Lynn's Kitchen Adventures » Casseroles

Chili Cornbread Bake

Lynn — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:50:39 +0000

This is one of those quick and easy, yet very kid friendly meals. I made this a few weeks ago and my kids loved it. Even my son, the picky eater of the family, had seconds on this Chili Cornbread Bake.

This will definitely be making an appearance on our menu plan again.

Chili Cornbread Bake

1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1- 14 3/4 ounce cream style corn
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1- 4 ounce can chopped green chilies

Cook ground beef until done. Drain off fat and set meat aside.
In a bowl combine cornmeal, salt, and baking soda.
In another bowl combine eggs, corn, milk, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour half of the batter into a greased 9×13 pan.
Carefully layer ground beef, cheese, and green chilies on top of batter.
Spread remaining batter on top.
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

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Adapted from Taste Of Home.

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Bacon Spaghetti

Lynn — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:33:25 +0000

My kids declared this bacon spaghetti one of the best meals that I have made and I have to agree, this spaghetti was really good.

But, how could it be bad when it contains a pound of bacon? Anything with a pound of bacon in it has to be good, doesn’t it?!

As soon as I saw this recipe in one of my pork cookbooks, I knew I had to try it. We love spaghetti and we love bacon, so I knew combining the two would make a perfect meal.

This is basically a version of a baked spaghetti, but the bacon in it makes it a little different. It also contains very little cheese compared to many baked spaghetti recipes, but the amount of bacon in it, makes up for the lack of cheese.

I think the combination of pasta, sauce, bacon, and cheese is perfect in this.

If you like bacon, you need to try this. Seriously, this is really that good.

Bacon Spaghetti

8 ounce spaghetti noodles ( I used gluten free)
1 lb bacon, cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 -14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese ( I use the real stuff, not the stuff from the green can.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta in water until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, fry the bacon until browned and cooked completely.
Drain bacon, reserving a few tablespoons of grease.
Cook onion and pepper in reserved bacon grease until tender and lightly browned.
In a large bowl combine bacon, cooked onion and pepper mixture, tomatoes, and spices. Add cooked spaghetti noodles and mix together well.
Spread into a greased 9×13 pan or other similar casserole dish.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until heated.

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Homemade Cream Of Chicken and Cream Of Mushroom Soup

Lynn — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:00:05 +0000

Last week when I wrote Cream Soups: Good or Bad, I had no idea I would have the response that I did.

It was very interesting to read through all the comments and learn how many of you love and use them, but also how many of you avoid them and make your own.

Some of you left comments, or sent me an email, asking about a homemade version. Many of you had never heard of making them at home or had never thought to try it.

Some of shared your favorite recipe, or link to a recipe, in the comments or on Facebook, and I am so glad that you did. You all had some great ideas.

I decided that the best way to share some of those ideas with everyone would be to highlight some of the links that you shared in a post.

So, today I am sharing the links to the recipes that you all recommended. If you have another version or recommendation please leave the link in a comments and I will add them to the post.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup by Tammy’s Recipes

Cream of Chicken by Our Best Bites- Several of you recommended this recipe.

Homemade Cream Of Mushroom Soup

Cream Of Mushroom from Amy at The Finer Things In Life.

Homemade Cream Of Celery Soup

Jessica at Life As Mom shares her version of cream of celery soup.

Homemade Cream Soups/White Sauce- These would work for either version and you could easily make them into a chicken, mushroom, or celery

Erin of $5 Dinners has an easy white sauce recipe that several of you recommended this one.

Cream Soups from Finding Joy In My Kitchen

Gluten Free Cream Soups

Linda of the Gluten Free Homemaker has an easy gluten free version that I hope to try soon.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Soups

Erin of $5 Dinners shares her allergy friendly recipe.

Dairy Free Cream Soup- I received several comments and email from readers saying that they used dairy alternatives in their cream soups and that it worked fine. If you are dairy free, but not gluten free I think Erin’s recipe above would work fine and you could easily just use flour.

There are also several recipes that some of you left in the comments on my cream soup post, but I could not highlight them all here today. However, if you are looking for some more ideas you might enjoy reading through the comments on that post to find those recipes.

What other recipes and tips do you have for making homemade cream soups?

This post linked to Frugal Fridays.

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Chicken Vegetable Bake

Lynn — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:48:06 +0000

My sister Evie recently informed me that I needed more chicken recipes on my site. I thought I had plenty of chicken recipes, but after looking around at my recipes for a while, I realized that she was right, I do not have very many recipes containing chicken.

