Green Chili Egg Casserole

This is the best for Christmas morning brunch! A favorite that comes out perfect every time! 

Ingredients

• 10 eggs

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

• 2 cups (16 ounces) 2% cottage cheese

• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

  Directions

  1. In a large bowl, beat eggs on medium-high speed for 3 minutes or until light and lemon-colored. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to eggs and mix well. Stir in the cheeses and chilies.
  2. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.
  
  

  Nutritional Facts

  1 serving (1 piece) equals 376 calories, 24 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 318 mg cholesterol, 865 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 30 g protein.

BBQ Chicken Pasta Bake

My cousin Michelle, who must hate me, turned me onto a blog http://www.howsweeteats.com,  which has some fantastic recipes on it. I saw this recipe on there and could not get it out of my mind.  You know, you are eating something for dinner and really wishing it was something else... and fantasizing about food.  I had to face facts, I had to make it.  This meal is nothing ground breaking, and honestly, though it was completely delicious and I would totally (picture valley girl accent) make it again, it was not the best ever, rave like a lunatic, awesome.  It was delish and very poundable.  Like, you keep going back for more because you have no self control and you might, could possibly, still be hungry.  Yeah, that kind of meal.  My kids also really liked this meal, aside from the caramelized onions, which they still ate. 

This is like bbq chicken pizza, but the starch in the form of pasta instead of pizza.  Got the idea?  Okay. We had some steamed garlicky broccoli on the side, and fresh baked bread, and dinner was served.

I had to modify it quite a bit because I am cooking for 6, and need big meals.  Also, I wanted more of a mac and cheese base for mine... so I upped all of that cheesy goodness.  Breaking out of the mold here... something new!

BBQ CHICKEN PASTA BAKE

serves 6-8  adapted from: howsweeteats.com

• 1 1/2-2 cups shredded chicken
• 1 lb. cooked pasta (I used whole wheat shells)
• 1/3 cup, plus more for top
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2-3 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar and smoked gouda blend)
• 1/2-3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (I eyeballed it)

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta and shred chicken. In a small sauce pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sliced red onions. season with salt and let caramelize, about 10-12 minutes.  During this time, combine shredded chicken with bbq sauce, tossing so it is completely covered. Once onions are caramelized, set aside.                                                                                                                            In a the same pan, over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour to create a roux. Cook for a 30 seconds to a minute to get rid of the raw taste of the flour.  Add skim milk and turn down to low heat. Whisk until slightly thickened and add 1/2 the cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted and mixture thickens, about 2-3 minutes.   

In  a buttered casserole dish, dump pasta and add all but a little of the cheese sauce mixture and stir.  Sprinkle the onions over the pasta and the bbq chicken over that. Top with additional cheese sauce, remaining shredded cheese, BBQ sauce drizzles (don't be skimpy, I wished I had done more) and panko bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

French Chicken Broccoli Supreme

This was a fantastic casserole.  Lick your plate, go back for fourths, good.  The original recipe has 1 2/3 sticks of butter.  I cut it down to 1 stick.  Didn't miss it.  I also cut the ritz crackers down to 1 roll, which was originally 2.  Two rolls, no doubt would be better, in which case you need another 1/2 stick of melted butter, but 1 roll was satisfying. UPDATE:  I compromised and did 1 1/2 rolls the last time I made it, and added 2-3 more TBSP of melted butter.

I had a blond moment and added my lemon juice to the milk as it was thickening which of course caused the milk to curdle terribly.  I strained the nastiness and continued and the sauce still came out fabulous!  Loved the hint of lemon with it.

The kids all ate this heartily, and my husband went back for more after his first plateful.  It was just plain delish. 

FRENCH CHICKEN BROCCOLI SUPREME

 adapted from:  http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

INGREDIENTS:

•   1 – lb. fresh broccoli Break in pieces, and steam for 2 minutes. (was 2 heads for me)
•  3 cups cooked chicken breasts  – Break up in small pieces
•  3 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese divided
• 1 tubes Ritz Crackers
•  1/2 stick melted butter
•  1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• zest of one lemon and squeeze of juice over broccoli and chicken

  SAUCE:

•  1/4 C. Butter melted
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 C. Cornstarch, dissolved in cold milk
•  1/3 C. wine or chicken broth (I used wine....  mmm!)
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
•  1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1 1/2 cups of the above Cheddar Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In greased 13×9 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle the zest and juice over it and then set aside. In saucepan over medium heat, combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in milk, wine or chicken broth, and seasonings. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low, and add 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese.

