Cold day casserole

I could call this “what I had on hand” casserole but that doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it.  Seeing how its -10 degrees here today, I wanted to bake something warm to in the oven.  The pictures do not do it justice! It’s like a sloppy joe loaded mashed potato explosion.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 can cream of mushroom

1/3 cup bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s sweet and spicy)

Diced onions

Minced garlic

1 packet Idahoan butter homestyle mashed potatoes (large size)

½ stick of butter

1 block cream cheese

Shredded cheese

Bacon crumbles

Green onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown ground beef with some diced onion and a heaping scoop of minced garlic.  Drain and mix in cream of mushroom soup and bbq sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Prepare potatoes as directed (basically mine was boil four cups of water). Whip potatoes with a fork.  Add butter and cream cheese to potatoes.

Spread meat mixture on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.  Then layer the potatoes over the top.  Sprinkle with bacon bits and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown.  Garnish with green onion and serve.  

Amish Country Casserole

Ingredients:

12-14 oz. box of your favorite pasta

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 can tomato soup

1 can mushroom soup

1 cup milk

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 cup shredded Colby jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large oven dish with cooking spray.  Cook the pasta, in a large pot, per the instructions on the packet. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the ground beef and cook until done.  As soon as the pasta is done - drain and return to the pot. Add the cooked meat, soups, Worcestershire, cheese and milk to the pasta. Stir and season to taste with salt & pepper. Transfer to the prepared oven dish. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.  Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve. 

White Trash Casserole

I have to admit, the name of this recipe intrigued me.  It looked simple and included ingredients I had on hand so I decided to give it a shot last night.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp. mince garlic

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can corn, drained

Small brick of Velveeta, cut into cubes

Tater Tots

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown beef and onion together then drain. (The original recipe doesn’t call for minced garlic but I added it and was glad I did.)  Mix cream of mushroom with the ground beef.  Spread beef mixture in bottom of a casserole dish. Layer corn, Velveeta, and tater tots. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour, until tater tots are golden brown.

This made my house smell amazing while it was cooking.  It tasted great too. It was what I imagine a casserole would taste like if Hunters Dish and Tater Tot Casserole had a baby.  If you’re looking for an easy recipe to throw together on a cold night, add this to your collection.

Chicken Tator Tot Bake

Ingredients

¼ cup 2% low-fat milk

1 cup low-fat sour cream

1 (10 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can of corn, drained

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

16 ounces frozen tater tots

1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine milk, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, corn and chicken in medium size pot.  Place on stove top over medium-high heat.  Stir and heat until ingredients mix well; about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup shredded cheese. salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into 9X12 glass baking dish.

Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese over mixture.  Place tator tots on top of mixture.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove aluminum foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes uncovered.

This was a nice twist on your classic tator tot casserole. I used pre diced chicken chunks from the deli.  Mine turned out a little salty.  It was very good but definitely on the salty side.  Possibly because I had the chicken strips that are packaged?  If you use real chicken breasts I think it would be better.  

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

1-1/4 lb. ground beef

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 oz. egg noodles

1/2 cup sour cream

1-1/4 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown meat in a large skillet. Drain fat and add tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

This is a great casserole for a cold night at home.  Easy to make and doesn’t take too long.  Can be served alone or with a side of crusty French bread.  

Italian Crescent Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained (I did half beef and half Italian sausage)

1 cup garlic tomato pasta sauce

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1½ cups shredded Italian cheese blend

¼ teaspoon dried basil leaves or Italian seasoning

Brown your meat with some minced garlic and seasonings.  Once cooked, mix in pasta sauce. Heat over medium heat until warm.  Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Place dough in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate in spoke pattern, with narrow tips overlapping rim of plate about 3 inches.  Press dough in side and bottom of pan to form crust and cover the pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese over dough in the pan. I also added 5 pepperoni’s across the cheese and some Italian seasoning.  Spoon meat mixture evenly over cheese.  Bring tips of dough over filling to meet in center; do not overlap.  Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese over the dish followed by the basil. Here I added a few shakes of parmesan cheese as well.  Bake at 375°F 15 to 20 minutes.  Let cool a few minutes before cutting. 

