As a kid growing up we ate a lot of casseroles. Though my Mom was a great cook, casseroles were not her strongest achievement in culinary excellence. I remember her stuffed bell peppers being either too greasy or having the consistency of dog food. Her baked chicken salad typically had frozen mixed vegetables and that alone sent me into fake vomit fits. So, when I “grew up” I decided to make these my way. Basically throwing everything I learned from Mom out the window. So here are my versions of classic dinners that all take place in a 9×13 pan. Double up the recipes and then you can place one in the freezer for a day when you are just too busy to cook dinner!
Sassy Stuffed Bell Peppers
- 6 large red or green bell peppers
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ medium-size sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14.5-oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 14.5 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the tops off of the peppers. Clean out seeds and place peppers in a 9×13 pan, set aside. Heat oil in a medim skillet and saute onion and garlic till tender. In a large bowl combine the ground beef, ground pork, rice, onion mixture, salt and pepper. Stuff peppers with meat/rice mixture. In a small bowl combine the roasted tomatoes and tomato sauce. Spoon over the top of the peppers. Bake for 45-60 minutes. The last 5 minutes add dollops of cheese on top of each pepper. Return to oven and allow cheese to melt. Remove from oven and allow peppers to rest 10 minutes. Remove peppers and then add in 1 cup of cream cheese to the tomato broth in the bottom of the pan. Stir to combine and then spoon over peppers before serving.
Number of servings (yield): 6
Crescent Chicken Casserole
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cups of cubed rotisserie chicken
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
- 1 cup frozen spinach, drained
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon curry
- 1 can refrigerator crescent rolls
- 1/2 stick butter, melted
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 casserole pan.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan. Add the celery and onion cooking till tender. Stir in the chicken, soups, water chestnuts, spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream and curry powder. Cook until heated through. Do not boil! Pour into prepared 9×13 pan. Separate the crescent dough into 2 triangles. Place on top of the chicken mixture. Brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle with cheese and pecans. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until crust is a deep golden brown. Serve!
Number of servings (yield): 8