Melt the butter, and add the poppy seeds, and stir well. Crush Ritz crackers in large zip-lock bag with a rolling pin. Don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.   Can serve over pasta or rice or by itself.

Eat and enjoy!

Chicken Divan

Simple dish.  A little time consuming, with preparing the broccoli and rice, but easy as far as complexity.  And it was a meal I had to stop myself from gorging myself.  The kids all chowed it down, even my picky eater, and it was just plain yummy.   Sorry about the poor photo's.   No good way to photograph casseroles. 

I had some leftover chicken and lots of broccoli, and realized when we move that I have an abundance of grains/rice.  So, it screamed Chicken Divan!  Seriously, I did not want to stop eating it.  But I did. ;-) This served our family of 6 with enough leftovers for tomorrow.  Maybe 6-8 adults.

CHICKEN DIVAN

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2-3/4 roaster chicken cut up
• 1 cup dry rice, cooked (I used brown jasmine)
• 2.5 cups broccoli, steamed al dente
• 1 can healthy request cream soup (chicken or mushroom)
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup light mayo
• juice half a lemon
• 1.5 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup white wine or broth to thin
• milk to thin more if needed
• 1 cup(ish) shredded cheese (cheddar or swiss)
• handful of bread crumbs or crushed croutons

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut up chicken, cook rice and steam broccoli.  Spray 9x13 with cooking spray.  Put rice evenly in the bottom.  Top evenly with cut up chicken.  Top with steamed broccoli.  Mix soup, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice and curry powder.  Whisk in wine or broth and some milk until still thick, but spreadable (not gloppy).  Pour over broccoli.  Sprinkle cheese over top and bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes or until bubbling.

Mexican Casserole

So, you have a party and you have half a bag of tortilla chips left, most of them broken (no good for dipping).  What to do?  This casserole is the perfect solution.  It is a little chopping and a bunch of cans, so it is very easy.  And besides the chips, and the cheeses which holds it together, it is very healthy!  Packed with protein, fiber and most of all flavor! This makes a ton... easily serves 8. 
I love this casserole.  I am not the only one either.  It was voted best casserole in the USA in Parade.  I have changed a few things, of course.  But just to make it better!  My 5 year old had 3 generous helpings!! He said, "It's just so good, I can't stop eating it!"
So, thanks Chris Gavenda, wherever you are, for submitting a great recipe, that has become a family favorite in our house!

MEXICAN CASSEROLE


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 1 lb shredded or chopped chicken (from roaster is great!)
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can mexicorn
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1-2 cups prepared salsa (I use Trader Joes Double roasted!)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1 red onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 5 cloves minced/crushed garlic
• 1/2-whole lime, squeezed over (I use half before and half garnish)
• 3 cups cheddar or Mexican mixed cheese

GARNISHES:

• sour cream
• fresh cilantro
• avocado
• fresh tomatoes

                                                                                   DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 9x13 baking dish and spread crushed chips evenly on the bottom.

In a large bowl, combine everything else but the cheese.  Mix well.  Spread half of the bean chicken mixture over the chips.  Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups cheese over.  Top with remaining chicken mixture and then the  remaining cheese.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Tops with garnishes individually. 

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

This was really a fantastic meal.  I will make it again for sure.  The kids were raving about the smell even before it came out of the oven.  I didn't have time to make a veggie, so we just ate raw carrots and hummus with it. (not the normal side dish for a meal like this)  Next time, I would maybe add some sauteed mushrooms to the sauce part, or maybe some spinach to the stuffing part.  Either would be delicious.
   
So I had a big roaster chicken from Sam's, and I split it 2 for two casseroles.  And I still have a bit leftover chicken and I have enough of the 2 casseroles for leftovers tonight (no cooking, whew, I need a break!).  So, go buy a big, fat roaster and get 3 meals out of them for probably less than $20.  Love that!
 
