Tag Archives: casserole

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

29 Aug

With the guacamole pack I contributed for a couple of weeks ago, there were some green chiles.  I had been craving some macaroni and cheese, and thought it would be great to add green chiles as I had before.   My older daughter loved this, as did my husband and I.  It’s spicy, but not overly spicy.

Green Chile Mac and Cheese
Original recipe here

What you need:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk
1 4-oz. cans chopped green chiles, drained OR 1/4 cup fresh, roasted green chiles, peeled, stem and seeds removed, and diced
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups crushed corn chips, optional (I omitted)
Salt and pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni until al dente, about 8 minutes, or as the box directs. Drain; rinse under cold water.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk. Raise heat to medium and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in green chiles. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese to skillet, stirring, until all cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Add cooked pasta to the skillet; stir.

Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and pour in pasta mixture.

In a small bowl, combine corn chips with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese; sprinkle over pasta.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until pasta mixture is bubbling and top is golden. Let sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

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Twice Baked Cauliflower

21 Mar

This is another low-carb recipe that my friend, Jen, shared a while back.  It’s been on my list to try, and tonight I finally got to try it.  It was very good!  It really doesn’t taste much like cauliflower with all the extras in there.  A nice alternative to potatoes.  I added in some fresh rosemary, and I didn’t have cream cheese, so I used sour cream instead because that’s what I had.  I served this as a side with some Zaycon Foods hot dogs and German sausage that I grilled.

Twice Baked Cauliflower

What you need:

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
5 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled (I used turkey bacon)
3 tbsp cream cheese (I used sour cream)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter or spray an 8×8 baking dish or 2 qt casserole dish.

Steam cauliflower until tender.  In a medium/large bowl, add cream cheese and then put steamed cauliflower on top to melt.  Mash with potato masher but leave chunky.  Mix in 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese, 3 pieces worth of the crumbled bacon, green onions, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

Place mixture in the prepared casserole dish, and spread evenly.  Top with the remaining cheese and bacon.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until bubbly and browning on top.

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Yellow Squash Casserole

28 Feb

 

When I came across this recipe, it sounded good, but it really is delicious!  It has a buttery, cheesy taste, which blends nicely with the squash.  I used Ritz crackers for this, but you could probably use bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes in their place.  I was also tempted to add some oregano to this, but I got busy making it and forgot to add it in.

 

Yellow Squash Casserole
Based on recipe here

What you need:

1/4 cup butter
4 cups sliced yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste (and 1 tsp oregano if desired)
35 round buttery crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups if you decide to substitute in something else)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large skillet, melt butter.  Add onion and squash.  Cover, and cook until both are tender, about 5-10 minutes.  Stir in salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

Mix together crushed crackers and shredded cheddar cheese.  Divide mixture in half.  Stir in one half with the squash mixture.

In a small bowl, beat eggs and milk together.  Pour over the squash mixture and stir.

Grease an 8×8 baking dish.  Pour in the squash mixture.  Top with the remaining half of the cracker and cheese mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and the crackers are lightly browned.

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Moussaka and Pastitsio all in one!

23 Feb

 

I tried to think of a new name for this, but with the migraine I have, I’m not feeling too creative at the moment.  This is a combination of 2 of my favorite Greek dishes, Moussaka and Pastitsio.  I got the Italian themed veggie pack from Bountiful Baskets this week, and it had an eggplant and a zucchini.  Not really enough to make Moussaka or something like Eggplant Lasagna, so I decided that adding some pasta, like in Pastitsio, it would make a great meal.  I was right, it turned out great.  I put the pasta on the bottom, then the zucchini and eggplant, then the meat sauce, then the bechamel sauce.

 

Moussaka and Pastitsio All in One

What you need:

Filling:
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise, 1/2 in  width
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise , 1/2 in width
Salt
Olive oil
1/2 lb macaroni (supposed to be long macaroni noodles, but they are hard to find, so elbow macaroni or a noodle like penne or ziti works too)
1 eggs
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 lb ground beef or lamb (for meatless, use diced mushrooms, zucchini or eggplant)
1 medium onion
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Romano cheese

Cream sauce (krema):
2-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set on paper towels for 15-20 minutes to let them drain.  Pat tops with a paper towel.  Spray or brush each side of the eggplant and zucchini slices with olive oil and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes, flip slices over and bake for another 10 minutes, until they are tender and slightly brown.

Boil macaroni according to package; drain; return to pan.  Melt the 1/4 cup butter, beat in egg, and stir in with macaroni.

In a skillet, brown onion and ground beef or lamb.  Add tomato paste, and seasonings.  Cook for 5 – 10 minutes.

