PrintNew Ideas for Casseroles
I travel a lot and usually make a casserole of some sort on Sunday night so that my husband will have something to eat during the week while I'm out of town. We are trying to avoid red meat on a regular bases (not banning it, though) and would like some fresh ideas on something that tastes great the second (or third, or fourth) time around! Any ideas would be appreciated!
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16 Comments:
I'm a big believer in the King Ranch casserole. Leftover turkey is layered with corn tortillas, chopped onion, cheese and a mushroom sauce seasoned with chili powder and with some salsa or canned tomatoes and green chiles (we can buy them together; several brands like Ro-Tel and Red Gold) stirred into it. (I'm sure googling will result in many recipes.)
I also make tuna casserole but instead of noodles, I use chopped broccoli, and moussaka. Lasagna made with thin slices of eggplant instead of noodles is next on the list.
lemons at 2:21PM on 03/17/08
I have a wonderful cookbook called One-Pot & Casseroles. It has soups, too. Are you looking for anything in particular regarding ingredients? What are his favorite foods? I'd be happy to see if something fits.
PerkyMac at 2:29PM on 03/17/08
I make something I call Kiss-Me-Not Pasta. I mix cooked whole wheat penne with sauteed onions, [lots of] garlic, red bell peppers, oregano, and red pepper flakes; ricotta mixed with Parmigiano Reggiano; cubed cooked chicken; and lightly cooked vegetables, such as broccoli and asparagus. Then I top the whole thing with more Parmigiano and bake it briefly. It tastes just as good on day three as it did on day one, and there's something from every food group. Plus, the breath-killers keep me safe from the men who beat down my door trying to kiss me.
juliec at 2:45PM on 03/17/08
Not really a casserole, but you could make Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.
Or, you could make a kind of shepherd's pie where you layer mashed potatoes (or sweet potatoes) with roasted vegetables and bake for 30 - 45 minutes (until the top layer of the potatoes brown).
I recommend this bread pudding recipe all the time here and I'm sure people are bored of it, but it's so good! I just made it Saturday with chicken apple sausage, green apples, tons of leeks, tarragon and grated goat's milk cheese - best variation yet!
You can also toss some mushroom, zucchini, eggplant (or other assorted vegetables) and gnocchi (frozen or fresh) in with some marinara sauce and bake it until the top browns a bit.
bitchincamero at 2:46PM on 03/17/08
I have a penne with vodka and pancetta sauce that rocks - and it reheats very well. It comes off the LCBO website - that's the liquor control board in Ontario. www.lcbo.ca or .com, I can't remember which and I have to run to a meeting. I'll look it up and post later!
Maureen at 2:46PM on 03/17/08
I'm a big fan of Paula Deen's Chicken Divan recipe - it's got white wine and curry, and has a bit of sophistication to it. There's also chicken and wild rice casserole (or, as we call it in MN, 'hot dish') with tarragon, butternut squash lasagna (GIada's got a pretty good recipe; I added caramelized onions and goat cheese), and one thing I love to do is make polenta lasagna - sometimes Italian, sometimes Mexican-y. You could also braise up a whole bunch of bbq pulled pork and leave it for sandwiches. You can even cook up something Indian-y and layer it in a casserole dish over rice, or a tagine and layer it over couscous. Are stews an option as well? I love to cook but am generally too tired and hungry after work to bother, so I usually spend my Sundays making a huge stew in the crock pot for the week's lunches and a big casserole for dinners. I'm a big fan of the one-pot meal in general - I think they feed the soul :-). Oh - quiches are always an option, and they're great because you can adapt them to pretty much whatever little odds n' ends of things you've got hanging around your fridge - check out Alton Brown's 'Refrigerator Pie' recipe on foodnetwork.com. Oh, and cassoulet! And enchiladas!
Btw, bitchincamero - that bread pudding recipe looks crazy delicious :-).
tacroy80 at 3:05PM on 03/17/08
PerkyMac, thanks for asking - he likes just about everything except maybe tofu and white sauce! He definitely likes spicy foods, too. If there's somethin in your cookbook that stands out as one of your favorites, I'd love to try it.
I like the idea of quinoa stuffed peppers, but I have to admit that the first time I tried making quinoa I must have done something wrong, because it was just mush!