This smelled so good while it was baking my mouth was watering.  And it didn’t disappoint when it hit my lips! It’s like a pizza pie or calzone or just some yummy crescenty Italian goodness in a pie pan.  Very delicious and easy to make. Molly loved it too.  Can’t wait to make this again soon. 

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole

Serves: 8

I'm warning you, before you make it, this is highly addictive.  Creamy, yummy and just delicious. You have been warned.  Proceed with caution. 

3 large chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

3 slices bacon, crumbled

1 onion, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded, deveined and diced

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or mayonnaise)

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

For the topping:

1/2 cup crushed butter crackers (1/2 sleeve)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375*F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until done, but not too crisp; using a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel lined plate and reserve. 

Add onion and jalapenos to the same skillet and saute until onion starts to soften. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer.

Stir in cream cheese, yogurt, cheddar cheese and Parmesan until mostly melted and combined; stir in chicken and bacon. 

For the topping: mix together crushed crackers, cheese, and melted butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake 25-35 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbly and topping is brown. If the topping gets too dark before it's done, cover with foil. Serve warm.

Loaded potato chicken bacon casserole

Review by Audra:

Need a delicious warm casserole for the winter nights? That even your pickiest eaters will enjoy?  Look no further!

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes, cubed

1/3 C. olive oil

Pepper, garlic powder, onion, salt

3 chicken breast

Stir potato, oil and seasonings in bowl.  Once coated spoon out into pan.  Bake for 45 min at 500°.  While potatoes are cooking, cook chicken in skillet with remaining oil.  Cut up chicken and mix with potatoes.  Top with cheese, bacon and green onions.  Bake at 400 for 20 min.  

So freaking good. Amazing. All the kids loved it.

Ritz Chicken Casserole

Review by Lyndee:

5 cups chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1 cup sour cream or room temperature Greek yogurt

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed

1/2 cup melted butter

Optional- poppy seeds, garlic powder, other seasonings, to taste, shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken and cook. You can boil or bake it. I baked it the night before for 30 minutes at 350.  Cool slightly then cut into 1 in. cubes. Place cubes in a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Stir together cream of chicken and sour cream/yogurt. Stir in any other desired seasonings. Pour over chicken.  In a bowl stir crackers, butter (and poppy seeds, if using). Sprinkle over casserole. I added some shredded Colby jack cheese on the top as well.  Bake 30 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Serve. 

This was creamy and warm.  Perfect for a cold fall evening in Iowa. The flavor was great and the crushed crackers added a fun texture.  Super easy to put together.  I will definitely make this again. 

The Ultimate Crockpot Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

Review by Lyndee:

Warning…these are not healthy but they will win your heart and belly.

It was one of those days I was ill prepared to take a dish to share to a friend’s BBQ.  It was one of those days I didn’t feel like cooking.  So I looked through the fridge and the freezer and came up with this twist on tradition hashbrown casserole and it was mind boggling.  We went through the majority of this huge batch at the party with only 10 people and the rest warmed up perfectly the next day for lunch.  

Ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

1/4 cup bacon french onion sour cream from Anderson Erickson (or a squeeze of a bacon ranch dressing)

1/2 cup diced velveeta (or a 1 inch thick slice)

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 onion powder

1/4 garlic powder

1 (32 oz) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

2 c. sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 c. crushed Ritz crackers

Instructions

In a large saucepan, melt cream of chicken soup, sour creams, butter and velveeta.  Add hash browns to crock pot.  Cover with melted sauce.  Add 2 cups of shredded cheese to the top.  Sprinkle with crushed crackers.  Cover and cook for 4-5 hours on low or until potatoes are tender.  Spoon and enjoy! 

