Enchilada Casserole

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe ... and we love it here!

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

What you need:
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (20 oz.) can enchilada sauce***
tortillas
cheddar cheese, shredded

How you do it:
Mix together ground beef, tomato sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and enchilada sauce.  Set aside.  Cut tortillas into strips or squares.  Pour 1/2 of meat mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish.  Place tortillas atop sauce, covering the sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese until covered.  Repeat the process ending with cheese on top.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

***Notes from Marisa:
I have made this with several different brands of enchilada sauce.  My favorite is Rosarita because it has a very subtle spice.  If using Old El Paso, use corn tortillas.  I favor corn tortillas anyway, but if you use flour tortillas, you will get a very musky flavor when using that specific brand of enchilada sauce.  Old El Paso is also spicier than Rosarita.  Just my two bits.

How you freeze it:
Assemble casserole in a disposable casserole dish, or line your casserole dish with foil to lift out of the dish after it is frozen.  Cover and place in the freezer.  (If using your glass casserole dish, remove the casserole from the dish once it is frozen.  Cover the casserole and place in a large ziploc freezer bag.)  When ready to serve, let thaw overnight in the fridge.  Place directly in the oven and then turn the oven to 350°.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Hamburger Skillet Casserole

HAMBURGER SKILLET CASSEROLE

What you need:
1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. curry
1/4 tsp. cumin
3 large stalks celery, sliced
3 medium potatoes, sliced think
4 medium carrots, sliced thick
1 can string beans
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

How you do it:
Brown hamburger and onion and drain off grease. Add salt, oregano, pepper, curry, and cumin to cooked meat. Add celery, potatoes, and carrots on top of meat in layers. Add juice of string beans, and cook about 15 minutes covered. Cook slowly (I cook mine for another 15 minutes). Add can of string beans and cans of cream of mushroom soup over top. Cook 5 minutes more. May need to add a little water. Freezes well. Serves 8.

Notes from me:
I have never had to add water. I also omit the celery; not because we don't like it but because I usually don't have it on hand. And, finally, I stir it all together before serving.

Bubble Up Pizza Casserole

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, and my children LOVE it! So easy, and so perfect for those pizza-craving-nights.

BUBBLE-UP PIZZA CASSEROLE

What you need:

1 lb. ground beef
2 tsp. onion powder, or
1 onion, chopped
16 oz. tomato sauce, or
8 oz. tomato sauce, 12 oz. tomato paste & 12 oz. water
1/2 tsp. dried basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
15 oz. biscuits (I use just 10 oz. and cut them into fourths)
1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese (I use 1 part mozz, and 2 parts cheddar because the majority of my family is lactose intollerant)

How you do it:

Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Brown ground beef. Add onion powder, garlic, tomato sauce, basil 7 Italian seasoning. Add biscuits; stir gently until giscuits are covered. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Allowt o cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Edited to add: I'm posting this one again because I added pictures. Like I said in the original post ... it's not the most aesthetically pleasing casserole when on the plate, but it sure is delicious!

For this one, I took the ingredients from one recipe and combined them with the method for a different recipe. And, it was a huge hit with my family ... seriously, we ate the whole pan even though we probably shouldn't have done so. That's why there aren't any pictures ... um, I didn't know it would be so good, and then it was gone before I thought to get pictures. Plus, it's not the most aesthetically pleasing casserole ... so, just trust me, it's really yummy!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

What you need:
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1 pkg. chicken taco seasoning
1/2 to 1 cup water
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (16 oz.) carton sour cream
5-6 flour tortillas, cut into strips or rectangles (also try with corn or wheat, yum!)

How you do it:
Cook together chicken, taco seasoning and water in pan on medium heat to cook off liquid. When liquid is almost gone, pour chicken into bowl and mix together with 1/2 cup cheese, cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish. Layer 1/2 of tortillas, 1 cup cheese, and 1/2 of chicken mixture. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

How you freeze it:
Before casserole is combined, line pan with lightly sprayed foil. Be sure to extend foil over the handles or short ends of the pan to help with easy removal. Assemble casserole. Place in freezer until frozen. Remove from pan, cover top with lightly sprayed foil, place in 2 gallon freezer bag. When ready to cook, place casserole in pan and let thaw in refrigerator overnight. Place directly in oven, then turn on oven to 350° and bake for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Casserole

This is one of my all-time favs, even though it may not look so good. I remember grabbing some of this before heading to a football game in high school, and it hit the spot on a frosty fall night. Trust me, although the ingredients seem a little strange to put together, it is so yummy.