I love all the other ideas so far - thank you!
jsnook at 3:09PM on 03/17/08
tacroy80 - I'd love to try polenta lasagna - do you have a recipe?
jsnook at 3:11PM on 03/17/08
thanks tacroy80 :)
bitchincamero at 3:35PM on 03/17/08
This is a little different:
Coastal-Style Pork
2T oil
2 1/4 lb. pork filet, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup seasoned flour
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups beef stock (*I'd use chicken stock)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 fresh green chili, seeded and chopped
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped (*or canned diced)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1T fresh, finely chopped cilantro, to garnish
Preheat oven to 350*F. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet. Toss pork in seasoned flour and fry until evenly browned, turning frequently. Transfer meat to a large, flameproof casserole. Add onion to skillet and fry gently until soft, adding a little more oil if necessary. Stir in stock and bring to boil, stirring. Add ground coriander, garlic, chili, tomatoes and bell pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour over pork. Bring to boil, cover, and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours until tender.
Add pineapple and sweet potatoes. Return to the oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes until fruit and vegetables are tender. Garnish with cilantro. Makes 6 servings.
The * are my notes, not the author's - Anne McDowall
PerkyMac at 3:54PM on 03/17/08
I make what my boyfriend has dubbed "pasta bake" -- oh so clever title -- on a regular basis. Basically, it's my favorite marinara (usually with about about 1/4 lb ground turkey) and rotini, with shredded mozzarella on top. (Baked for about 25 minutes at 350ish.)
Not high class, but very tasty, filling, and freezes well. :)
Skythe at 5:21PM on 03/17/08
Srews and soups reheat really well, so if you expand into that territory, you've got plenty of options. And they usually freeze well also, so you could freeze some portions and that way you aren't having the some soup for 3 days in a row, you could have a soup you made a few weeks ago, instead.
Pozole (the stew-like dish, not just the hominy) reheats really well, and we think it's actually better on second or third day. That said, pozole is made with pork, usually, and it really is a meaty dish but you could modify it by using turkey or something else, or you could alter the ratios and use a lot more hominy to the pork, or you could add beans to sub for some of the meat.
dbcurrie at 6:10PM on 03/17/08
I don't exactly have a recipe ... usually I just cut up a few logs into slices (though it would probably be better to actually make your own, spread it on a few baking sheets, and let them harden in the fridge so you have actual, solid layers rather than circles), and toss on layers of whatever suits my fancy - roasted eggplant and/or peppers, pesto, pine nuts, marinara, basil, goat cheese, mozzarella, etc. Sprinkle with cheese, cover with aluminum foil till the last few minutes, pop it in at 350 for half an hour or so :-). For the Mexican style, I usually mix shredded chicken or turkey with black beans, corn, and usually chipotle and cilantro and whatever else it feels like it wants, and use salsa instead of marinara ... I also really like to shred a bunch of Trader Joe's smoked jack for the cheese in this. You could, of course, always use corn tortillas instead of polenta, but they tend to get stale so quickly, and polenta just adds to gloriously soft gloppiness of it all. Actually, come to think of it though, I bet pan-frying the polenta for a bit beforehand (just if you happen to be feeling ambitious) would give it just an intriguing whisper of crunchiness.
Sorry I can't be more specific! I really have no idea what I do in most of the things I make ... there are several recipes online, however.
tacroy80 at 6:29PM on 03/17/08
I tend to lump pasta salads in with casseroles because both keep well, etc. etc. I like to cook whole wheat rotini with chickpeas, wilted spinach/arugula, olive oil, onions, and S&P--if that helps at all!
Christina at 8:46PM on 03/17/08
I like to make a sort of taco casserole. You can make a bottom layer of cornbread, then top it with meat, salsa, beans, corn, and then finally with a layer of cheese. Not high on the elegance-scale, but it is pretty darn tasty!
My mom also makes a chicken casserole using--I think--cream of chicken condensed soup, precooked chicken, diced, baby carrots, and rice pilaf. I wish I could give the exact recipe, but basically combine all the ingredients and bake it in the oven for a bit!
luswim06 at 10:58PM on 03/17/08
I don't know if this is a casserole neccessarily, I know that it's not called that because it's ripped off from Ina Garten ... Anyhow, Saute two medium onions and spread them out on the bottom of a baking dish. Then, slice onions, zucchinni and tomatoes the same thickness and alternately layer them in the baking dish. It's very colorful and pretty. The next part has nothing to do with Ina, I made this up. If you have some marinara on hand, use that and just lightly cover the veggies. If you've got more time, make a home made cheese sauce starting with your basic roux and then adding whole milk, salt, pepper and whatever cheese you have on hand. Throw it in a 350 degree oven until all of the vegetables are done and before you know it, you've got a tasty vegetable "casserole."
PumpkinBear at 4:49AM on 03/18/08