All Casseroles Page 1

Grits and Magnolias' Asparagus-English Pea Casserole

1 c. chopped onion

1 small sweet red pepper or 1 pimento, chopped

1/4 c. butter

2 (15 oz) cans whole asparagus, drained, reserving liquid from one of the cans of asparagus

1 large can of English peas, drained

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled, and sliced

1 stick butter

1/2 c. self rising flour

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 Tbsp. white wine

Just a wee bit of freshly grated nutmeg

1 c. half and half

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

1/8 tsp. paprika

1 small bag of slivered almonds

1 pimento chopped

4 to 6 slices of good bakery bread

6 Tbps. butter or margarine, melted

2 c. shredded New York Sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a large casserole dish.

Cook eggs until hard boiled. Peel and slice. Set aside.

Grate cheese, set aside.

Chop onion and red pepper. Saute in butter until clear and tender. Set aside.

Drain asparagus, reserving the liquid. Chop off bottom Ľ of asparagus spears and chop the remaining part of the spears into thirds. Set aside.

Drain English peas, discard liquid. Set aside.

Process your bread in blender or food processor until finely ground. Mix with melted butter . Set aside.

In medium saucepan, melt butter, add flour and cook for a few minutes on low heat to develop flavor and form a paste without getting any brown color on it. Add softened cream cheese, whisk as you cook on medium low until cheese is incorporated, adding half and half as needed. Add any remaining half and half. Add reserved liquid from asparagus. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Grate nutmeg, just a few good grates into the mixture. Add paprika. Whisk to combine. Add your sauted onions and red pepper (or pimento). Add your white wine, whisk and cook 2 more minutes. (If at this point the sauce doesn't look thick enough, make a cornstarch slurry and add it little by little to thicken your sauce.)

Assemble:

Into your buttered casserole dish , place a layer of chopped asparagus. Pour on a thin layer of sauce. Add a layer of sliced hard boiled eggs. Add a thin layer of English peas. Sprinkle on a few slivered almonds. Repeat these layers two more times. Top with with grated cheddar cheese. Sprinkle top with your buttered bread crumbs.

Place in preheated oven 350 F. for 30 minutes or until slightly bubbly.

We like the thick top cheese layer. If you had rather have a thin layer of the grated cheese, just use less.

I vary this recipe from time to time. I will use Monterey Jack cheese along with grated Parmesan in place of the cream cheese. We like the casserole both ways. When I sub these other two cheeses for the cream cheese, I use 2 cups (8 oz.) Monterey Jack cheese and 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan.

Once this casserole is completely assembled, you may cover it and place in the fridge. When ready to bake, remove from fridge, let come to room temperature then bake for 30 minutes.

When you don't have time or maybe the ingredients on hand to make the recipe above, here is a very easy, but still very delicious recipe, a mini version of the above recipe.

Easy Asparagus English Pea Casserole

1 (8 oz pkg.) cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 c. AP flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 can evaporated milk

1 can whole asparagus

2 can English peas

3 eggs

freshly grated nutmeg.

Hard boil your three eggs. Large chop or slice them them. Set aside.

In saucepan, over medium low heat, melt butter. Add 1/2 c. four and whisk to combine. Let cook for just a minute or so, getting rid of the raw flour taste. Pinch off pieces of your cream cheese and add to butter-flour mixture. Add just a little of your milk and whisk as cream cheese melts into your mixture. Your sauce will be very thick. Add remaining milk, whisking to combine. Add the liquid from your can of Asparagus and the liquid from your cans of English peas. Whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper and cook just a few minutes, whisking until your sauce is smooth, thick and creamy.

Remove sauce from heat.

Chop of the the lower third of your asparagus stems and discard them. Chop the remaining asparagus and place in a large casserole dish. Add you English peas and chopped or slice boiled eggs. Pour your sauce in and mix with wooden spoon to combine.

Grate just a little nutmeg over your mixture. Stir to combine.

You don't need lots of nutmeg, just a nice sprinkling. Freshly grated nutmeg goes a long way but gives you a wonderful hint of the flavor.

Place casserole in a 350 F oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes until nice and bubbly.

Ham Casserole Supreme 1 c. chopped ham (fully cooked) 1 c. chopped celery 1 small carton sour cream 3 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 Tbsp. minced onion 3 boiled eggs, chopped 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 pkg. Knorr (Lipton) Pasta Sides, Chicken ***see note at bottom’ Topping: Ľ c. chopped fresh parsley Ľ c. crumbled bleu cheese Ľ c. chopped jalapeno peppers (from a jar is OK) Mix all in gradients together (except the topping!) and place in a large casserole dish. Chop your parsley and peppers, mix with crumbled bleu cheese and sprinkle over your casserole. Bake at 325 F for 30 minutes

HASH BROWN Casserole

1 onion, chopped
1 (2 lb) package frozen
hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 pint sour cream
2 cans condensed cream of celery soup ( or 1 can mushroom soup and 1 can celery soup)
1 1/2 c, shredded Cheddar cheese ( may use Colby, Jack or Asiago)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
1 c. French or Italian bread crumbs (may use corn flakes or 4 oz. buttery round crackers, crushed )

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease one 8x12 inch baking dish.

