String Cheese Meatloaf

1 c. plain spaghetti sauce
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c. bread crumbs
dash of italian seasonings
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. rosemary
1 lb. burger
1/2 lb. sausage
3 pieces string cheese or mozzarella chunks or any cheese really

In bowl, combine 1/2 c. sauce, egg, bread crumbs, garlic and rosemary. Crumble meats on top and mix well. Press 1/2 of mixture in greased loaf pan. Cut one string cheese in half and place the cheeses down the middle. Cover well with remaining meat mixture.
Bake uncovered @ 350 for 1.5 hours til internal temp is at least 160. Drain. Pour remaining sauce on top and cook for 10 min. Let stand 10 min. before slicing.

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

1/4 c. water; 1 med. onion; 5 potatoes, cut in quarters; 1 envelope onion soup mix; 1/4 tsp. each salt, pepper, and dried thyme; pot roast meat. Place water and and vegetables in slow cooker, sprinkle onion mix on vegetables. Stir. Rub salt, pepper and thyme all over pot roast (I feel that putting it in semi-frozen helps with moistness.) Cook with lid in slow cooker low 8-9 hours or high 5-6 hours til tender.

Italian Peasant Soup

This one takes a lot of chopping, but after that it's fast. Makes a ton, I often serve this for gatherings, but I freeze serving sizes in ziplocs when we make it for ourselves.

1 lb. sausage links, cut in 1" pieces

1 lb. cubed cooked chicken

1 large or 2 med. onions, chopped

6 large garlic cloves, minced (I use equivalent of preminced garlic from jar)

2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (3.5 cups) chicken broth

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

6 handfuls of fresh spinach (small bag or half of a large bag), chopped

grated parmesan

In skillet/cast iron preferred over med. heat, cook sausage til no longer pink, transfer to large dutch oven/pot. Cook onions (& garlic if you're using fresh garlic) in skillet til tender, transfer to pot. Cook chicken if uncooked til no longer pink, transfer to pot. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, basil and oregano (& garlic if using preminced). Cook uncovered 10 min. Add spinach and heat just til wilted. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Even finicky kids eat it - just don't tell them ahead of time there is spinach! I get raves over this soup all the time and often lots of people go back for seconds.