easy almost lasagna - take any type of pasta but spaghetti - I usually use penne or bowties or macaroni. Do NOT cook. Mix 1 lb dry pasta, 1 big container cottage cheese (low fat), shredded mozzarella (1-1/2 pounds - we get a big 5# bag at Sams for about $12-$15 (it varies from month to month) and I use about 1/3 of it), and 2-3 cans of spaghetti sauce. Add browned ground beef if desired. Stir together in a bowl, adding enough sauce to make it fairly soupy but not soup. Put in casserole or slow cooker and cook until done. You do not have to cook the pasta first - this saves dishes, time and aggravation. Just add about 1/2 can of water or extra spaghetti sauce after you get it to the consistency you would like it when done. The uncooked pasta will absorb LOTS of flavor from the sauce and it will be awesome. Let it cook in crockpot all day or if baking, put in casserole dish and bake an hour or two until done and hot.
We do queso for dinner some nights - super fast. Not real healthy, but kids love it. Just melt 1/2 of the 2 pound brick of velveeta (the walmart brand tastes just like the name brand, so save the extra $$) and 1 can rotel or about 10 oz salsa. Cut the velveeta into cubes and put in microwave safe bowl. Add 1 can rotel, microwave on high 2 min. Stir, microwave on high 2 more min. Continue to microwave at 2 min intervals until hot. Serve with chips.
You can also make this queso and put on macaroni for a spicy mac and cheese.
Brown 1 pound ground beef. Drain. Add 1/2 cup tvp (texturized veggie protein) and 1 cup water, and 1 pkg taco seasoning. Let simmer, add more water if needed, then serve on taco shells or flour tortillas or on tortilla chips (for nachos) with refried beans (take 1 can kidney or red beans, drain and rinse, mash with a fork adding some garlic powder, onion powder, and salt if you prefer not to buy refrieds). Let kids make their own tacos or burritos or nachos. I often will get 5-10 pounds of ground beef and make patties out of some, and brown the rest up. Patties get frozen for when they are needed. The browned meat gets frozen in 1 pound amts in ziplocs. Half of the browned meat gets made into taco meat for fast easy meals.
The tvp is a GREAT way to stretch your food dollar. I generally get it from teh bulk section at Whole Foods. I just add about 1/2 cup per pound and about 1 cup of water and let this cook with the browned meat. Doesn't take long to make and not even my health food loathing father has EVER realized that it is in the spaghetti sauce, taco meat, meatloaf, or anything else. Usually I get loads of compliments about how tender the meat is when I do this. Especially from people who go on and on about hating soy, health food, etc... (I am one who HAtES the way most health food tastes and I cannot tell the difference! Just don't let the kids see you make this.)
Want to make somethng that will have them BEGGING for one of your roasts or chicken or something? Try my father's mustard glop. This is a major reason why I learned to cook at age 10. HE used to serve this at least once a week and even our dog wouldn't touch it. Brown a pound of ground beef. Don't bother to drain - it takes away all the flavor - just ask my dad! Add 1.2 to 1 cup yellow mustard (the cheap kind). Then add about 1/4 cup of the juice from canned jalapenos and stir it all together. Simmer until it isn't watery. Serve on buns or on pasta or egg noodles or chips. this stuff will ruin the pasta, noodles, chips or anything else you serve it on.
Lock down the kitchen so this is the ONLY thing available. If the kids complain, give them seconds. No tv, computer, mp3 player or anything else until they join the 'clean plate club'.
they will BEG and PLEAD and PAY YOU to make a pot roast or chicken the next day. This worked on every kid on our street. I was welcome at dinner wth every family on the block after a few of the parents saw my dad cook this and tried a taste. Seriously. not at ALL joking about that.
Taco soup is awesome and super easy. 2 cans each black beans, red beans, navy beans, chili seasoned/ranch beans, 1 can rotel, 12 oz salsa, 2 cans petite diced tomatoes, 1 bag (1 pound) frozen corn - preferably super sweet, 1 pound browned ground beef. Put into crock pot and cook on low all day, or put into pan and heat until hot. Serve. Can add 1 envelope ranch dressing mix, 1 envelope taco seasoning if desired, 1 chopped onion, etc... I usually don't add either the ranch or taco seasoning usually because we don't have any. Serve with cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, anything else you like.
For a fast easy dip, put 1 brick of cream cheese onto a dish. Pour salsa over it and serve with chips.
Baked potatoes make a nice meal. You can bake them in the crockpot while you are at work - just put clean potatoes in the crock pot and cook on low all day. If you want to oil the skina nd wrap them in foil you can, or just put a bit of oil on the skins and dump them into the pot and cover. Serve with chili or canned/leftover stew, taco meat, almost anything on top. I like to take cooked chicken, cheddar, butter spray, salt, and low fat ranch and enjoy.
Or take the baked potatoes and cut them in half. Scoop out the insides of the potato, leaving the skina s a shell with a bit of potato on it. If they are cooked all the way, you can just scoop out the center leaving some potato with the skin. Put the insides in a bowl. Put the skins, cut side up, onto a cookie sheet. Add some margarine, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon if desired, and cook in the oven until browned. Mash the potatoes with some butter, cheese, milk, etc... and heat in microwave. Serve with cooked chicken. Or you can add some milk and make cream of potato soup.
Easy alfredo sauce - melt 1 stick butter with 2 cups heavy cream in saucepan over low heat. Add 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tbsp of cream cheese and 1/2-2/4 cup grated parmesan (NOT the powdered stuff in the shaker bc it will NOT melt) and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Serve on pasta. Great with chicken and/or broccoli. (this is a copycat version of Olive Garden's alfredo).