Over medium heat, cook the onion until soft.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, potatoes, sour cream, soup, cheese, pepper and hot sauce. Mix well and pour into baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes.

In a saute pan, heat butter or margarine with bread crumbs or the topping you have chosen. (If using butter crackers, cook until golden brown.) Sprinkle over casserole and bake for 30 additional minutes.

Phyllo Spinach Madeleine Variation 2 (10-oz) packages frozen spinach, thawed 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. chopped onions 1/2 c. chopped celery 1/2 c. chopped bell pepper 1/4 c. diced garlic 1/2 c. flour 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 1/2 c. diced tomatoes 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 c. finely crumbled feta cheese 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 c. finely diced jalapeno peppers 1 tsp. salt black pepper hot sauce 6 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted Preheat oven to 375 F. In a 4-quart sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until white roux is achieved. Do not brown. Slowly add whipping cream, stirring constantly until all is incorporated. Add tomatoes, cheeses, jalapeno peppers and nutmeg. Continue cooking for an additional 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, as mixture will tend to stick. Add a small amount of heavy whipping cream should mixture become too thick. Season to taste using salt, pepper and hot sauce. Remove from heat and add spinach, stirring well into the seasoned white sauce. Butter an ovenproof, nonstick, 8-inch saute pan and line with 6 stacked sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with melted butter and letting the edges hang over the pan. Pour the spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo and neatly fold the edges up and over the top top leaving a small circle in the center of the dish exposed. Brush the top of phyllo well with melted butter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until mixture is bubbly minutes.

Keep the cheeses white, but you may sub for the cheeses in the recipe above and use: 1 pkg Neufchatel cheese, softened 1/4 to 1/3 cup finely crumbled domestic bleu cheese

Eggplant Casserole 1 lb eggplant, pared and cubed (6 cups) 1 c. chopped celery 1/2 c. chopped onions 1/2 c. chopped green peppers 4 Tbsp. butter 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese 1 1/2 c. coarsely crunched corn chips In large skillet or saucepan, cook eggplant, celery, onion, green pepper, in butter until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, cheese and one cup corn chips. turn into 1 1/2 quart casserole, cover and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until heated through. Before serving, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of corn chips. This casserole is really great with mozzarella cheese instead of the cheddar or a mixture of the two cheeses. Easy Does It Green Bean Casserole 3 Tbsp. melted butter 2 Tbsp. flour 1 c. sour cream 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. grated onion 3 cans french-cut green beans, drained 1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese 1/2 c. corn flakes Combine 2 tablespoons butter and flour, cook gently. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and seasonings. Fold in beasn. Place in greased shallow 2 quart baking dish. Cover with cheese, then with crumbs that have been mixed with 1 tbalespoon butter. Baked uncovered for 30 minutes at 350F.

Squash Casserole 4-5 strips bacon 1 large onion, chopped fine 1 pound raw squash, shredded 1 c. fine bread crumbs 3/4 c. milk 1 tsp. salt Dash of pepper 1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese Fry bacon, drain. Saute onion in small amount of bacon drippings. Crumble bacon, mix with onion, squash, bread crumbs, milk and seasonings. Add cheese (save a little for topping). Put in butter 2 quart casserole and bake about 1 hour at 350F.

Tomato Casserole 1 large can solid pack tomatoes 2 1/2 oranges 2 onions 3 1/2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca 6 Tbsp. brown sugar Tomato juice, if needed Butter bread crumbs Salt and pepper Drain tomatoes, save the juice. Slice tomatoes. Peel and slice onions thin. Squeeze juice from 1/2 orange. Combine with tomato juice, add extra tomato juice if there wasn't very much in your canned tomatoes. Add tapioca. Grease baking dish. Put in layer of sliced tomatoes. salt and pepper and add 1/2 of bown sugar. Arrange orange sections on top, then slices of onoin. Salt and pepper. Repeat. Pour on juice and tapioca mixture. Top with butered bread crumbs and brwon sugar. Bake at 375F for 30 to 40 minutes.

"Goodbye Turkey" Casserole 5 Tbsp sifted flour 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp onion salt 1/4 c. butter, melted 2 1/2 c. milk or light cream 1 1/2 c. minute rice 1 1/2 c. turkey or chicken broth 1/2 c. grated cheese of your choice 1 1/2 c. cooked asparagus 2 c. sliced turkey (6 slices) 2 Tbsp toasted slivered almonds Stir flour, half of salt, onion salt into butter. Stir in milk. Cook over hot water, stirring occasionally until thickened. Pour Minute Rice (right from the box) into 2 quart shallow baking dish. Combine broth, remaining salt; pour over rice. Sprinkle half of cheese over rice. Top with asparagus; then turkey. Pour on sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes. Top with almonds before serving.