OK, I admit I’m not a fan of casseroles, anyway. They almost always have pasta or rice in them, and I actually don’t like rice and pasta very much. When I have a meal with either, I like to add more vegetables, meat or sauce and less pasta or rice. I also am not a fan of ground beef. It tends to be dry and tasteless to me. I like beef– give me a filet mignon and I’m happy as a clam! Ground beef is meh.

But the kids like casseroles and ground beef and they like easy meals. Here’s the recipe:

Cheeseburger Casserole

3/4-pound extra-lean ground beef
1 cup oats
1 onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper
1 large carrot, grated
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
8 ounces spinach egg noddles
1 cup low-fat Cheddar cheese

Basically cook the beef, rain it, cook the vegetables and spices. Cook the noodles. Throw it all into a casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake.

The recipe is very simple to make and makes use of typical ingredients in the kitchen. I’m sure younger kids would love it, but it has too few veggies and too many starches and heavy ingredients for us older folks. The recipe, in my opinion, was a bit tasteless except for the cheddar cheese. I think it could use some vegetables like spinach or broccoli or something, to give it a bit more kick.

You may like it. Give it a try!

Oh it looks good enough. What dish doesn’t look scrumptious with lots of cheese, eh? Shesh, even a criminal background check looks better with a little cheese, right?!

But for starters– it’s the wrong kind of cheese. I used cheddar when I should have used Monterey Jack. I was out of Monterey, though.

And the tomatoes. I should have sliced them up. I thought that perhaps grape tomatoes would be small enough. Nope. When you popped one of these babies into your mouth, it was a surprise squirt– too shocking.

I don’t like macaroni and cheese very much. It’s too bland and too… I don’t know…. mushy. The reason I tried this recipe was because it called for cottage cheese! Quite a surprise. Maybe it would taste better with the cottage cheese?

I am delighted to say that I thought the flavor and texture was improved with the cottage cheese. But I used too little. I just didn;t have the right ingredients.

1. Wrong kind of pasta. Used ziti when shells or elbows would have been better.
2. Too little cottage cheese.
3. Tomatoes, which were a nice touch, were too large.
4. Don’t use cheddar cheese. I hate cheddar cheese. Why didn’t I just go out and get the Monterey?!
5. I added leftover broccoli to the recipe. That was a terrific addition, it was my favorite part of the dish!

So my quest for the perfect macaroni & cheese dish continues… stay tuned, lol.

SO it took a team of horses to drag me into a tuna casserole recipe (this was a few years ago). I skipped the peas and the pasty sauce. Instead, I used cream of celery soup and cheese and lots of tuna… and YUMMMMM it was good.

Since that first brave casserole exploit 20 years ago, I’ve tried to improve the recipe somewhat with quirky additions here and there. I’ve added broccoli, used mozzarella or monterey jack cheese, dill, s video cables, Creole seasoning (OK, just kidding on the cables– who noticed that?)….

But today, my daughter made the most luscious tuna casserole I’ve ever had. HOW did she do it?? She’s so young!

Well, here’s her recipe. This was goooood stuff. It was so good that I never got the chance to snap a photo. And it was such a pretty casserole, too.

Yummy Don’t-Worry-There-Are-No-Peas Tuna Casserole
serves 6-8

4 cans of tuna, with juice
1 box medium shells pasta, cooked and drained
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 cup fresh kale, shredded into small pieces
2 Cream of Celery canned soup
1 1/2 shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
minced white onions (optional)

Throw all the ingredients into a dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

It is SO GOOD. I think the kale is what does it for me. YUM.

Now if I can just get the daughter to improve my pot roast recipe….

We wanted to use up a lot of the leftovers in the fridge, and make something hearty, to boot. Here’s our potpourri of ingredients (sorry about the small photo, you practically need a barska to see everything):

The Everything Casserole

Made TWO casseroles, one for tonight, another for Sunday afternoon

Leftover vegetables (about 2 cups)
Leftover rice (1 cup)
Cooked pasta
Leftover or canned spaghetti sauce (about 30 oz or so)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 boxes cooked and drained penne rigata pasta
1 pound cooked sausage
Some basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 handfuls of fresh chopped kale

Stir the sauce and seasonings into the pasta. Add the sausage, rice, veggies, and 2 cups of the cheese. Stir and set in two casserole dishes. Top with the rest of the cheese.

It came out so delicious!

It’s also a great way to get more kale into the diet. Kale is so good for you. I eat some raw every day, and we add it to everything– rice, fish dishes, sandwiches.

What can you make with meat or poultry, rice, cheese and a vegetable?

Hmmmm. I’m not very fond of rice or chicken. And while I like cheese, I am fussy about my cheese (only Mozzarella, Swiss, and American). So this one has me as stumped as if making photo birth announcements or something. Uhhhh….

Well, I guess I like Turkey Divan. Boring, I know. Turkey is poultry! It’s a pretty bland dish, though (which is why I dislike casseroles and why I dislike rice and chicken). Last time i made Turkey Divan, I made it this way:

Turkey Divan

4 cups diced leftover turkey
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup canned roasted red peppers, drained and diced
4 leaves kale, washed and sliced into strips
4 cups rice, cooked

Throw broccoli in the microwave to thaw.

