Crock Pot Italian Beef Recipe

Another slow cooker recipe and this one was a tasty one!  As far as meat goes I tend to favor chicken.  If you looked at all of the recipes that I want to try probably 85% of them are chicken.  So I like to mix it up a bit here and there.  I rarely cook with beef that isn't ground.  So when i saw this easy slow cooker recipe with roast I wanted to give it a try.  These made very yummy sandwiches and tasted even better the next day as leftovers.

You will need a Crock Pot, Beef Broth, Bay Leaf, Basil, Italian Salad Dressing Mix, Onion Salt, Dried Parsley, Salt & Pepper, Oregano, Garlic Powder, and a 3-5 Lb Chuck Roast.

In a Bowl Add the Beef Broth, Water, Basil, Italian Salad Dressing mix, Onion Salt, Dried Parsley, Salt & Pepper, Oregano, and Garlic Powder

Whisk together really well.  Does this picture make anyone else feel sea sick?

Add the Bay Leaf.

Season the Roast with a little Salt & Pepper and add it to the Crock Pot and top with the spice/broth mixture.

Pop the lid on the Crock Pot set it to high and let it cook for 4-5 hours.  Check it with about 45 minutes left in the cooking time.

Here we are about 5 hours later.  Look at that yummy Roast all cooked and tender.

Shred the Beef and add it back into the juices and let cook the last 45 minutes.

Time to make up our sandwiches.  I used hardish rolls, Shredded Cheese (a kitchen staple at my house), and a sliced Onion/ Bell Pepper mix that I sauteed up in a bit of butter till they were soft and caramelized a bit.

I decided to hollow out my bread a bit cause this is gonna be a BIG sandwich!

Add some of the Shredded Beef onto the roll.

Top with the Onions and Peppers.

Sprinkle liberally with Shredded Cheese. 

Place on a baking sheet covered with a bit of parchment and broil until the cheese is melted.  Watch it..or it'll burn.  I have a problem with checking a few seconds too late. 

Yum!!  Even with an extra crispy roll this tasted fantastic!

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Italian Beef Recipe
Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 1/2 C Beef Broth
1 C Water
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Onion Salt
1 tsp Dried Parsley
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Bay Leaf
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (3-5 pound) Chuck Roast

In a medium sized bowl add the Water, Beef Broth, Oregano, Basil, Onion Salt, Parsley, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper, and the Italian Salad Dressing Packet.  Whisk together well and then add in the Bay Leaf.

Season the roast with a little Salt & Pepper then add to the Crock Pot.  Pour the Broth/Spice mixture over the roast.  Cover the Crock Pot and cook on High for 4-5 hours.  When you have about 45 minutes left of cooking time remove the roast and shred the Meat with a fork.

Enjoy!

Approximately 10 Servings (nutritional info for meat only using 3 Lb roast)

352 Calories
1 Carb
27 Fat
24 Protein

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crescent Roll Recipe

I love cooking with Pillsbury refrigerated dough!  I pretty much think it is a miracle worker.  It can be used in so many different dishes from savory to sweet.  It makes things whip up quick and easy.  And..the biggest bonus of all is that I don't have to make dough (which scares me)!  I saw this post with some amazing looking treats that I just had to try.  I whipped them up in no time flat and they were very tasty. 

You will need Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Chocolate Chips, and Peanut Butter.

Roll out your dough and put a dollop of Peanut Butter on the end and sprinkle a bunch of Chocolate Chips.

Roll up the dough into a little pouch and try to seal it by pressing all the seams together.

Place the dough pouches on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 11-12 minutes.