CHICKEN CASSEROLE

What you need:

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced

1 to 1 1/2 cups rice, cooked

4-6 hard boiled eggs, diced

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup Miracle Whip (DO NOT use mayonnaise, there is a HUGE difference)

1 cup sliced almonds

How you do it:

Mix together all ingredients except almonds. Use more Miracle Whip if it seems a little dry. Use more rice to extend the casserole for more servings. Pour mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until bubble and almonds are slightly browned. Serve.

How you freeze it:

Omit eggs. Mix together and place in freezer-safe ziploc bag. When ready to bake, let thaw completely. Make hard boiled eggs and fold into thawed casserole. Pour into 9x13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Cheesy Chicken & Stuffing

CHEESY CHICKEN & STUFFING CASSEROLE

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pkg. stuffing mix, chicken flavored
1 2/3 cups hot water
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup plain yogurt (if you don't have this, just use sour cream; but, trust me, the yogurt makes it so creamy!)
3 Tbsp. milk
5 slices provolone cheese

Place chicken in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Pour stuffing mix into medium-sized bowl and add water. Mix together until water is absorbed. Set aside. In separate medium-sized bowl combine soup, sour cream, yogurt, and milk. Place cheese slices atop chicken; pour soup mixture over chicken; and top with stuffing (fluffing with a fork before dropping it). Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly and stuffing is crispy. If stuffing gets too browned before the rest is bubbly, cover with foil for the remainder of baking time.

Saucy Au'Gratin Potatoes

SAUCY AU'GRATIN POTATOES

5-7 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
3-4 hot dogs, sliced; or
1 pkg. cubed ham
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
12 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
½ - 1 tsp. seasoned salt (like Lawry's)
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups sour cream

Combine potatoes and hot dogs in a large bowl. In a saucepan, make a roux: melt butter; stir in flour, bouillon, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk and bring to a boil; cook and stir until bubble and thickened. Reduce heat; add cheese and sour cream. Stir until cheese is melted. Pour over potatoes, then pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour (add more time if you use more potatoes).

Hamburger Pie

HAMBURGER PIE

1 lb. ground beef
Chili powder
Salt and pepper
1 can condensed tomato soup, or
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can green beans
Ketchup, to taste
Mashed potatoes
Cheddar cheese, grated

Brown ground beef; add chili powder, salt & pepper. Stir together. Add tomato soup, green beans and ketchup. Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes atop meat mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Cauliflower Casserole

CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE
1 head cauliflower, cut up; or,
1 pkg frozen cauliflower
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1½ cups cheese
1/3 - ½ cup sour cream
1 pkg. diced ham; or,
1½ cups cubed ham

Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. (Or, do what I do: just cut up the pieces enough to stick into a steamer.) Steam cauliflower until mostly tender. Spray a baking dish. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and salt and stir together until bubbly. Pour in milk. Stir until mixture starts to thicken. Add cheese and sour cream, cook until cheese is melted. Place cooked cauliflower and ham in large mixing bowl. Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower and stir until it is all coated. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes.

**If you are freezing it to eat later, use frozen cauliflower and do not cook it before coating it with the cheese sauce. Let it cool, then pour it into a gallon freezer zipper back. Freeze for up to four weeks. When you cook it, put it in the greased casserole dish, and bake at 350º for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Beef & Cheese Bake

BEEF & CHEESE BAKE

1 ½ lbs. ground beef
1 (8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. basil, divided
3 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
12 oz. cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
8 to 16 oz. pasta (we like rotini; amount depends on how many you're feeding)
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. Cook pasta until slightly tender. Brown ground beef. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, 1 tsp. basil, 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper; stir to mix seasonings well with beef. Pour in tomato sauces and Worcestershire sauce. Let simmer. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, remaining 1 tsp. basil, and remaining 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Spray 9x13 pan. Spread half of pasta on the bottom of pan. Spoon half of the beef mixture over pasta. Cover with cheese mixture. Finish layering with remaining pasta and beef mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (and, I sprinkle a little bit of Italian seasoning atop the parm). Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until bubbly hot. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.