I got this recipe from Meijer MealBox, the grocery chain’s website that combines recipes and coupons. It originally called for a can of creamed corn, but in an effort to reduce the carb count, I substituted corn kernels and cream cheese. The recipe below reflects the changes I made, and comments are after the directions and nutritional information. I served this with a nice big side salad.
Beef Tagliarini
Servings 6
1 pound ground chuck
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups egg noodles, medium, uncooked
4 ounces cream cheese — cut into small pieces
1 cup corn
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2 or 2.5 quart casserole with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground chuck, onion and green bell pepper until no pink remains in the meat and the onions are tender.
Add in tomato sauce, water and dried basil. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Add in pasta, stir well, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked.
Add cream cheese and corn, stirring until cream cheese is melted.
Pour everything into the casserole. Sprinkle cheddar evenly overtop and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 384 Calories; 30g Fat (58.6% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 119mg Cholesterol; 465mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 4 Fat.
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If I had one word to describe this meal, it would be bland. There was little to no taste to it, even with the salt, pepper and garlic powder I added that wasn’t part of the original recipe. However, my family agreed this had lots of potential. I will try it again, but using a 6 oz can of tomato paste instead of the tomato sauce. And more seasoning – probably fresh garlic and italian seasoning (and more than just 1/2 tsp).
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This soup was inspired by the need for something hearty, with a good amount of protein for me and just enough carbs to make the soup filling for Matt and the kids. I checked out several versions of this soup online, picked out the bits I liked best, then threw it all together to make my own version.