Italian Meatball Sub Casserole

Italian Meatball Sub Casserole

Ingredients

1 (16 oz.) loaf french bread
12 oz. light cream cheese, softened
1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb frozen meatballs, thawed (or you can use homemade meatballs, see my recipe below*)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice french bread into one-inch slices, place on a cookie sheet, and broil until slightly golden.

Remove from oven and place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
Mix together cream cheese and Italian seasoning.  Spread over french bread.
Sprinkle meatballs over cream cheese mixture.  Pour spaghetti sauce evenly over meatballs.  Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake 20- 25 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

*I used frozen meatballs, because I have a two month old baby, so my cooking time is limited, but I think this would have been way better with homemade meatballs. I have a great homemade meatball recipe, so I will share it:

Ingredients

1.5 lbs. ground beef or chuck

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp. minced onions

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Directions

Mix above ingredients in a large bowl with hands. Roll into small balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil, and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and place on paper towels to absorb any excess grease.

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

I'm back! After spending the end of my pregnancy on bed rest, therefore, no cooking, then having a baby, I have had very little time to do much, cooking, much less experiment with new recipes, take pictures, etc. But, he is two months old now, and I am getting back into the swing of things, or at least trying to. So, here is a new recipe I managed to to try the other day...

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 ½ cups cooked egg noddles

Salt & pepper to taste
¼ cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Add in soup and mozzarella cheese, then gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until cheese melts. Stir in chicken, noodles, salt, and pepper. Transfer this mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake at 350° oven for 35 minutes or until heated through. Top with cheddar cheese and bake 5 more minutes.