Anyone Got a Good Casserole Recipe?

[Nicolelj]

I just finished making 4 tuna caseroles. Yup you read right. 4 in one afternoon and in a little while I am making an apricot Danish Coffee Cake. Baking relaxes me and right now I am sore and tired after making all the casseroles.

The reason I am making them is because of my being pregnant and due in October. I am lucky that my church provides meals for the first week or so home from the hospital. But with hubby going back to work usually 3-4 days after the baby being born I will have to be able to prepare meals within a few days of that. And with having a toddler and a newborn and a new pup my best bet is to make a ton of different type of casseroles and freezable meals between now and then and then Isabeau(8yr old) can help by making supper. She LOVEs to make the meals. So it will be a simple matter of a salad and popping in a casserole.

So every weekend I make 2 different types of casseroles. Double the recipes so there is enough for 4 meals. 3 to be frozen for the coming months and one to have for dinner that night. I make one type on Saturday and one on Sunday. So basically 6 casseroles a weekend. I only do it on weekends simply because there is too much going on during the week and hubby is home all day on the weekends to help.

So is anyone else doing a baking or cooking frenzy today? Or if you have a REALLY good cassorale or frozen dinner recipe please post it. The more variety I have for us to choose from every night the better it will be. Thanks all.
Nicole & Sheena & Puppies

[skunkstripe]

Hey Nicole, I have a couple that you might like.

"Mexican Lasagna"

Older kids like this and it is "cheap-easy-good". I made this up so there is no real "recipe". You made need to adjust these amounts for your taste. If you make lasagna then you usually use noodles, meat sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella/parmesan. Well to make this you substitute flour tortillas for the noodles, you make the meat sauce using taco or enchilada sauce instead of marinara, and instead of ricotta cheese use canned refried beans and instead of mozzarella use cheddar.

ground beef
onion
taco or enchilada sauce
one package flour tortillas
one can refried beans
one package shredded cheddar cheese


Saute ground beef and onion, mix in some of taco / enchilada sauce. Set some sauce aside and don't mix all in with meat. Cut tortillas into 2" wide strips (like lasagna noodles). Pour about 1/3 cup sauce into baking dish, lay tortilla strips to cover bottom of pan. Spoon out 1/2 can of refried beans onto tortilla strips, spread around until you get an even layer. Sprinkle some of the cheese onto the refried beans. Spoon meat sauce on top of that and spread to make it even. Repeat layers of tortilla strips, refried beans, cheese, meat sauce. Finish off with shredded cheese and any sauce (without the meat/onion mixture) that you have left. Bake at 350 F until cheese gets bubbly, about 1/2 hr - 45 min depending on size of dish.

Chicken Tamale Pie

I did not make this one up, it is from NY Times cookbook. It is "cheap-good" but not something to throw together after work and have ready in time for dinner so if you are cooking up a storm to make casseroles ahead of time maybe you will like it.


1 3lb frying chicken, cut-up
2 t salt
1 T peppercorns
2 celery stalks
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 C cornmeal
2 T butter or margarine
1/4 C chopped onion
1 finely chopped garlic clove
2 peeled and chopped tomatoes
1/4 t each oregano, thyme, tarragon
chili powder
1-1/2 C corn in kernals
grated cheddar or parmesan


Boil chicken in large pot with salt, peppercorns, celery and bay leaf, turn down heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 30-45 min. When chicken is cool, remove meant from bones, save broth.
Mix 1/2 C of broth into cornmeal. Take 1-1/2 C of broth and boil, stir in cornmeal mixture when broth has come to boil. Cover and cook until thick.
Use the cornmeal "mush" to line the bottom and sides of casserole dish.
Saute onion and garlic in butter, when they are transparent add tomatoes and herbs. Simmer 15 min and then add kernel corn.
Spread chicken on cornmeal mush, cover with tomato-corn mixture. Sprinkle w/cheese and bake at 350 F 30 minutes.

Cranberry baked pork

This is another "cheap-easy-good" one that takes very little effort and tastes great.


four pork chops
one large can cranberry sauce
3/4 cup French dressing (can substitute 1/2 C oil and 1/4 C vinegar)
1 package dried leek soup mix (any vegetable soup mix will do)


Mix last three ingredients in bowl, let stand about 1/2 hour. Put meat in casserole dish, pour mixture over it. Bake at 375 F until sauce is bubbling hot about 1 hr. Chicken works well in this recipe too, and the sauce ends up being kind of "sweet and sour", tastes great on rice or noodles.

[Nicolelj]

WOW these are all great recipes. Thanks all and keep them coming. I am saving all the ones my husband like the sound of and I like the sound of also and will be trying them in the weeks to come.
Nicole & Sheena & Puppies

[Christine283]

Here's one my husband really likes, it's what his mom used to make every now and then.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

2 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 cups cooked egg noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tb melted butter

Combine soup and milk and stir until blended.
Stir in chicken and noodles.
Pour into greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish.
Combine bread crumbs, cheese, and melted butter, and sprinkle over the top.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

[KatzNK9]

Chicken Casserole

2 cups diced cooked chicken
¼ cup mayo
1 cup cooked rice
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms (sliced)
1 cup diced celery
3 hard-cooked eggs (chopped)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP chopped onion
½ cup slivered almonds
1 can cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
1 cup cornflakes (crumbled)
2 TBSP butter

Combine all ingredients except cornflakes & butter.

Mix well & spread in 2 Qt. Casserole. Blend cornflakes & butter. Sprinkle over casserole.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Makes 8 servings