I guess that is the problem with having a freezer full of beef, pork, and deer meat. We have so much other meat, that chicken is a treat for my family. I buy it once in a while when I find it for a really good price, but we really do not eat much of it.

So, I told Evie that I would love for her to share a few of her favorite chicken recipes and she agreed. Today, she is sharing a recipe that she recently came up with and I think it sounds really good. Thank you Evie!

Recently, I had a few vegetables and some cooked chicken that needed to be used up. Usually I would have just made chicken pot pie, but I didn’t feel like having that for dinner. Have you ever had one of those moments? You have all of the ingredients for a dish and just don’t feel like eating it?

Going with a similar idea as chicken pot pie, I decided to throw together my own filling and top it with a biscuit crust instead of pie crust. I have used a can of cream of celery soup, but I’m sure you could use cream of chicken or mushroom.

If you are opposed to using a can of cream soup, I put a chicken broth, butter, and flour alteration that I’ve also used at the bottom.

Chicken Vegetable Bake

Filling:

1 can condensed cream of celery soup (**or chicken broth/flour, see note at bottom)
1 c. light sour cream
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. parsley
¼ c. minced onion
1 glove garlic, smashed
½ c. diced carrot
½ c. diced celery
½ c. frozen peas
½ c. frozen corn
2 c. diced broccoli florets
2 c. diced cooked chicken

Preheat oven to 375.
Stir together condensed soup, sour cream, and pepper.
Add remaining ingredients. Stir until combined.
Pour into a lightly greased 9×13 pan.

Biscuit Topping:

1 ¾ c. flour
1 tablespoon, plus 2 tsp. baking powder
2 ½ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
3 TB vegetable shortening, at room temperature
4 TB unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 ¼ c. grated cheddar cheese
2/3 c. buttermilk

In a food processor, pulse together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
Add shortening and pulse until combined
Add butter and pulse 5-7 times, until butter is pea-sized
Add cheese, pulse until combined
Pour in milk and pulse until just combined
Place on a lightly floured surface and knead gently until dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
Roll dough into a 9×13 rectangle and place in pan over filling.

Garlic Butter:

1 TB unsalted butter, melted
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and stir until combined.
Brush over topping.
Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until topping is golden and cooked through.

**Cream soup alteration: in a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Whisk in 3 tablespoons flour. Gradually whisk in 2 cups chicken broth. Over medium heat and stirring frequently, bring sauce to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened, about 4 minutes. Proceed with recipe as above.

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Tomato Tuna Pasta

Lynn — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:18:33 +0000

I am not a fan of basic tuna casseroles. I like tuna, just not the tuna casserole that many of us grew up eating. I like a more updated or modern take on the tuna casserole.

Tuna dishes like my Skillet Tuna Casserole and today’s recipe for Tomato Tuna Pasta are similar to a tuna casserole, but different. They are a little fancier than your basic tuna casserole and I that is what I like about them.

One of the good things about today’s recipe is that it is all done on the stove top, so it is not really casserole like at all. It is really more of a tuna and tomato sauce over pasta.

And because it is done on the stove top it is very quick and easy. Not only that it contains pantry ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Tomato Tuna Pasta

1 tablespoon of oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
18 ounces or so of canned tuna, drained ( I prefer the kind in the pouches not the canned here)
2- 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
¼ cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb penne or other type pasta
Parmesan cheese for serving

Cook pasta according to directions.
Heat oil in a skillet and cook oil until tender.
Add garlic and cook one minute longer.
Stir in red pepper flakes, tuna, and tomatoes. Cook on medium low for 20 minutes.
Add cream and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with cooked and drained pasta.
Enjoy!

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Adapted from Martha Stewart

This post linked to Tasty Tuesday and $5 Dinners.

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Beef and Bean Bake

Lynn — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:20:27 +0000

This is one of those quick and easy recipes that is very versatile.

It can be served as a dip with chips. You can serve it as a filling and make burrito type dish. You can also serve it with lettuce and other taco type fillings for an easy taco dinner.

Dishes like this are perfect for busy nights. Add a salad or other vegetable and you have a quick and easy meal.

Beef and Bean Bake

2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans ( or use homemade)
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 can ( 4 ounces) green chilies
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese ( or use a combo of jack and cheddar)
1 cup taco sauce (or use homemade)
chips or tortillas for serving

Cook meat and onion until meat is done and onion is tender.
Spread refried beans over the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
Spread meat/onion mixture over beans.
Sprinkle green chilies, olives, and cheese over meat.
Drizzle taco sauce over all.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

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Lasagna Pizza

Lynn — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:17:34 +0000

Lasagna Pizza sounds a bit odd I know, but my kids loved this. This is definitely going to be on the menu plan again soon.

