Casseroles

Corn Casserole

Leah Short — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 16:34:08 +0000

I know this time of year people are looking online for healthy foods and ways to get back in shape after the holidays. Trust me, I’m doing the same thing. As much as I’d love to give you that, I’ve got a list of yummy eats I enjoyed that I’m dying to share with you. I figure this is the good stuff that got me in this wanting to eat healthier predicament, so it must be worth sharing, right? Let’s start with Corn Casserole. I’ve made this creamy, cheesy, insanely delicious casserole for years. However, I’ve never made it with the bell peppers until now. Hello, favorite casserole ever!

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Mushroom Cornbread Dressing

Leah Short — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 15:19:59 +0000

I can’t believe it’s taken me years to get this Mushroom Cornbread Dressing on the blog. This is my absolute favorite dressing and we have it almost every year. I say almost because I like to change it up, but nothing so far beats this recipe. It’s the perfect texture with cornbread, mushrooms, green onions, and almonds. Of course I slather it with cranberry sauce, too. I just love everything in this dressing! It’s also easy to halve if you don’t want to make the full recipe.

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Cheeseburger Pie

Leah Short — Wed, 14 May 2014 13:30:21 +0000

I can barely contain myself with my excitement to share this recipe with you! Now I know Cheeseburger Pie sounds crazy, but stick with me. Let’s not forget that I brought you Taco Spaghetti and that’s been one of my top recipes on the blog. So trust me when I tell you this pie is drool-worthy. I have looked forward to every single slice. It’s fantastic out of the oven, but the leftovers get better and better. And yes, it REALLY tastes like a cheeseburger, minus all those pesky calories. You can taste the mustard and ketchup, plus those glorious pickles and tomatoes on top, and tons of cheese. This is comfort food at its best with no guilt. Now that’s a burger I can sink my teeth in!

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Mushroom, Bacon, and Swiss Strata

Leah Short — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 15:10:37 +0000

This past weekend, my friend Shannon from Bake.Frost.Repeat. came to visit and we certainly like to get in the kitchen and make delicious goodies. I’m hardcore into getting my steps in from walking, so I knew we needed a hearty breakfast before I made Shannon walk all over Vanderbilt’s campus. I also wanted something quick so we could wake up, eat, and head out. This Mushroom, Bacon, and Swiss Strata was perfect! We cooked the ingredients and assembled the strata the night before, then kept it in the fridge overnight. It was really easy to let it bake while we were donning our walking gear.

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Turkey Sausage Biscuit Casserole

Leah Short — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 15:40:13 +0000

I love comforting meals like this Turkey Sausage Biscuit Casserole. I almost want to call it a throwback meal. My mom tells me we used to eat a taco version of this that had taco meat underneath, a layer of cheese, and biscuits on top, I think. I don’t remember it. Which is weird because I feel like I’ve been in love with food all of my life, so how do I not remember a meal we ate all the time?! This casserole is super easy and I love making it in my cast iron skillet. Not a fan of canned biscuits? Easily use your favorite recipe for drop biscuits instead!

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Enchilada Casserole

Leah Short — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:36:57 +0000

I love a comforting casserole. Simple and easy, and you usually don’t have to worry about sides. Cut a big slice and dinner is served! This Enchilada Casserole is just that. It’s not fancy, it’s not pretty, but it’s also not hard to make. I can have this ready in no time and the leftovers are even better! This recipe comes from my JCPenney Associate cookbook from 1996. I worked for their catalog store over Christmas break that year when I was home from college. I loved it! I could organize those shipments to my OCD heart’s content. When I started they had a huge backup of returns to organize and ship back…yours truly knocked out that pile in a few days. I was the catalog store rock star! I remember every night closing the store and having to backup the day’s accounts on huge floppy disks. My my how times have changed, but I’m still making this casserole!

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Taco Spaghetti

Leah Short — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:29:14 +0000

Taco Spaghetti? That sounds weird. That’s what you’re thinking right? I’ve mentioned this dish before to friends and they turn their noses up as if I’d said, “Hey for dessert let’s dip broccoli in chocolate.” I know it sounds strange, but trust me, merging taco salad and spaghetti is magnificent. There’s no tomato sauce involved, no Parmesan, so it’s not a true merging, but that probably helps you picture it’s goodness better. It’s like taco salad with the added bonus of pasta.

