Comforting Casseroles All Winter Long

When it comes to warm, comforting food casseroles take center stage. These delicious meals can consist of meats, vegetables and even fruits baked in the oven. Casseroles can be thrown together using leftovers and/or pantry staples and they freeze very well. You just can’t beat a warm casserole on a cold winter evening.

How Casseroles Came to Be

Casseroles were derived from France where they were called “saucepans” in the beginning. Early casseroles were simple meals made with pounded or pressed rice combined with sweetbreads or cheap meats. In the late 1800’s casseroles began to take on the version we know today.

Casseroles became very popular in America in the 1950’s when casserole bakeware became all the rage. They were easy and quick to fix and the elegant bakeware meant a casserole could go from oven to table with no extra work involved. There are many versions of the casserole including Great Britain’s version known as the bake. Read more »

What You Need:

1 (16 oz.) bag of frozen hash browns
2 lbs. chicken breasts
1/2 t of salt
1/4 t of pepper
1 (12 oz.) bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 (6 oz.) can of sliced mushrooms, drained well (optional)

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Spray the lid and inside of a cast iron Dutch oven well with a non stick cooking spray.
Spread the frozen hash browns over the bottom of the pan.
Lay the chicken pieces of the potatoes and sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper.
Add the bag of frozen peas and carrots and top with the sliced mushrooms.
Cover and bake 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Makes 4 servings

Want a bit more flavor? Add a few halved garlic cloves underneath and around the chicken before adding the peas and carrots. You may also make this dish a little Italian by rubbing the chicken pieces with Italian dressing instead of sprinkling with the salt and pepper.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Baking Time: approximately 40 minutes
Total Time: approximately 50 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 440; Fat 4g; Carbohydrates 47g; Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 33 mg; Protein 41g;
Fiber 15g

1 lb ground turkey
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
12 corn tortillas
1 cup salsa
8 ounces tomato sauce
15 ounces whole kernel corn, drained
4 ounces sliced black olives, drained
4 ounces mild chiles, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat cheddar and or Monterey jack cheese

Brown and drain the meat. Add taco seasoning and water and cook until sauce is thick. In a bowl mix the salsa and tomato sauce. Spray the bottom of a glass 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and make a layer of 6 tortillas on the bottom overlapping the edges. Top the tortillas with half the meat, corn, olives and chilies. Pour half the salsa/tomato sauce mixture over it and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat the layer process.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes until the cheese is nice and melted.

What You Need

6 C white rice, cooked
6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
4 C Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 C white sauce

How to Make It

Spray a casserole dish well with a non stick cooking spray on the bottom and up
the sides.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Start by layering 3 C of the cooked rice in the bottom of the prepared casserole
dish.  Next layer 3 of the sliced boiled eggs.  Sprinkle in 2 C of the shredded cheese.
Pour 2 C of the white sauce over the top.  Add a second layer in the same order as the first ending with the white sauce.

Bake 45 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted.

8 Servings

Any type of cheese will work with this casserole. Instant rice is much faster than
long grain rice but both work well when making this dish.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb kielbasa, cut into about 1/2-inch slices
6 cups chopped green cabbage
3/4 cup canned chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Shredded parmesan cheese
Cooked egg noodles

Instructions:

Cook the sausage in a large skillet until browned on both sides. In the same
skillet melt the butter and sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and chili flakes
over medium-low heat. Return sausage to the skillet and add in the chopped
cabbage and broth. Cook stirring for about 20-25 minutes or until cabbage
is tender. In a large pasta bowl, toss with parmesan cheese and hot cooked
noodles. Season to taste using salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. extra lean ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 C. grated Cheddar cheese
1 (2 lbs. pkgs.) frozen tater tots

Directions:

Place ground beef in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread soup over meat and cover with grated cheese. Top with tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees F., covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve with side salad.

Read more »

As a busy mother and grandmother, I am always looking for ways to prepare delicious meals for my family…for those busy nights when I don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. To solve that problem, I like to make casserole dishes and freeze them for future meals.

When I make these 3 recipes, I make all of them in one day. You can freeze them in your baking dishes, however I like to go to the dollar store and purchase disposable foil baking pans. I can usually get them 3 for $1.00. I let them completely cool and then properly wrap them for freezing. They will keep in your freezer for up to 6 months.

Read more »

1 (15 oz.) can pear slices, drained
1 (15.5 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 (15 oz.) can peach slices, drained
1 (15 oz.) can apricots halves, drained and sliced
1 (15 oz.) can dark sweet cherries
1 (1 lb.) box light brown sugar
2 sticks butter
1 tsp. cinnamon,
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (24 oz.) jar regular applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a large casserole dish with a non stick cooking spray.  Place the pear slices in the bottom of the prepared casserole.  Sprinkle 1/5 of the box of brown sugar over the top of the pears.  Dot 1/2 stick of the butter over the top of the casserole.

Mix the cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small mixing bowl.  Sprinkle 1/5 of the spice mixture over the top of the butter.  Spread 1/5 of the applesauce over that.

Continue to layer in this manner beginning with the fruit until all the ingredients  have been used.

Bake 25 minutes or until heated completely through.

8 Servings