It is really just a cross between lasagna and pizza. Basically the noodles are your crust and it works perfectly. It was so different from normal pizza and yet it was so good.

Lasagna Pizza

12-14 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained ( I used gf)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups pizza sauce
3 1/2 ounces pepperoni slices
other pizza toppings that you desire
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Cover a greased jelly roll pan, or really any basic 11×17 or similar type cookie sheet with sides, with 1/2 of the cooked noodles.

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Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of the noodles.

Top with remaining noodles.

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Spread sauce on top of noodles.

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

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Remove from oven and top with pepperoni, parmesan cheese, and remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake 15 minutes more.

Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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Tortilla Quiche

Lynn — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:16:23 +0000

I decided to call this recipe tortilla quiche, but I am not really sure that it is the best name for it. It is not really a quiche, but it sort of is because it contains milk, eggs, and cheese. No matter what you call it, my family really enjoyed this.

This is one of those recipes that I just put together. I needed a quick and easy dinner. I had some tortillas that needed used up. I had the rest of the ingredients on hand, so I put it all together in a quiche like dish, and hoped for the best.

We ended up loving this. I was so glad because when you just throw some things together and hope for the best, the best doesn’t always turn out.

I love this because not only is it quick and easy, it is one of those meals that you could eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

My husband thought this needed some spiciness to it, so he added salsa to his. I think you could easily add salsa to this when you are making it, and I might try that next time.

Tortilla Quiche

7 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb of sausage
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk

Cook sausage and set aside.

Cut 6 tortillas in half and one tortilla in quarters.

Mix together eggs and milk and set aside.

Place on layer of tortillas on the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate or similar type pan.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the cooked sausage and 1/4 of the cheese on top.

Then place another layer of tortillas on top of that. Continuing layering, ending with tortillas.

Carefully pour egg and milk mixture over top. This will be really full so pour it slowly and carefully. ( Or you could also use a larger pan.)

Bake 375 for 45 minutes or until done.

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Skillet Tuna Casserole

Lynn — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:05:54 +0000

This is not your typical tuna casserole. In fact, this isn’t really a tuna casserole at all. If anything this is a fancy tuna casserole, if there is such a thing.

I don’t like regular tuna casserole. I have stayed away from most of them. However, when I saw a recipe for tuna skillet, I realized it was not a typical tuna casserole.

What makes this dish different? First the heavy cream, yes it makes it less healthy, but it also gives it a nice creamy texture. Most tuna casseroles contain some sort of cream soup. I like this one because it uses cream instead of canned soup to give it the creamy consistency.

The other thing that is different about this is it is not cooked in the oven. Most tuna casseroles are cooked in the oven with some type of crunchy topping. This dish is more like a pasta dish. Just simple stove top pasta with a sauce.

This also uses the pouched tuna. I love the pouched tuna. Yes, it is more expensive, but I think the texture is much better than canned tuna.

Skillet Tuna Casserole

2 tablespoons butter
10 ounces mushrooms sliced thin
1 onion, minced
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups egg noodles ( I now use 3 cups of gf noodles. If using gf noodles add ½ cup extra water or broth to this)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ cups heavy cream
½ cup milk
1 cup frozen peas, optional, I leave these out since several in my family do not like peas
2 (7-ounce) foil pouches tuna , flaked (sometimes I put 3 pouches in)
1 teaspoon for dried parsley leaves

Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the mushrooms and onions are browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Sprinkle the noodles into the skillet. Pour the broth, milk, and cream over the noodles. Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Stir in tuna, mushroom mixture, peas if using, and parsley and allow to heat through, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chicken Bake

Lynn — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:45:39 +0000

Let me start by saying my kids love this. It is a kid friendly and fun meal. I know it is not the healthiest of dinner choices, but it is a good. Monica recently posted a similar recipe that her family enjoys.

I love to make a meal like this when I am tempted to go out to dinner. This may not be the healthiest meal, but it is healthier and cheaper than eating dinner out.

Serve this with a salad and you have a quick and easy dinner in no time. I like to keep cooked chicken in the freezer just for meals like this. It makes putting this dish together much easier.

I have a similar version of this I make with beef that we also enjoy.

Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chicken Bake

8 cups nacho cheese tortilla chips, crushed ( I used cool ranch Doritos now because they are supposed to be gf)
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted ( I used a homemade version to make it gf)
2 cup cooked chicken
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
Additional shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Arrange chips in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a bowl, combine the soup, chicken, salsa, cheese, and chilies. Pour over chips. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.

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