So, how’s it taste?

I’ve been making taco spaghetti for a long time. It really is just like taco salad, but with spaghetti. I love everything about it, all the cheese, the hearty beef, tangy olives. Plus any dish I can top with sour cream is always a winner. You can turn up the heat level with the type of salsa you use and certainly a great addition would be jalapenos. This dish is fairly low calorie for quite a big serving using beef, but if you make it with turkey it’s even lower. Both meats are fantastic.

It’s a really filling casserole and the leftovers are even better. It sounds strange, but I’m telling you, it’s worth trying. A great conversation piece when someone asks, “What’s for dinner?”

Taco Spaghetti

Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking for Today Pasta
makes 6 servings
per serving: 438 calories, 36g protein, 42g carbs, 21g fat

Ingredients:

5 oz. dried spaghetti, broken
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp. taco seasoning mix
11 oz. can whole kernel corn with peppers, drained
1 cup sliced pitted black olives
1 cup colby jack or cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup salsa
4 oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
shredded lettuce
tortilla chips
tomato
sour cream, optional

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, olives, half of the cheese, salsa, and green chili peppers.

3. Transfer mixture to lightly greased 2-quart round casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until melted.

4. Serve with shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, tomatoes, and sour cream, if desired.

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Wild Rice & Turkey Casserole

Leah Short — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:32:56 +0000

Some people aren’t big fans of casseroles, but I am not one of them. How can you not like a one dish meal with veggies, sometimes meat, and oh that cheese! I liked the idea of a layered casserole with rice on the bottom and turkey and cheese on top, plus a big serving of this Wild Rice and Turkey Casserole is under 400 calories…did I mention all the cheese?!

So, how’s it taste?

I loved it. It’s really got a lot of flavor and it’s perfect for a light lunch. Easily pair this with a small salad or fruit to round out your meal. My casserole is a bit thin because I used a bigger 13×9 pan, but you can see it’s still a big slice! It also turned out one color because I used all carrots in place of the red and green bell peppers from the original recipe. I’d like to make this casserole again and add broccoli or asparagus for a pop of green. You could really go crazy experimenting with all kinds of rice/veggie/cheese combinations. Using a rice mix really brings everything together, adding a lot of the flavor. I’d like to try using some of the Knorr Rice Sides and seeing how creative I can get. This casserole reminds me of a crustless quiche, which you probably could bake this in a pie crust, but there goes the low calorie count! What always gets my vote on a yummy dish, is not scrimping on the cheese or using diet cheese. There’s a lot of cheese in this and it’s still pretty good for you.

Update 1/15/14 – I made this dish again with some slight changes. Now that I like bell peppers, I decided to use green ones in the recipe. I upped the amount to two total cups of veggies, using 1 cup of carrots and 1 cup of green bell pepper. (Improved the color, too!) It was fantastic and really bulked out the slices. I also used fat free evaporated milk to reduce the calories even further. Tasted great!

Wild Rice & Turkey Casserole

adapted from Pillsbury
makes 6 servings
per serving: 370 calories, 18g fat, 21g carbs, 32g protein, 1g fiber

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain & wild rice mix, prepared (I use Mahatma)
2 cups diced (1/4 to 1/2 inch) cooked turkey breast (or chicken)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 cup finely chopped vegetables*
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, if desired

*I used carrots, but you can use red & green bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, etc.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12x8- or 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Prepare the rice mix according to package directions. In baking dish, spread cooked rice evenly over bottom.

2. In large bowl, mix turkey, cheese, milk, veggies, eggs, salt and pepper. Spoon over rice.

3. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and top is lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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Baked Eyeball Eggs

Leah Short — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:52:36 +0000

Yep, it’s almost that time of year. Halloween is just around the corner. I can’t believe we’re already in the middle of October. I love all the cute, scary sweet treats you find this time of year, but I wanted something savory to throw in the mix. I found this Baked Eyeball Eggs casserole and thought it was hysterical, and maybe a little gross, too. I’m a big fan of breakfast and especially runny eggs, so I couldn’t wait to make this one.

So, how’s it taste?