Make cream sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour in 1/4 cup flour; brown slowly. Beat 2 eggs with 2-1/2 cups milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into butter and flour mixture very slowly; mix well. Cook over low heat until it thickens.

To assemble, grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Add macaroni mixture to pan and press down with a piece of wax paper.  Sprinkle generously with the grated cheese.  Lay out eggplant and zucchini in a single layer.

Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Spread the meat sauce evenly.  Pour cream sauce evenly on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Freezes best unbaked, thawed for 1/2 hour, then baked as above.

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Jerusalem Artichoke and Potato Au Gratin

20 Feb

Part of the fun of participating in Bountiful Baskets is that it’s a surprise what will be in the baskets each week, and there is a bit of variety.  And, it’s always more fun when you get something you’ve never seen or heard of before.  This week, the element of surprise was a dozen, small Jerusalem artichokes, sometimes referred to as sunchokes.  Despite having artichokes in the name, they are really nothing like artichokes you normally see.  Instead, they are a tuber, and look similar to other roots, like ginger.  I came across this recipe on the Bountiful Baskets Facebook page, and decided it was probably the best way for us to try these out.  It turned out really good, it was a nice mix of the almost nutty flavor of the sunchokes and potatoes, cheese, and spices.  Thank you to Bountiful Baskets for giving us something new to try!

 

Jerusalem Artichoke and Potato Au Gratin
Based on recipe found here

What you need:

6 Jerusalem artichokes (about 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used my mandolin slicer)
2 large baking potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
Salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/2 cup diced onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup dried fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put the sliced Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes in a mixing bowl.  Toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole dish (I used an 8×8 glass dish). Put half of the artichoke-potato mixture in the pan, spread evenly along the bottom.  Then, sprinkle with 1/4 cup diced onions, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and all of the flour.  Put in the remaining artichoke-potato mixture, spread evenly.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup diced onions, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1/2 cup cheese. Pour the milk evenly over the whole dish.

In another bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the bread crumbs and parsley. Spread this topping evenly over the mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender.

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Spinach Lasagna Rollups

10 Feb

I had some lasagna noodles in my pantry that I wanted to use, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to do lasagna.  Then, I remembered the Cheese Lasagna Rollups my mom used to get from Market Day, and decided I wanted to try to make some of my own.  It worked out that cottage cheese was on sale, and I had spinach, basil, and oregano in my fridge that I needed to use.  The filling I made just like my Spinach Manicotti recipe, and the sauce was the Tomato Sauce I made a couple of days ago.  It turned out great!

Spinach Lasagna Rollups

What you need:

9 lasagna noodles
2 eggs
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried basil (or 2 tsp fresh basil)
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh oregano)
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
4 cups Tomato Sauce

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on box.  Drain water and cool on a piece of aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, beat eggs in a medium bowl.  Stir in the ricotta (or cottage cheese), 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, garlic, spinach, basil, oregano, and parsley.  Pour 1 cup of the Tomato Sauce into a 13 x 9 baking dish, or enough to make sure to cover the entire bottom of the dish.  Spread filling on each lasagna noodle and roll the noodle.  Place seam side down in the dish.  Pour the remaining sauce over the rollups, then sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella.  Cover tightly with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until sides are bubbling and the cheese is melted.

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Spinach-Turkey Bacon Shells and Cheese

19 Jan

 

The last time I made Broccoli Cheddar Cheese soup, the bag of shredded cheddar cheese had a recipe on the back from KraftFoods.com for Spinach-Bacon Macaroni and Cheese.  Since I had spinach from Bountiful Baskets that still needed to get used, I decided this would be the dish to make.  I also had bacon on hand from making the Shredded Brussels Sprouts earlier this week, and Barilla Whole Grain Medium Shells were on sale recently for $1, and with a coupon, it made it $.50 for the box.  This was delicious.  My 2-year-old kept telling me how good it was and thanking me, and my 5-year-old, who was skeptical at first, tried it and liked it.

 

Spinach-Turkey Bacon Shells and Cheese
Serves 6

What you need:

3 cups whole grain medium shells, uncooked
2 cups fresh spinach, slightly chopped
4 slices turkey bacon
2 Tbsp. flour
1-2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, if needed
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cook shells as directed on package, adding spinach in to cook for the last minute.  Drain.  Return to pot.
Cook bacon in large skillet. Remove bacon to paper towels; save drippings in pan.  If you don’t have a lot of drippings, since turkey bacon usually doesn’t, melt 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine.  Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly; cook 3 to 5 minutes,  or until thickened.
Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until melted. Chop bacon and add to cheese mixture.
Pour cheese mixture over shells and spinach; mix well.  Pour into a greased 2-1/2 qt casserole.  Top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted.

