tuna noodle and meat loaves

Well, the Tuna Noodle was pretty good. It was kind of like Tuna Helper, just homemade and better for you (the recipe is from Cooking Light.) So, here it is...

8 oz egg noodles, cooked according to directions (I used whole wheat)
1/2c chopped onion
1/3c chopped carrot
2T flour
2 3/4c milk
1/2c 1/3 less fat cream cheese
salt
pepper
1c thawed frozen peas
1/4c grated Parmesan cheese
2 cans drained tuna

Start by sauteing the carrot and onion in a little olive oil over medium heat until soft. I would put the carrot in first and do this alone for a few minutes. It takes the longest. Then, of course, I didn't thaw the peas, so when I added the onion, I added the frozen peas so they were nice and soft.

Then, sprinkle in about 2T of flour and stir it around for a minute. Gradually stir in the milk and cook, whisking, about 5 minutes, until it thickens. Stir in the cream cheese, some salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, 2 minutes, until the cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Add the noodles, Parmesan cheese and tuna. Spoon into a prepared casserole, top with a thin layer of Parmesan cheese. I actually topped it with Ritz cracker crumbs to add a little crunch. I'm a texture-mixer.

The recipe calls to broil it for 5 minutes, but mine did not get warm all the way through. You might want to bake a few minutes, then cut your oven to broil. Either way.

Last night, we were supposed to have Roasted Vegetable Pie, but I had some ground beef that I was afraid was going to up and sour on me, so I decided to skip to the meatballs. We'll go back to the pie tonight. And, confession, I started a little late, so instead of the balls, I made loaves. Same recipe, different preparation. I'll differentiate later. Here's the mix...

3/4c oats
3/4c chopped onion
3/4c milk
1 egg
1T Dale's
little salt
1t yellow mustard
2lb ground beef

sauce = 1/2c ketchup + 1/2c brown sugar

Easiest thing ever... Put it all in a big bowl. Mush it all around with your hands (mush it good). Then, you can choose if you want to make balls or loaves. For the balls, shape 'em, dredge 'em in flour, brown 'em over medium-high, put 'em in a casserole, cover 'em with sauce and bake 'em at 350 for 45 minutes.

For the loaves, shape however many loaves you want, bake 'em at 350 for 45 minutes, pull 'em out and cover 'em with sauce, then return 'em for another 5 to 7.
** Most people make a single meat loaf. Thing is, this takes way longer to bake. So, I have started making several smaller loaves. They bake quicker. They're cuter. They're a perfect way to serve this recipe to several people, just make as many loaves as the servings you need.

I served the loaves with instant mashed potatoes and frozen broccoli. The leftovers make yummy sandwiches, just add a little BBQ sauce. Mmm.