Now that autumn is “officially” here, it was high time to make some of my family’s favorite fall recipes. Since we were hosting friends on Sunday, I opted to prepare a meal that was easy to make ahead of time. All of the meal prep was complete on Saturday, so all I had to do was pop everything in the oven on Sunday. Our menu consisted of meatballs, party potatoes, caramel apple salad, green beans and zucchini bread.

What’s your favorite fall menu? You can submit your recipes by simply clicking on the “comment” button below.

Claudia’s Meatballs

3# ground ham
3# hamburger
3 eggs
2c. crushed graham crackers
1-1/2c. milk

In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs, graham crackers and milk. Add ground beef and ground ham.
Mix well. Shape into balls, about 1/4c. each.
Cook in hot oil in a large skillet until browned, shaking skillet gently to turn meatballs. Drain meatballs on paper towels and top.

Topping:

1/4c. ketchup
1/4c. brown sugar
2tsp. mustard

Caramel Apple Salad

6 small apples, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
1- 8oz. can unsweetened crushed pineapple (do NOT drain)
1- 8oz. box sugar-free butterscotch pudding (unprepared)
1 c. miniature marshmallows
12 oz. Cool Whip®
1/4c. chopped peanuts (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients together and stir well. Gently fold in the Cool Whip, and then transfer to another bowl. Chill and serve. (NOTE: Nuts will get mushy, so I usually wait to add the nuts until right before serving.)

Cavatelli is another casserole favorite in my family.  I like to prep meals for the week ahead of time when meetings and kids activities keep us on the run.  This casserole can be thrown together ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until you need it.

Cavatelli

1-16oz. package jumbo shell pasta
1lb. ground Italian sausage
1lb. ground beef
48oz. (3lb.) jar spaghetti sauce– Prego Traditional is our favorite
8oz. jar taco sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
16oz. shredded mozzarella (1/2 in casserole, 1/2 on top)

Cook the pasta, brown the meat, and then mix all the ingredients together.  Put cheese on the top, and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  If you refrigerate before baking it will need to bake longer- maybe 45 minutes.

I’m always looking for new recipe ideas, share your favorites with us in the comment box below!

This dish is fun to put together for a twist on the traditional spaghetti meal.

Spaghetti in a Pie

Pie Shell:
8 oz. spaghetti
2 T. margarine
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten

Filling:
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
15-1/2 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

Cook spaghetti. Drain. Stir in margarine, parmesan cheese and eggs. Form mixture into a crust in an 8×8″ pan.  Cook in microwave uncovered at 80-90% power for 2-3 minutes or until set.

Brown beef with onion. Stir in spaghetti sauce and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Spread cottage cheese over crust. Fill with sauce mixture. Cook (covered) for 6-7 minutes. Top with mozzarella. Cook 1 more minute. Let stand 8-10 minutes before serving.

With the kids getting more and more involved with school and extra curricular activities, I am always looking for quick fix meals I can prepare for supper before games and meetings in the evening.  This recipe for sloppy joes is one that the kids love, and the leftovers are great for later on in the week.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water (add 1/4 c. brown sugar to water)
1 tbsp. molasses

Cook hamburger, onion and garlic until hamburger is brown and onion is soft. In a small saucepan, dissolve the brown sugar into the water.  Add this mixture and the ketchup to the hamburger mixture.  Boil until some liquid has evaporated. Add molasses. Simmer about 15 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns and top with cheese.