In a large casserole dish, place the turkey on the bottom. Add the kale and peppers, then the broccoli. Add the broth. Layer with the cheese.

Pop in the oven until heated through (about 30-35 minutes).

Serve with rice.

The kale and peppers spruce up the blandness of the turkey and rice, and help to sneak in a few added vegetables.

NOPE.

YUK BLEACH YUK! I still hate them.

That’s probably not a very smart way to start out a new recipe post, but I do blog about foods I don’t like. I love to experiment with my foods, and this was one of those experiments in which I did not like the results. However, the Hubs and the boys of the house liked this recipe. Funny! I’m glad they liked it, encouraged, even. Not that I’ll ever make it again…

Anyway, I thought I’d post it here in case one of you readers out there is a yam maniac who can’t get enough of the stuff. Yep, this one’s for you! Me, I’d rather sell used booksthan make this again. But to each his own.

OK enough whining– here it is. Don’t blame me if you don’t like it! You have been warned! lol

Yam Ham Scalloped Potatoes
serves 6-8

2 or 3 large yams, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
3-4 cups ham (I use turkey ham), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large can Cream of Mushroom soup
2-3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Pepper

Lay the yams and ham into a casserole dish.

Combine the Cream of Mushroom soup, cheese, and pepper; stir well. Pour on top of the yams and ham, and with a spoon, stir up just a little. Cover the dish with foil and place in an oven set to 350 for an hour. Uncover the dish and cook for another half hour.

It was “OK” with fresh bread, shredded cabbage, and carrots. I ate it. But I still didn’t like the yams!

It’s the Better Homes & Gardens Biggest Book of Casseroles. I got it when I was doing a lot of babysitting. Kids are so hard to please when it comes to food, but casseroles are generally liked by most. And they are EASY to make plus they make use of leftovers.

We’re getting more into fresh, raw foods, so maybe that’s why my casserole book was forgotten… I dislike casseroles, because they always seem bland to me. And I don’t typically like the mushy pasta-and-cheese kinds which seem to dominate the casserole realm. This BHG book isn’t too bad- it has a lot of variety, including those hard-to-find vegetable-only dishes that I prefer. When we have meat, I like it to be separate from the rest of the meal (like, a roast). That way, I can divvy it up in equal portions, and I don’t have to worry about gorging on weight loss supplements if I’ve eaten too many chicken pieces or something.

ANYWAY. If you’re looking for a nice casserole book that has LOADS of variety, the BHG is a good one! And it’s huge!

Well, I have copied the recipe (below) but I’ve made a few modifications to make things a little easier and to use fewer cooking pots than the Disney recipe calls for. This is a GREAT recipe! My kids ate everything in this dish.

Tortellini with Edamame and Kielbasa
serves 6

Ingredients

1 pound frozen cheese tortellini
1 cup shelled edamame (frozen section of the grocery store)
1 cup diced red pepper
1 pound Kielbasa
1/2 cup Italian dressing (I made my own using a dry packaged mix– I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil)

Directions

Take the tortellini and the edamame packages out of the freezer to loosen up a little.
Fill a big stock pot halfway full of water and set to boil.
While the water is heating up, slice the kielbasa into 1/4″ slices, and dice the pepper.

When the water starts to boil, dump in the tortellini, and boil for about 5 minutes.
Add the edamame, and boil for 2 more minutes.
Drain in a colander and set aside temporarily.
Set the stock pot back on the hot stove and dump in the kielbasa slices and diced peppers. Heat on high, rapidly stirring, for about 2 minutes. Dump in the Italian dressing to heat.
Dump in the tortellini and edamame, stir.

EAT!

I served a salad on the side, but it wasn’t really necessary. The edamame is very filling, and the meal is very well-rounded. My kids ate the edamame! I’m still beaming.

Quick Fake Spanish Rice

5 cups leftover rice
4 cups ground beef, cooked and drained of fat
1 can (24 oz) spaghetti sauce (I used Hunt’s “Four Cheese” flavor)
1 1.25 envelope Taco Seasoning Powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat up the cooked ground beef and rice in a large pot on the stovetop. If the rice is dry, add a small amount of water to keep the rice from burning. Add the Taco Seasoning packet, the garlic powder, and the salt; mix well. Add the can of spaghetti sauce and mix again. Allow the sauce to heat up but don’t let it burn! When sufficiently heated, turn the mix into a large bowl and let the kids go at it. Even better, give them paper plates and disposable cups, too! Make yourself a peanut butter sandwich and surf the Net.

Curried Turkey Dinner
Serves 4-6

2-3 pounds of fresh broccoli florets, washed and cut into chunks and cooked until tender (you can use frozen broccoli if you want)
3 cups cooked, diced turkey
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup low-calorie mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (to your taste)
1 1/2 cup seasoned croutons

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine and mix the mayo, soup, lemon juice, and curry powder. Let sit for a moment.

Place your cooked broccoli into a medium-sized casserole dish. Add the turkey on top.

Pour your mayo/soup mix on top of the broccoli/turkey, making sure that you cover the broccoli (so it doesn’t get crispy or burn in the oven). Sprinkle the croutons over the top of everything.

Place the casserole in the oven, and bake for about 25 minutes. Serve immediately, with Basmati rice and a fresh-green salad with carrots. Yum!