French Onion Beef Casserole - Home Cooked Recipe #87

 Tis the season for comfort food! And what is more comforting then a creamy casserole? Nada. I present to you the French onion beef casserole. It is easy to make, great for a weeknight, and inexpensive. It is a delicious dish that is perfect for the fall/winter season.

French Onion Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

• 
  1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 package egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
• 1 can cream of onion soup (really, any cream soup you have would work)
• 1 8 ounce container of French onion dip (I use a refrigerated brand)
• French's fried onions
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. While egg noodles are cooking, brown ground beef with diced onion. When beef is browned drain and season with salt and pepper. Mix together noodles, beef mixture, soup, and dip. Pour in to greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with fried onions. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Cornbread Casserole - Instant Pot Inspirations #2

It's a new year! Welcome 2020. One of my cooking goals in 2020 is to use my instant pot more. I was so thrilled to get it and then so scared to use it. Now I am completely in love. For New Year's day dinner I made one of my side dishes in it and I want to share the recipe with you to start the new year right! It came out so much moister and more tender than the oven version and I think you will enjoy it as much as I did. I found the original recipe HERE and then modified it slightly. You will need an electric pressure cooker for this recipe as well as a mini bundt pan (preferably nonstick). I found the bundt pan super cheap at my local Aldi a few months ago, but I know you can also find them at Amazon, and I believe possibly Walmart or Target.

Instant Pot Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 can creamed corn
• 4 tbs melted butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I only use Breakstone's)
• salt & pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Grease mini bundt pan. Pour batter into pan and then cover tightly with foil. Put two cups of water in the inner pot. Place your trivet inside (mine is the metal one that comes with your pot, I also believe they sell silicone versions and you could also use that with no problem), and then place the bundt pan on your trivet. Secure your lid and make sure your valve is set to sealing. Hit the pressure cook button and set your time to 45 minutes. When the cooking is complete, do a quick release. Once your pin drops, carefully remove the bundt pan and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Then carefully remove the casserole from the bundt pan onto a plate. Enjoy!

Pizza Zucchini Casserole - Home Cooked Recipe #82

Do you love pizza? I love pizza! Most people I know are a fan of pizza. Also, most people I know have gone low carb or keto lately. This is a perfect recipe for those kind of diets! And it's pizza flavored! This recipe is also versatile, because you could really dress it up with your favorite pizza toppings. You could make it a meat lovers by adding sausage, bacon, ham, ground beef, etc. You could make it a supreme by adding bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. If you don't like tomato sauce, use alfredo sauce. Use the recipe as a base and use your imagination to top it the way you would your favorite pizza!

Pizza Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, shredded
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup pizza or marinara sauce (make your own or use store bought)
• 1 cup parmesan
• 2 cups mozzarella
• 1/2 package pepperoni (I use Armour, it has a nice, spicy kick)
• salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. *Tip make sure you squeeze out excess moisture in the zucchini first. I like to lay mine on some paper towels and leave it for an hour or so. Super easy* Mix together in a large bowl the zucchini, eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper, & 1/2 the mozzarella (1 cup). Press mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and top with pizza sauce, cheese, and then pepperoni. Place back into the oven and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Tuna Noodle Casserole - Home Cooked Recipe 49

What is more comforting then a creamy pasta casserole?  Not too much!  This week's recipe is all about comfort, and making a classic dish your own.  My girlfriend and I were talking about how much we love tuna noodle casserole while lounging by the pool on Saturday.  She was talking about how much she adores her mom's, and I told her how I make mine.  I was thinking, "what an easy dinner, let me make that Sunday night and blog about it this week"!  I am going to give you lots of ways you can alter the recipe to suit your own tastes.  A classic with options?  Sounds good to me!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:
2 5oz cans of tuna (I use solid white albacore, use your favorite OR you can use chicken if you don't like tuna)
1/2 bag (8oz) frozen peas (you can use ANY frozen veggie you like, mixed veg, carrots, broccoli, etc)
1/2 bag (6-8oz) no-yolk egg noodles
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cream of mushroom soup (I use cream of celery due to a mushroom disliker in my househould, but you can use any "cream of" soup, and you can also use cheese soups)
2 cans of milk (use your soup cans once empty)
2 tbs sour cream (this is optional, but I think it makes a huge difference in flavor and creaminess)
salt and pepper to taste (other fun spices you can use: paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne)
Topping:
1 cup potato chips, crushed OR 3/4 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tbs olive oil OR 1 cup croutons, crushed OR 1/2 sleeve butter crackers (such as Ritz), crushed - This time, I used garlic cheese croutons
Cooking spray
***Additional add-ins: sauteed onions, a handful of grated cheese (mozzarella or cheddar work well)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cook egg noodles according to package directions, drain.
grease casserole dish (I love my white round Corningware, but use whatever you have)
Mix together both cans of soup and both cans of milk.  Whisk in sour cream.  Add spices and combine well.  Drain tuna, flake with a fork, and fold into soup mixture.  Fold in frozen veggies, then stir in cooked noodles.  Top with your choice of topping.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 30-40 mins.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Simply Sides 6 - Zucchini Casserole

Summer is a great time for squash.  Zucchini and yellow squash are abundant in gardens and in the supermarket.  I grew up eating squash and think it's a great vegetable.  I'm always looking for new side dishes, and with squash so prevalent I started perusing recipes to find something new to do with squash.  I came across a recipe for a cheesy squash casserole and had to try it.  I hope you like it as much as I did!

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients:
2 zucchini, sliced in to discs (you can also do this with yellow squash, or one yellow squash, & one zucchini)
8 oz shredded cheddar
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/3 and 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Saute onions and garlic in oil for 6-8 minutes until tender and translucent.
Add zucchini and saute for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper. Let mixture cool.
Add 1/4 parmesan, 1/3 cup bread crumb, and cheddar cheese to zucchini mixture.  Combine well and place in baking dish.
Sprinkle top with 1/4 cup bread crumbs and remaining Parmesan.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn oven to broiler and broil for 3-4 minutes, keeping a close eye on the casserole so bread crumbs don't burn.

Enjoy!