From Denny: Casseroles often get a bad rap in the food world. Even at our house the groaners would appear and roll our eyes. We remembered from our childhoods the sorry and tired vegetables that were left over leftovers thrown in to make a meal that tasted like gooey paste. So, yeah, we weren't fans of leftovers either.
These days good cooks know to make casseroles with fresh ingredients and usually oozing with delicious cheese. While a casserole may not look like haute cuisine when it arrives on the plate it sure tastes good like comfort food should. Louisiana cooks are fans of casseroles and have perfected the art of the casserole to appeal to the family.
And, in these tough economic times, home cooks are looking for ways to stretch their food budget and still taste good. One pound of ground meat or one chicken can go a long way in casserole recipes. The family sized casserole that feeds eight to ten people is the perfect answer for getting the most out of your food dollar. And some casseroles, like lasagna, actually taste better the next day.
Delicious casseroles are also great for welcoming a new neighbor or an easy dish to take to a gathering or family reunion. It's also an easy dish for the flurry of busy that occurs when kids are going back to school or during the holiday season. Look at it this way, when you make a casserole there is only one dish to soak and clean up, saving time in the kitchen. These one-dish meals are also great to put in the freezer for future meals when you are in a hurry. Add a side salad and a slice of good quality bread and you have a meal in minutes.
These casseroles are based off the traditional recipes originating from the 1950's and 1960's but with more vegetables, fresh ones, and more dairy. To lighten the calories you could exchange lighter versions of mayonnaise and cream or cheese.
Recipes Featured:
Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Casserole
Lady Pat’s Shepherd’s Pie
Chicken Tamale Pie
Tex-Mex Casserole
Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Casserole
From: Shannon Poché
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
6 large chicken breast halves, deboned and skin removed
1 cup sherry, divided
1 or 2 bay leaves
2 tbls. butter
8 ozs. sliced fresh mushrooms
2 or 3 green onions, tops and bottoms, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3/4 cup mayonnaise (Poché uses Hellmann’s with Olive Oil)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped OR a can of artichoke bottoms, coarsely chopped
Directions:
Thaw spinach and squeeze dry. Set aside.
In large skillet, add chicken, 1/2 cup sherry and the bay leaves. Heat to boiling, then cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken and discard bay leaves and sherry. Set chicken aside.
In skillet, melt butter and sauté mushrooms, green onions and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
In separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, sour cream and the remaining 1/2 cup of the sherry. Set aside.
Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick coating. Spread spinach on the bottom of the casserole. Top with the chicken breasts, artichokes and mushroom mixture.
Spoon mayonnaise mixture over top, then sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Place in preheated 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated through.
This photo of Bon Appetits' Greek version: Lamb and Eggplant Shepherd's Pie
Lady Pat’s Shepherd’s Pie
From: Lady Pat Sherman
Serves: 8 to 10
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cooked using your favorite whipped (mashed) potatoes recipe
2-2 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 or 2 tbls. olive oil or mix of olive oil and butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 or 3 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbl. brown roux
1 tsp. dry beef or chicken bouillon granules OR 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon vegetarian base dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups frozen baby lima beans, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, cooked and drained OR 1 (11.3-oz.) can niblet corn, drained
Cooked carrots, if desired
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese for topping
Directions:
Prepare mashed potatoes according to your favorite recipe. Set aside.
Cook ground beef in large skillet until cooked through and no longer pink. Pour off all fat. Set aside.
In another skillet add olive oil or mix of olive oil and butter. Then sauté onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic until vegetables are tender. Add the sautéed vegetables to the cooked and drained ground beef.
Stir in the roux, the bouillon or Better Than Bouillon and water. Bring to boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
Place meat with gravy on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Add drained vegetables over the meat, then the reserved whipped potatoes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 25-35 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and potatoes are lightly browned. If potatoes get too brown before casserole is heated through, lay a piece of foil over the top.
Note: Instead of mixing the vegetables in with the meat as in most recipes, she layers the limas, corn, carrots, etc. over the meat. Then she spreads the whipped potatoes over the vegetables.
Photographer's tamale pie version made without meat but with beans and sweet potatoes
Chicken Tamale Pie
From: Recipe is from “Cajun Christmas” Food Focus
Serves: 8 to 10
Ingredients:
1 (28-oz.) can Italian-style plum tomatoes with their juices
1 (16-oz.) can cream-style corn
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tbls. chili powder, or to taste
1 cup milk
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pitted ripe olives
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed olives, optional
2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken or more if you like
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese mixed with 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Olive oil for drizzling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine tomatoes, corn, salt, onion, olive oil and chili powder in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, stir together milk, cornmeal and eggs; add to the tomato mixture and cook, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the olives and chicken.
Pour mixture into a lightly greased shallow oven proof dish. Top with the cheese, drizzle with oil and bake until the pie is firm and cheese is crusty, 35-45 minutes. Serve piping hot.
Note: Like all tamale pie recipes, the base does have a mushy texture, so keep that in mind for anyone who is not a fan of this in your house - usually children.
Tex-Mex Casserole
From: Erin Enright
Serves: 8 to 10
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup salsa
1 (4-oz.) can mild chopped green chilies
10 ozs. small shell pasta (if you have a 12-oz. pkg., don’t use all of it)
2 (8 1/2-oz.) pkgs. cornbread mix, prepared as directed on label
1 (16-oz.) container cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese
Directions:
In a large skillet, brown the ground meat and drain off fat. Add the water, onion, taco seasoning mix, salsa and green chilies. Let this mixture simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
While meat mixture is simmering, cook shell pasta in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, prepare cornbread mixture according to package directions. Set it aside because it will be spooned over the top of the casserole.
In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer half the pasta, then half the meat mixture, half the cottage cheese and half the shredded cheese. Repeat another layer with remainder of pasta, meat, cottage cheese and shredded cheese.
Pour cornbread mixture over the top.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cornbread is nicely browned.
*** For more recipes, check out my photo blog:
Dennys Photo Gallery: Beautiful Yummy Artichokes and 11 Recipes
Photo Credits:
Shepherd's Pie photo by WordRidden @ flickr
Tamale Pie photo by greencolander @ flickr
Artichokes photo by joyosity @ flickr
Artichokes at the market photo by NoiseCollusion @ flickr
Beautiful peppers photo by Bisbi @ flickr
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