It was seriously tasty. Anything with potatoes, cheese, and sour cream gets me drooling. It’s also calls for a can of condensed potato soup, but I substituted mushroom because I didn’t want potato overkill. Yeah, so what if it’s one of “those” casseroles. It’s full of flavor, easy to make, the leftovers rocked, and it’s so darn Halloweeny. If you aren’t a fan of spice, definitely go for the ketchup over the Sriracha, but the nozzle on the Sriracha makes drawing the “veins” really easy.

I didn’t end up with runny eggs since I overbaked it just a little. It’s very tempting since the whites of the egg stay glossy and I was nervous about having uncooked egg whites. My yellow was soft, but not runny. Still just as good though. You can certainly cook them to your liking. I thought the eggs on top would be a problem for leftovers, but they worked out just fine. I nuked my leftovers in the microwave and had no trouble with it, although the egg does cook slightly. I liked it so much, I’ll make this again for breakfast even when it’s not Halloween. Maybe I can draw Sriracha hearts instead of veins for Valentine’s Day!

Yield: 10 servings

Baked Eyeball Eggs

Ingredients:

1 bag (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of potato or cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz.) sour cream (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (6 oz.)
2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
10 slices Canadian bacon (about 6 oz.)
10 eggs
Ketchup or Sriracha

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix potatoes, soup, sour cream, cheese, onion, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spreading evenly.

2. Arrange bacon slices in pairs over top of potato mixture to resemble eyes. Press bacon into mixture to form deep cups (for eggs). Bake 40 minutes.

3. Remove baking dish from oven. If necessary, press bacon into mixture to reshape cups. Carefully break 1 egg into each bacon cup.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or just until eggs are set. Decorate eggs with ketchup "veins" to resemble bloodshot eyeballs.

per serving: 350 calories, 18g fat, 30g carbs, 17g protein, 3g fiber

Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles, September 2009

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Leah Short — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:37:21 +0000

As much as I enjoy cooking, it’s nice to have a dish that makes several servings and keeps well in the freezer. This Chicken Enchilada Casserole is just that. When I don’t have time to cook or I need a to grab something for lunch at work, this casserole is perfect. It’s easy to assemble and makes eight servings, so I can save the rest for later. It’s also low in calories and quite healthy for you, bonus!

So, how’s it taste?

You may think this looks familiar. It’s pretty similar to my Layered Chicken Black Bean Enchiladas, but with significantly less calories and half the fat! The taste is quite different, but equally delicious. The original recipe called for stewed tomatoes, but I found them to be way too chunky for a casserole, so I suggest using diced tomatoes. I liked the addition of corn and black olives as well. This casserole packs a ton of flavor for a meal under 300 calories. The yogurt mixture mimics sour cream and makes this dish very moist. The cumin and oregano really brighten it up. If you’d like even less calories, you can use reduced-fat cheddar, fat-free yogurt, and skim milk. I used all three of those for my dish and it tasted great. I packed each serving of this individually into the freezer and it made for easy work lunches. Kind of like your own frozen entree but much better for you.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Family Circle Eat What You Love & Lose, by Peggy Katalinich & Susan Mcquillan
8 servings; 293 calories, 10g fat, 20g protein, 35g carbs, 6g fiber

Ingredients:

10 oz. frozen corn kernels, thawed slightly
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup salsa
1 can (14 - 16 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
8 oz. low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat milk (I used skim)
3/4 tsp. salt
24 pitted black olives, sliced
16 oz. canned black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 lb. cooked chicken, torn into shreds
1/2 cup scallions or chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Lightly coat a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Sprinkle 1/2 cup corn kernels in prepared dish. Tear each of 6 corn tortillas into 4 or 5 pieces; arrange, overlapping, to cover bottom of dish.

3. Mix salsa and tomatoes in medium-sized bowl. In another bowl, stir together yogurt, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

4. Spoon 1 cup salsa mixture over tortillas in dish. Drizzle with 1/2 cup yogurt mixture; sprinkle with olives. Reserve 1/4 cup each corn and beans; sprinkle remaining corn and beans over casserole. Top with chicken, scallions, and cilantro. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Sprinkle with half the cheddar; spoon 1/2 cup salsa mixture over top.

5. Tear remaining tortillas into pieces. Overlap on top to cover. Sprinkle with reserved corn and beans. Spoon on remaining salsa mixture. Drizzle remaining yogurt mixture over top; sprinkle with remaining cheddar.

6. Bake, covered, 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes or until hot and lightly browned.

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