Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Although it's officially spring, the weather here in New York still feels like winter.  Cold enough that a casserole for dinner sounded good.  My kids have gotten used to me asking, "How would you rate tonight's dinner?" that my daughter often volunteers her rating before I even ask.  Another dinner that I made this past week (my Secret Recipe Club recipe which will be revealed April 8) was first rated 10 thumbs up!  But once my daughter tasted this she edited her previous rating.  "That one gets down a little to maybe 8 1/2 or 9 and this dinner gets 10 stars!"  This has all the flavors and components of Chicken Cordon Blue in a one dish meal.  This was a dinner that we all enjoyed....even my picky eater of a son!  A couple of days after I made this my dad came over to watch the kids so my husband and I could go out to dinner with my brother.  I had some of this leftover that I told him he could eat for dinner.  He enjoyed this so much that he's been asking me for the recipe.  A reminder to myself to read through a recipe in its entirety either the night before or earlier in the day.  If you don't pre-make some of this, it can take over 2+ hours.  I had some Tyson already cooked grilled chicken breasts in the freezer which I thawed in the microwave and then marinated while I finished prepping this.  So, it didn't get the hour of marinating time but it saved me about 30 minutes of chicken cooking time.  Plus, the chicken had a grilled/smoky flavor that added a nice touch to the dish.  I also bought the already diced cooked ham which saved chopping time.  With a pint of heavy cream this is not a "light" dish but it is really tasty!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
recipe adapted from I Thee Cook

Ingredients:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped
1 cup Honey Dijon Salad Dressing
1/2 Pound diced ham
1 pound large pasta shells

Cheese Sauce:
1 pint heavy cream
1 tsp prepared Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt, and then to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
8oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
8oz Swiss Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Place chicken in a zip lock bag with honey dijon dressing and marinate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes.

While chicken is baking cook pasta according to package directions drain and set aside.

To prepare the cheese sauce add the heavy cream to a sauce pan and heat over medium low heat, whisk in the flour and add the rest of the ingredients in the order they are written. Continue cooking and stirring frequently until sauce is thickened and cheese is melted. Pour cheese sauce over pasta stir to coat. Add chicken and ham.  Mix into pasta.

Grease a 9 x 12 casserole dish and pour pasta mixture into dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and bake for 25-35 minutes.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

This post is shared at:
Melt in Your Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands
Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple

Baked French Toast Casserole

We first made this dish for our Christmas morning breakfast.  And then we made it again a few weekends ago when my sister and her family were up visiting from Maryland.  Both times it was delicious.  Warning:  it is a Paula Deen recipe and it is NOT low-fat!  It uses half-and-half in the french toast and a LOT of butter in the praline topping.  My husband helped make this and he ended up halving the butter and sugar in the praline topping to try to cut down on some of the butter and sweetness.  This is sweet enough that it does not need maple syrup. This is one of those recipes that you can put together the night before, and then in the morning spread the praline topping on and stick in the oven. This is definitely a keeper for an occasional breakfast treat!

Baked French Toast Casserole
recipe from Food Network, courtesy of Paula Deen, Paula's Home Cooking

Ingredients:
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows

Directions:
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each.  Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

This post is shared at:
Showcase Your Talent Thursday @ What's Cooking Love?
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Foodtastic Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes

Potato Breakfast Casserole

Have I mentioned how much my kids love breakfast?  I always know that breakfast for dinner will be a hit.  I'm sharing this recipe because the kids loved it a lot!  So much that my daughter asked for leftovers for lunch the next day and then had some for breakfast the day after!  It's a very hearty breakfast that requires a bit of prep and cooking time, so it's not for a busy weeknight.  And as much as I LOVE bacon, you do not need a whole pound.  If I were to make this again, I'd only use half a pound. 

Potato Breakfast Casserole
recipe from Confabulation in the Kitchen, adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 pound bacon, diced
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
6 large eggs, beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed*
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1.5 cups cottage cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp, then drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, then stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a prepared casserole dish.

2. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden at edges and bubbling. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

* I find the texture of frozen hashbrowns to be too hard so I like to shred them myself. But, for the sake of time and perhaps your sanity, by all means use frozen!

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Easy Taco Casserole

Here's another casserole recipe, perfect for the cooler fall weather that's been arriving.  For some reason when I make tacos I feel the need to make rice and a veggie to go with it.  Somehow, a casserole counts as a whole meal to me!  The ingredient list of this dish is super simple.  I ended up prebrowning the turkey in advance knowing that I was making this on a busy day.  So when we got home from my daughter's gymnastics class at 6 PM I assembled this quickly, threw it in the oven and let it cook while I gave the kids their showers.  We were eating by 7 PM, which is definitely late for us.  But this was made during the summer when the kids didn't have camp the next day.  My husband and I thought that this dish was tasty but we only gave it 1 thumb up since the kids really weren't fans.  And they normally love tacos but I think they disliked it because everything was mixed together and it was hard to pick out what they didn't like. 

Easy Taco Casserole
recipe from KitchenJoy

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground turkey, browned
1 cup corn
1 cup salsa
1/2 bag corn tortilla chips (or enough to cover pie pan twice when crushed)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can sliced olives

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix turkey, corn and salsa.

3. Lightly grease a pie plate or 8 x 8 glass pan. Slightly crush tortilla chips and spread in an even layer, covering bottom of pan. Top with half the meat mixture, followed by half the sour cream, half the cheese and half the olives. Repeat layers. Cover lightly with foil.

4. Bake 30-40 min. or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Note: this recipe can also be made ahead and frozen! Simply bake 20 to 30 min. more.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Velveeta Cheesy Bacon Hash Brown Bake

I found this recipe in a "velveeta recipes" internet search.  I thought it was perfect since we hadn't had breakfast for dinner in awhile.  Plus, it had bacon in it.....and my family LOVES bacon! This was pretty easy to put together, but it does need to cook for 40 minutes.  I didn't need to give the kids a shower tonight, so it was nice to play a game with them and then let them relax by watching a little television before dinner.  This was surprisingly tasty to me (since I'm not a big fan of the cheese!) and the kids ate theirs up, minus the mushrooms.  This made enough for us to have plenty of leftovers.  My daughter took some for lunch the next day, while it made a nice breakfast for my husband and I. 

Velveeta Cheesy Bacon Hash Brown Bake
from Mommy's Kitchen

Ingredients:
8 - slices bacon, chopped
2 - cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1/2 lb. - fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 - onion, chopped
12 - eggs
1/3 cup -sour cream
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) - Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, thinly sliced

Preparation:
HEAT oven to 350ºF. COOK bacon in large skillet on medium heat 10 min. or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Meanwhile, add potatoes, mushrooms, and onions to drippings; cook approximately 10 min.  until onions are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. SPREAD vegetable mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Whisk eggs and sour cream until well blended; pour over vegetable mixture. Top with bacon and VELVEETA. BAKE 40 min. or until center is set and casserole is heated through.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up!

Leftover Turkey Casserole

When I think of casseroles this type of recipe usually comes to mind with the condensed cream of mushroom soup and fried onions (the ones that come in the can!).  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of casseroles.  I like one dish meals where the carb, veg, and protein are all together.  Usually it means quick and easy.  This recipe includes ingredients that both kids like - rice, turkey, and broccoli.  Somehow, my daughter was able to taste/see the mushrooms in the cream of mushroom soup, but luckily she ate it without a problem! I ended up cooking the rice in the rice cooker in the late afternoon before my daughter got off the school bus. When it was time to put the casserole together it was super easy.  I have to admit that I didn't have high expectations for this dish, but it was surprisingly tasty.  I don't think that the kids had ever tasted fried onions before this.  I discovered my son loves them, especially stuck together with the gooey, melted cheese, while my daughter disliked them (there are few foods that they both like....sigh!).