Meat & noodle casserole

Review by Lyndee:

½ cup diced onion

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 pounds lean ground beef, pork or turkey

½ bag macaroni or other noodles

1 cup cheddar

1 cup mozzarella cheeses

2 tbsp cream cheese

optional seasonings: I used salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic and a dash of hot sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brown onions and meat in pan.  Boil noodles according to directions and drain.  Once the meat is browned, mix in cream cheese and diced tomatoes.  Remove from heat and stir in noodles.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes.  Remove tinfoil and top with the shredded cheeses.  Bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is golden brown.  (This can also be refrigerated overnight and cooked the next day. ) Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy. 

I used ground pork for this recipe because it was something different and I had it on hand.  I used egg noodles instead of macaroni.  The original recipe did not call for the cream cheese but I felt it was a nice touch.  I made mine last night and warmed it up today for lunch.  I added a little bit of spaghetti sauce as I knew it probably dried out a bit in the fridge last night.  It was a pretty tasty casserole that was easy and cheap to make.    

Potato & ham casserole

Review by Rachael:

2 cups potatoes, cubed

2 cups ham, cubed

1 (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

¼ cup finely chopped minced fresh parsley

¼ cup butter

1 tablespoon chopped onions

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 ¾ cups milk

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces processed cheese, shredded

1    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.  Combine potatoes, ham, corn & parsley; set aside. In a saucepan sauté onion in butter for 2 minutes, stir in four until blended well. Gradually add milk & pepper. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat & pour over the ham mixture. Stir to mix well.  Pour into greased 7x11 baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake 5-10 minutes longer until cheese melts.

I had some ham to use up and found this recipe. I had everything on hand except for a can of corn. I used dried parsley that I had in the cupboard. The prep takes a little bit of time but it’s not a hard recipe. 1 tablespoon of onion just didn’t seem like enough so I ended up adding more: I didn’t measure it, I just added.  I took mine out after it had been in another 10 minutes with the cheese on it, the cheese wasn’t exactly like I was hoping but I didn’t want to overcook the dish. I also had some homemade bread crumbs that I want to use up so I sprinkled a light layer of those on before I put on the cheese.

Next time I would not put so much parsley, it was good but a little too much for my liking. I also added a lot of pepper & salt after it baked to give it some more flavor. All & all it was a good, flavorful dish. 

Healthified biscuit egg casserole

Review by Lyndee:

Original Ingredients:

1 can of 8 count buttermilk biscuits

1 pound of any breakfast sausage roll

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese  

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

5 eggs, beaten

2 egg whites

3/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Ingredients that I used to healthify:

1 can of reduced fat buttermilk biscuits

1 pound of Fareway ground turkey breakfast sausage

2 cups of colby jack shredded cheese

2 cups of egg beaters

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 °F. Crumble and cook sausage in skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain.

Line bottom of greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish with biscuit dough, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Sprinkle with sausage and cheese.  Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until blended; pour over sausage and cheese.

Bake 30 minutes or until set (A knife should come out clean when inserted in the center). Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares; serve warm.  **To Avoid burning or excessive browning on top of casserole, cover with foil for half of cooking time (first 15 minutes)**

The healthified version of this was really good. I did not cover the casserole with foil while baking so mine got a little more brown than normal but I will remember to do it next time.  This was cheap and super easy to make for a warm, healthified breakfast. 

Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole

ThisReview by Lyndee:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

8-10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  (I leave the skin on)

1/3 cup olive oil 

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 TBS. freshly ground pepper

1 TBS. paprika 

2 TBS. garlic powder 

6 TBS. hot sauce

Topping:

2 c. Fiesta Blend Cheese or a mix of Cheddar & Monterey Jack

1 c. crumbled bacon 

1 c diced green onion

Preheat oven to 500F (This is NOT a typo, 500F is correct!)  In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder & hot sauce.  Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat.  Carefully scoop the potatoes into a cooking spray coated 9 x 13 inch baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mix as possible.  Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy & browned on the outside.  While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat.  Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400F.  

Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken.  In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon & green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mix.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.  Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

I topped mine with some sour cream and chives party mix.  It was really good.  It takes a while to make this but it’s definitely worth it.  

The original recipe for this was taken from 

http://cooklisacook.blogspot.com/2012/03/loaded-potato-buffalo-chicken-casserole.html