Two dinner recipes under $10

This blog has motivated me to try new recipes, so I can share them with you. I like easy and cheap recipes, with easy to follow directions.

The first recipe I am sharing is a Loaded Cauliflower Casserole. Cauliflower is not my favorite veggie and I don't know very many recipes on how to cook it. However, after we tried this casserole and ate the whole pan in one dinner, I knew I had found a new favorite recipe. So here it is:

Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
2 lbs cauliflower florets
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
8 oz block cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons heavy cream 
2 bunches green onions, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
6 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 clove garlic, grated
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Steam cauliflower florets until tender.

While cauliflower steams, cream together 6 oz of the shredded cheddar, 6 oz of the Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and heavy cream. 

Stir in sliced green onions, chopped bacon, and garlic.

Set aside.

Drain any liquid from steamed cauliflower and add hot cauliflower to cheese mixture.

Stir cauliflower and cheese mixture together.

Taste for seasoning, and add as necessary.

I tried mashing the cauliflower to give the dish a finer texture

Pour into a 2-3 quart casserole and sprinkle on remaining cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.

Cover dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is brown and bubbly. At the end add the bacon and green onions. Serve warm!

I loved this recipe and I am sure kids would love it as well.

The second recipe is a Quinoa and Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes. My husband and I loved it and couldn't stop eating them. They are so healthy and so light, you don't even feel how much you are eating.

Quinoa and Spinach stuffed tomatoes

8 medium ripe tomatoes (I did 6 tomatoes, I thought they would be enough for two people. I was so wrong!!!) 

salt, to taste

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

2 teaspoons olive oil

6 cups fresh spinach

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Slice off 1/2 inch of the stem end of the tomatoes and hollow out the inside.

Slice just a small section off of the bottom of the tomatoes so that they will sit flat on a baking sheet. 

Sprinkle salt in the hollow portion of each tomato and place hollow side up on a baking sheet.

Set aside.

Place water and quinoa in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil; lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add spinach.

Season with salt and pepper, and cook until just wilted.

Mix in the garlic and parsley, cook for a minute longer, and remove from stove.

Add cooked quinoa to spinach; mix well.

Taste for salt and pepper.

Evenly divide the filling among the tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil, sprinkle tops with parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve.

I hope you enjoy these recipes! Do you have any favorite easy and cheap dinner recipe? Share it with me!

Warmly,

Juliana