Tator Tot Casserole

This is an easy make-ahead meal to just pop in the oven to cook. It also freezes beautifully before and after cooking. I couldn't find the picture I took of it, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was pretty.

1 lb ground beef, lean

1 onion, diced

2 16 oz frozen cut green beans (you can used canned if you prefer softer)

Package Frozen Tator Tots

32 oz beef broth

1/2 c butter

2/3 cup flour

2 tsp salt

1 T. pepper

2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 T. onion powder

1 T. garlic powder

2 T. dried parsley

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add beef and cook till done. Drain the fat. Season beef and onion with all the seasonings. Set aside. In a medium pot on medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk together. Cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring. Slowly whisk in beef stock until all added. Turn heat up to bring to a boil, constantly stirring. Once it starts to thicken, turn off heat. Add green beans and seasoned beef/onion mixture. Mix well. Pour into a 9x13 or bigger casserole dish. Top with tator tots in rows till covered completely. Bake in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. 

Note: A sauce substitute can be cream of mushroom soup if you don't feel like making the sauce from scratch.

One Pot Creamy Sausage Noodle Dish

I saw this original recipe here. Neither of us like spicy sausage or tomatoes in dishes like the original, so I changed it up a bit. The leftovers were tasty as well!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage, mild
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz pasta (we used Barilla Veggie Rotini and it was tasty!)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1/2 lb fresh brussel sprouts or veggie of choice

1. Add olive oil to an skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add raw vegetable and saute for 2-3 minutes until they soften partially.

3. Add broth, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I figured it's about time I posted another recipe. I actually have a list to add, but just haven't made time to do it. This week both of us wanted Chicken Cordon Bleu, but I didn't want to go to the effort to make them. So, I tried an experiment. I added all the ingredients with some noodles and made it into a casserole. It turned out quite well, if I do say so myself.

1 12 oz package whole wheat egg noodles
3 chicken breasts (uncooked), diced
7 oz black forest ham, diced
2 cups swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 T. garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 T. pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp ground Thyme

Seasoned Bread Crumb Topping
1-2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
1/2 stick melted unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground Thyme

Butter a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook noodles in boiling for 4-5 minutes until they are 3/4 of the way cooked. Drain noodles and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add diced chicken and ham to noodles. Mix together. In a small mixing bowl add cream, stock and seasonings. Mix well. Pour over noodle mixture. Mix well. Add one cup cheese and mix. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Spread remaining cheese on top.

Melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add bread crumbs and seasoning. Mix well. Spread crumb mixture over cheese. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes to toast the bread crumbs, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Rosti Casserole with Baked Eggs

Erika made a variation of this for us on a visit a while back.  I have been wanting to make it since.  Here is the original recipe from Cooking Light (myrecipes.com):

I only added egg to a portion since Blaine isn't a huge fan of eggs

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups fat-free Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups grated peeled turnip (about 8 ounces, 2 small)
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
• 1 (30-ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed (such as Ore-Ida)
• Cooking spray
• 8 large eggs
• Chopped fresh chives (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 2. Combine yogurt and flour in a large bowl, stirring well. Add turnip, Gruyère cheese, butter, chives, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and potatoes to yogurt mixture. Spread potato mixture evenly into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. With the back of a spoon, make 8 indentations in top of potato mixture. Crack 1 egg into each of 8 indentations. Return dish to oven. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until egg whites are firm and yolks barely move when pan is touched. Cut into 8 pieces. Garnish with additional chives and black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

Amount per serving (8): Calories: 347 -Fat: 17.4g - Saturated fat: 9.3g -Monounsaturated fat: 5.7g -Polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g -Protein: 18.1g -Carbohydrate: 27.3g -Fiber: 2.1g -Cholesterol: 220mg -Iron: 1.2mg -Sodium: 605mg -Calcium: 242mg   

And here are the variations that I made for our dinner one evening:

1. low fat sour cream instead of greek yogurt
2. omitted turnip
3. used 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese instead of gruyere
4. added diced canadian bacon
5. added cooked turkey breakfast sausage (bulk, not links)

 We ate it with some steamed zucchini on the side and it was delectable!

Tortilla Casserole

This is a recipe I grew up eating and it's one of my favorites.  I think I've made it every time Erika has visited us.  The only person I've met who didn't like it was an Elder serving in our Ward who hated anything resembling Mexican food.  (How do you not like Mexican food?!) 

1 lb ground meat (I usually make this with beef, but have used Turkey and it was good, too)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (or make your own cream sauce - need approx 2 cups)
2 cans Diced Green Chilies
16 - 20 corn tortillas, torn into 1-2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 T. oil
2 garlic cloves
2 cups Monterey Jack & Mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups water
2 T. Taco Seasoning (recipe here), optional

In a medium to large pan with a lid, on medium heat add oil then saute the onions until they are tender.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add meat and cook thoroughly.  Add chilies, seasoning, and soup.  Use 1 cup of water to rinse out the soup cans.  Add all water to pot.  Mix all together well.  Add tortillas and mix well to coat all the tortilla pieces.  You want the mixture to be wet, but not soupy.  As it cooks, the tortillas will absorb the liquid and soften.  If it's really soupy, add more tortilla.  If it looks like it's drying out, add a tad more water to balance it out.  Once everything is mixed well, smooth it out evenly in the pan, sprinkle top evenly with cheese and cover.  Reduce heat to low and cook until all the cheese is melted.  About 20 mins. 

It's great served with guacamole or sliced avocados and salsa on top.  Enjoy!

Potato Casserole

Erika made a breakfast casserole for us a couple months ago called Rosti - it's Swiss in origin.

I was wanting something similar so I made up the following:

1 Package Frozen Hashbrowns (30 oz), partially thawed
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups diced ham
1 cup shredded cheese
2 Tablespoons flour
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Parsley
Onion Powder
Oregano


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  In a large bowl combine all the ingredients together well.  Pour into greased pan and spread evenly.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes and serve. 
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I didn't add any salt to ours because I figured the soup and ham would have plenty.  I only use low sodium soups and the casserole was really tasty.  Hope you enjoy it!