  Now I know that almost all recipes call for dry white wine, but personally, I prefer the sweetness a sweet white lends to poultry, so I like Moscato or one similar.  You choose your favorite, but don't forget the wine!  It makes the dish!   And please, no "cooking wines"! They are so full of salt!  Only a wine fit for drinking (though I don't like to, go figure!)
   
This dish came together in about 15 minutes, and has to bake for at least 30 minutes.  But overall, a quick meal!  Enjoy!


CHICKEN AND STUFFING CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Roaster chicken cut up
• extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 7-10 oz. pepperidge farm stuffing
• 1 egg
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (healthy request)
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (or nonfat greek yogurt)
• 1 1/2 cups white wine divided (I like Moscato)
• 8 oz cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:


Preheat  oven to 375.
Drizzle some EVOO into a skillet and place diced onion and celery in.  Cook over med-high heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring every now and then.  Meanwhile, mix together cream soup, sour cream, 1 cup white wine and about 1/2 can of chicken broth in a bowl.  Add more broth if necessary (you want it about texture of cake batter).  After onion and celery are tender, add stuffing (maybe some thawed/drained chopped spinach??), 1 can chicken broth, 1/2 cup white wine and stir. Add more broth from leftover from sauce if necessary.  All the stuffing should be moist, but not wet.  Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, chop chicken up in small pieces.  After stuffing has cooled, whisk and then add egg and stir into stuffing.  Spray 9x13 with nonstick cooking spray and put all but about 1 1/2 cups sutffing into the pan.  Press gently to spread in the bottom.  Put chicken over stuffing.  Then dump cream soup mixture over the chicken evenly, making sure it is covered evenly.  Put some cheese up on top.  (I used more like 4 oz).  Put remainder stuffing on top.  Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes, until bubbling and top stuffing is crisp.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This is a good quick dinner.  I had a roaster chicken and used about half of it for this meal.  It went together in less than 15 minutes.  It does not qualify as mexican to me, but is a normal cream soup casserole.  Tasty and quick.  We threw some sour cream and fresh salsa up on top and it was very tasty.  Not incredible, but very good. The tortillas were the best part, so use lots! My kids gobbled it up.  I love me a quick meal!



CHICKEN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

• 12 dz. corn tortillas (I used whole wheat about 10)
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 can green chilies
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's Healthy Request)
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS: 


Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Tear tortilla's into bite size pieces and spread into greased pan.  Spread chopped chicken over shells.  Mix chilies, creamed soups, broth and green onions in bowl and half the cheese.  Pour over chicken.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake @ 350 for 1 hr.  (I cooked for 1/2 hour covered then removed foil though I don't think it was necessary.)

Grown Up Tuna Casserole

I love comfort food.  I think of tuna noodle casserole as comfort food.  I have made it the traditional way with the cream of mushroom soup, but I wanted something a bit more grown up.  I did my normal, looking on the internet and pulling a recipe that looked good from epicurious.com and then changed it up to suit my taste.  This is what I came up with.  It was delicious and satisfied both my craving for comfort food, but also something a bit more grown up.  So, here is my grown up tuna casserole, er...  did I mention, no tuna?  Enjoy!


GROWN UP TUNA CASSEROLE




INGREDIENTS :

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves crushed garlic
• 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 1/2 c-3/4c. white wine
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2-1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (6-oz) can crab, drained and rinsed
• 1 box favorite pasta
• 1 1/2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (I used some plain panko because I didn't have enough, could use reg. in a pinch)
• 1 c. shredded cheese (mozz. or cheddar)
  
  
   
   
  DIRECTIONS:
  
  
  Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9x13 baking dish.
  
  Cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter and good drizzle of EVOO, with a pinch of salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over med. heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms, then sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about 2-4 minutes. Add white wine and bring to simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced. Remove from heat.
  
  
  Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Add to mushroom mixture, then add lemon juice, zest, salt, pepper and peas. Flake crab into sauce, add 1/2 tbsp butter and stir gently. 
  
  
  Cook pasta until al dente (almost cooked but firm). Drain pasta in a colander and return to pot. Add sauce and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to baking dish, spreading evenly.  Place in oven for about 10 min.  
  
  
  Meanwhile place breadcrumbs in pan with good drizzle of EVOO.  Toss to coat and cook over med-high heat until browned.   Mix with cheese and crumble over pasta, evenly.  Return to oven and cook until cheese is melted, topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.