Leftover Turkey Casserole
recipe slightly adapted from Lauren's Latest

Ingredients:
2 cups precooked turkey, cubed
1 box frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed
1 1/2 cups white rice, cooked
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups fried onions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the cooked rice, broccoli, turkey, soup, and pepper all together. Pour it into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

Cover the top of your filling with the cheese and fried onions. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted!

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up!

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

I can count on one hand the number of times that I've ever eaten stuffed cabbage.  The last time was at my mom's not too long ago.  While I like to eat it, I don't like all the work that the dish seems to involve.  When I found this recipe I bookmarked it immediately and finally got around to making it.  It still seemed pretty time consuming (although I've never made stuffed cabbage the traditional to be able to compare) to me.  This is definitely NOT a quick weeknight meal.  However, once it's cooked it's pretty tasty!  We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day and for me to give some to my parents and brother!  The kids unfortunately weren't big fans, as expected.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
recipe adapted from Mostly Food and Crafts

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 lb ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
2 cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large glass casserole dish (9 x 13) with non-stick spray. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the ground turkey to it. Cook until it's browned and no longer pink, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground turkey and set aside. In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil and onion and saute over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground turkey. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

While the mixture simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage into small pieces. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, mixing it a few times so all the pieces begin to wilt and cook. Season with salt and black pepper. Once the sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, add in the 2 cups of cooked rice and combine.

Now begin to layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture into the sprayed dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and begins to slightly brown.

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.

Creamy Ham Casserole

I was looking to use up a ham steak that I've had sitting in my freezer for awhile.  A couple of weeks ago I came across this recipe while I was planning the meals for the week.  While it looked good and enabled me to use the ham steak, I realized that I already had a pasta dish for the week.  I thought that I'd try substituting potatoes for the pasta.  Surprisingly, it ended up working out nicely.  It was super cheesy (I may have needed to use more potatoes) but we all enjoyed it. It did require some prep in the beginning (the kids got to watch a little television while I did the prep work) and then while it baked for thirty minutes it gave me enough time to get the kids showered, so although a little time-consuming, it all ended up working out well.

Creamy Ham Casserole
Recipe adapted from The Novice Chef

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound of potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 quarts boiling water
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup fat free milk
1 10oz can reduced-fat, reduced sodium, cream of mushroom soup
2 cups (8 oz) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 (6 oz) tub light cream cheese with chives and onions, softened
2 cups chopped lean ham
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Cook potatoes in 2 quarts boiling water for 12-15 minutes, until tender. Add broccoli and carrots and cook 3 minutes more.

Combine milk, soup, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese in a large bowl; mix well with a whisk. Add noodle mixture and ham and stir well.

Divide potato mixture evenly between a 9x13 baking dish that has been coated with olive oil (or Pam). Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over casserole.

To bake immediately: Cover casserole with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned.

Family Rating:  1 thumb up.

Ham Casserole

I had a ham steak and I wanted to do something with it besides heat it up and serve as is.  Ham and swiss cheese always go well together.  Add in some potato and a creamy sauce and you have this awesome casserole!  Of course, I'm infamous for not reading through an entire recipe before putting it on the menu.  This was one of those times that I'm glad I'm at home.  If I came home after a long day of work and realized that I had to cook the potatoes first.....well, we would have been eating take-out!  So, this ended up taking a bit longer than I had expected to make.  However, we all really enjoyed it and there was enough for leftovers for lunch the next day!

Ham Casserole
adapted from food.com - by cuisinebymae

Ingredients:
2 cup potato , cooked and cubed

1 cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
4 cups cubed cooked ham
1 cup ritz crackers, crushed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.


2.  Cook onion in butter.

3. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper.

4. Add milk slowly, stirring continuously, cook until thick.

5. Remove from heat.

6. Add cheese and stir until it melts and is well blended.

7. Add ham and potatoes and mix together.

8. Pour into a casserole dish, sprinkle with cracker crumbs.

9. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!