Tonight I needed some time with my kids and my husband needed to do some things outside in the garage, so I went the easy route for dinner. I quickly chopped some vegetables, tossed them in olive oil, and popped them into the oven along with a frozen store bought lasagna. It was a great dinner and with the colder weather arriving, I am starting to think about other casserole options that will allow us to have a great dinner without me slaving away for ages in the kitchen. This is all part of my plan for greater balance.
So I’m hoping we can trade. I’ll let you in on one of my really simple and yummy casserole recipes and share a link to one that I’m hoping to try. And in return, I’m hoping you’ll share some of your favourites with me.
An old family favourite – Meat & Rice Casserole
Here is a quick and easy dinner option. My mom used to make this all the time and I now make it frequently for my family too.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 1 medium sized onion
- 1 large can of tomatoes (whole or chunks, not pureed)
- 1 cup of rice (you can use a bit more if you want to make the casserole stretch farther)
- about 8 slices of cheddar cheese (ideally the real stuff, but processed is okay in a pinch)
Preparation:
- Chop onion and fry along with ground beef in a frying pan. Drain off the fat.
- At the same time, cook the rice according to the package instructions.
- Open the can of tomatoes and chop them a bit if you are using whole tomatoes
- Stir rice, meat, and tomatoes together in a pot or bowl
- Spread into a rectangular casserole dish (9×13 is what I usually use)
- Cover with cheese slices
- Bake @350 degrees F for about 20 to 30 minutes (until cheese is bubbling) and then put under broiler for a minute or two to brown the cheese a bit
- Serve and enjoy (add salt and pepper as desired)
Optional: If you’re trying to hide more veggies, you can add some red pepper in with the tomatoes and some cauliflower with the rice.
One I hope to try – Rachel Ray’s Southern Style Shepherd’s Pie
Rachel Ray’s Southern Style Shepherd’s Pie looks so yummy. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to add the required items to my shopping list and my weekly CSA basket has not yet brought the right combination of veggies to allow me to make this without a major shopping trip. But it is on my list. I want to try it. It has so many things that I love and just looks really interesting.
Your turn!
What healthy, easy to prepare and yummy casseroles can you suggest? I’m open to things that are either really easy to throw together and pop into the oven or things that maybe take a bit longer but can be made in larger batches and frozen for later use.
Toss some links my way via the comments!
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
Stephanie is doing a crockpot/slowcooker recipe everyday for a year and she’s done it spectacularly. She’s even done a cake! She takes a picture of the ingredients, gives the recipe and then a verdict on it and any tweeks to the recipe that she’d do next time.
can you find or make Zigeuner Sauce.. your husband should know what it is, if you dont) I know a super yummy meal, if you can find that sauce..
@ Nikki – thanks for stopping by!! I could probably get my hands on some Zigeuner Sauce. Stopping at the Sausage Kitchen on the way home anyways and they have lots of German products. What’s the recipe?
My idea and a family favourite here:
Chicken Fajita Casserole:
INGREDIENTS:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (grilled and cut into strips)
1 onion, cut into strips
3 peppers, cut into strips
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 pkg of flour tortillas
200g pkg old cheddar, shred finely
200; pkg. mozzarella, thickly shred
PREPARATION:
Saute onions and peppers with some salt and pepper in 2 Tbsp. olive oil until tender.
In a separate bowl mix the soup, chicken and tomatoes together.
Cut the tortillas into 4 long strips.
Grease the bottom of the casserole pan with olive oil and then lay a layer of the tortillas on the bottom of the pan.
Top with the soup/chicken/tomatoes mixture, then add a layer of the vegetables and a thin layer of the cheddar.
Repeat layering until everything has been used.
Cover the entire mixture with the mozzarella cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350F for about half an hour.
Serve with fresh salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream as well as a mixed greens salad!
VARIATION – I sometimes like to use corn tortillas — especially for all of the Caeliac members of our family — and add a layer of refried black beans on top of the tortillas, before adding the other stuff.
Our favorite easy casserole:
Chicken and Rice Casserole
1lb Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry Onion Soup Mix
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (I use FF)
1 soup can white rice
1/2 soup can water
Combine soups, add dry rice and mix. Place chicken in dish on top of rice, add 1/2 can water. Cover and bake at 350 for an hour.
Deee-licious, as my 2 year old would say!
This isn’t a casserole but it is a wonderfully delicious, quick and simple meal. Just put a package of chicken breasts in a crockpot. Add one cup of red wine and one can of cream of mushroom soup (I use 98% fat free) and cook around 6 hours till done. You can also add some mushrooms or green peppers if you like, but there is no need, it is delicious as it is. You can serve it with noodles or rice and a frozen vegetable for a very quick and simple meal.
BAKED TAMALE PIE
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 (14½ ounce) cut up tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 ounce) can corn
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 box of cornbread
½ cup Shredded Cheese
Brown ground beef with onion over medium heat until brown, about 5 minute. Drain off excess fat.
Stir in tomatoes with their liquid, tomato sauce, corn, chili powder and cumin. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Preheat over to 400. Sprinkle mixture with cheese. Make cornbread mix according to package and pour cornbread over the meat mixture.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until cornbread is done. Immediately sprinkle with remainder of cheese. To serve cut into wedges.
FYI, we had this for dinner Saturday night and I’m having leftovers for lunch today. Yum!
Corned Beef Casserole
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked elbow macaroni
½ pound processed American cheese, diced
1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
½ Tablespoon minced garlic
1 (12 ounce) can corned beef
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 can sweet peas
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together the macaroni, cheese, onion, green bell pepper, corned beef, soup, milk and peas.
2. Place this in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Allow dish to come up to room temperature.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Crock-pot Enchiladas
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 pkg. super sized corn tortillas (10 in a pack)
• 1 med. sized can mild enchilada sauce (@ 16 oz. or 2 cups)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 can corn, drained
Instructions:
1. Cook ground beef and onion together and drain off the fat.
2. Stir together enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup.
3. Cut tortillas in half.
4. Place some sauce in the bottom of your crock-pot.
5. Layer 3 tortillas (6 halves) around crock-pot and cover center.
6. Spread out half of the beef, top with half of the corn; pour sauce on to cover and then sprinkle with one third of the cheese.
7. Do another layer the same way then top with the rest of the tortillas, cover with sauce and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
8. Cook 5-½ hours low and then another 45 minutes on high.
(Recipe good for 5 quart crock-pot)