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Moussaka (Eggplant Casserole)

16 Jan

Moussaka is a dish that I have never helped make nor have I made it myself.  It’s been on my list of recipes to try for a while, and I knew it was close to Pastitsio, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.  When I got eggplant in my Italian themed veggie pack from Bountiful Baskets, I decided it was time to give it a try.  Normally, you would need more than one eggplant, but I decided to make it as an eggplant and zucchini casserole since zucchini was on sale at the grocery store this week.  I also wanted to use the mushrooms I got in my basket, so I incorporated them into the meat sauce.  It turned out amazing, I’m very happy with the results!  It’s somewhat lighter than Pastitsio, because it’s vegetables instead of pasta.  Next time, I think I may come up with a mix of the eggplant, zucchini, and noodles.

If you would like to make this meatless, substitute another package of mushrooms, diced, or some diced zucchini and/or eggplant for the 1 lb of ground beef or lamb.

Moussaka

What you need:

Filling:
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise, 1/2 in  width
3 zucchini, cut lengthwise , 1/2 in width
Salt
Olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 lb ground beef or lamb (for meatless, use more mushrooms, or diced zucchini or eggplant)
1 8 oz package whole mushrooms, diced
1 medium onion
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Romano cheese

Cream sauce (krema):
2-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set on paper towels for 15-20 minutes to let them drain.  Pat tops with a paper towel.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown eggplant and zucchini slices.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown onion and ground beef or lamb.  Add mushrooms, tomato paste, and seasonings.  Cook for 5 – 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make cream sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour in 1/4 cup flour; brown slowly. Beat 2 eggs with 2-1/2 cups milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into butter and flour mixture very slowly; mix well. Cook over low heat until it thickens.

To assemble, grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle bread crumbs to cover the bottom of the pan.  Lay out eggplant in a single layer.  Spread half of the meat sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with grated cheese.  Lay out zucchini in a single layer.  Spread the remaining meat sauce over the zucchini.  Pour cream sauce evenly on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Freezes best unbaked, thawed for 1/2 hour, then baked as above.

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Pastitsio (Baked Macaroni and Meat)

1 Jan

Last year for New Year’s Day, I cooked a variety of Greek dishes for my family, and continued on with that tradition this year.  It’s the best time to make all this food, lots of hands here to help with the preparations.  I really love Pastitsio.  It’s almost like a lasagna or baked Italian pasta dish would be, just seasoned a little differently.  It’s a little time-consuming to get all the parts done, but worth it in the end.  This can be made up ahead of time and frozen just before baking, then thawed and baked when you are ready to have it.

Pastitsio (Baked Macaroni and Meat)

Filling:
1 lb macaroni (supposed to be long macaroni noodles, but they are hard to find, so elbow macaroni or a noodle like penne or ziti works too)
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Romano cheese
1 lb ground beef or lamb
1 medium onion
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cream sauce (krema):
2-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Boil macaroni according to package; drain; return to pan.  Melt the 1/2 cup butter, beat in eggs, and stir in with macaroni.  Spray a 9″ X 13″ X 2″ pan. Add macaroni mixture to pan and press down with a piece of wax paper.  Sprinkle generously with the grated cheese.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown onion and ground beef or lamb; add tomato paste and seasonings.  Cook for 5 – 10 minutes.  Spread meat mixture over macaroni noodles in pan and spread evenly.

Meanwhile, make cream sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour in 1/4 cup flour; brown slowly. Beat 2 eggs with 2-1/2 cups milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into butter and flour mixture very slowly; mix well. Cook over low heat until it thickens. Pour over macaroni/meat mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Freezes best unbaked, thawed for 1/2 hour, then baked as above.

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Corn and Broccoli Casserole

28 Dec

This was our final Christmas dinner side.  My mom got this recipe from my Aunt Paula, who has also given us the Wild Rice & Sausage Stuffing and Bread & Celery Dressing.  I liked having this as our vegetable casserole instead of Green Bean Casserole for our Christmas dinner, just to have something different.  This recipe calls for Chicken in a Bisket crackers, but you could probably substitute Ritz crackers in their place.

Corn and Broccoli Casserole

What you need:

1 pound frozen broccoli, thawed and drained OR 1 pound chopped fresh broccoli
1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained OR 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 14.75 oz can creamed corn OR 1 10.75oz can cream of chicken soup plus 1 cup milk
1 8 oz box Chicken in a Bisket crackers OR 8 oz Ritz Crackers (2 sleeves of crackers)
1 stick butter or margarine, melted

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Crush crackers; stir into melted butter.   Combine remaining ingredients and all but 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs into a greased 2 qt casserole dish.  Top with the reserved 1/2 cup cracker crumbs.

Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

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