Yummy!  Just look at the ooey gooey Peanut Butter oozing out of the one I didn't seal well enough.  Good stuff!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crescent Roll Recipe
Source:  For the Love of Cooking

1 Package Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/2 Cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
2/3 Cup Peanut Butter

Unroll the Crescent dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place 1 TBSP of Peanut Butter on the big end and cover with about a TBSP of Chocolate Chips.  Roll up and press all seams to seal the goodness inside.  Bake 375 degrees 11-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Nutritional info per Crescent roll

275 Calories
23 Carbs
18 Fat
5 Protein

Meatball Sub casserole Recipe

Growing up it was always a special treat when my Mom would cook up a batch of Meatballs.  It didn't matter if they were for Spaghetti and Meatballs or Meatball Subs..I just loved them.  I would always serve myself a meatball or two extra because they were so delicious.  Now that I'm an adult I still serve myself an extra Meatball or two just for principle.  Or because they are amazing and delicious.  I saw a recipe for a Meatball sub casserole and knew I had to give it a whirl.  I used about 4 day old bread to try and avoid super soggy bread.  My family really liked this dish and I would recommend it.  However the bread (even extra stale bread) does get a bit soggy so if you aren't into that this may not be your cup of tea.  But I say try it and you may like it.

You will need Stale Bread, Shredded Cheese, Mayo, Low Fat Cream Cheese, Garlic, Diced Onion, Parmesan Cheese, Italian Seasoning, Salt & Pepper, Breadcrumbs, 1 Lb Ground Beef, and Spaghetti Sauce.

In a medium bowl add the Breadcrumbs (I used Panko), a bit of Salt & Pepper, and about a tsp of Italian Seasoning.

Add the Chopped Onion and Parmesan Cheese.

Add the Ground Beef and mix by hand until everything is nicely incorporated.

Put a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet and Roll your Meat mixture into 1 inch balls and bake.

The original recipe said to not spray the pan but I just couldn't help myself.  Visions of the mess scared me into spraying.  After all was said and done this step probably could be skipped.

Chop up your stale bread into little chunks.  I used a stale loaf of Roasted Garlic bread and it was very tasty.

Arrange the bread in a single layer in the baking dish.

In a medium bowl combine the Cream Cheese, Mayo, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, and 1/4 tsp Pepper.

Mix together to combine well.

Place dollops of the mayo mixture on top of the bread.

Spread it out to cover the bread.

Sprinkle a the cheese over the top.

I ended up with exactly 20 meatballs which was the perfect amount for the dish.  I arranged them in happy little rows.

We are talking some seriously happy little Meatball rows.  Yum!

Cover with Spaghetti Sauce.

I struggled with this step.  The reviews I read of the recipe made me scared to add water.  But I didn't want it to be too dry either.  So I added about 1/4 cup of water into the Spaghetti Sauce jar and swooshed it around and then poured it over the top. 

At this point I added the minced garlic..but I would suggest adding it to the spaghetti sauce prior to pouring it into the pan.  But this worked just fine. 

Sprinkle a bit more Cheese on top.

Bake 350 Degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Meatball Sub Casserole Recipe
Source:  Taste of Home

1/4 C Bread crumbs
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 TBSP Parmesan Cheese
1 Lb Ground Beef
1 loaf Italian Bread, cut into 1 inch slices
1 8 oz package low fat Cream Cheese
1/2 C Mayonnaise
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 C Shredded Cheese
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 C Water
2 Garlic Cloves, minced

In a medium bowl combine the Bread Crumbs, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, a bit of Salt & Pepper, Onions, and Parmesan Cheese.  Add the Ground Beef and mix by hand to fully incorporate everything.  Shape the meat mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange the cubed bread in a single layer in a 9x13 in baking dish.

Combine the Cream Cheese, Mayonnaise, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, and Pepper.  Spread the mixture over the bread and sprinkle with 1/2 C of the Shredded Cheese.

Arrange the Meatballs over the top of the cheese in rows of 4.  In a bowl combine the Spaghetti Sauce, Garlic, and Water (you can swish the water around in the spaghetti jar if you want to get all the saucey goodness out).  Then pour the sauce over the meatballs.  Sprinkle with the remaining Shredded Cheese and bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Approximately 8 Servings

507 Calories
44 Carbs
25 Fat
27 Protein