Quick and Easy Casseroles

As we head towards fall our thoughts turn to brisk walks in the woods, sitting by the fire with a cup of cocoa and tucking into hearty meals to keep us warm through to spring. Casseroles are ideal fall and winter dishes and they are so easy to prepare, making them an ideal choice for busy parents.

A lot of casseroles can be cooked in a crock pot, so you can pop all of the ingredients into it in the morning and come home to a great home-cooked meal without any effort.

Mandy’s Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole >

This easy cheesy casserole dish is ideal if you are meal planning on a budget, as you can tweak the ingredients slightly, depending on what groceries you have in. This dish uses cooked chicken, so you can always use last night’s leftovers to be even more frugal.

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
• 16-oz packet of wide egg noodles, cooked
• 24-oz container sour cream
• 2 (10 3/4-oz) cans of cream of chicken soup
• 8-oz of shredded cheddar cheese
• 8-oz of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 sleeve of round buttery crackers, crushed
• 1/4 cup of margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds

Method

1. Combine the chicken, noodles, sour cream, soup and cheeses in a large bowl
2. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 13"x9" baking dish
3. Mix together the cracker crumbs and margarine then sprinkle over top of the mixture
4. Sprinkle poppy seed over cracker crumbs and bake at 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 for 25 to 30 minutes or until crackers are crispy and golden and cheese is melted

Easy Mexican Casserole >

If you fancy spicing up your mid-week dinners, this quick and easy Mexican casserole will warm you up in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 cups salsa
• 1(16 ounce) can of chili beans, drained
• 1(15 ounce) can of corn
• 1 1/2 cups of tortilla chips, crushed
• 2 cups of light sour cream
• 1 (3 7/8 ounce) can of sliced black olives, drained
• 3/4 cup of chopped green onion
• 1 cup of diced tomato (you can use 15-oz can diced tomatoes if drained well)
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4
2. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans and corn, and cook just until heated through.
4. Spread the crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, and then spoon the beef mixture over the chips. Spread sour cream over the beef layer, and then sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream layer.
5. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Top with the cheddar cheese and return to oven to bake another 5 minutes or just until the cheese starts to melt.

Betty Crocker’s Green Bean Casserole >

Here at Remember Stuff we love trying new and exciting recipes, but sometimes we crave a classic dish that reminds us of family dinners as a child. This Betty Crocker recipe is the perfect recipe to take us back.

You are sure to have these ingredients in your larder and you will be prepped and ready to go in just a few minutes. This dish is great served with roasted meat, or even leftovers, if you are looking to make your meat go further.

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) of Green Giant™ French-style green beans, drained
• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) of condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 of cup milk
• 1 can (2.8 oz) of French-fried onions

Method

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 1 1/2-quart casserole or glass baking dish, mix green beans, soup and milk.
2. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, topping with onions during last 5 minutes of baking, until bubbly.

Easy Tuna Casserole >

If you are a busy mom or dad you will love this recipe, as it can get the kids fed within 30 minutes of getting home from school. As well as being easy to make, you can add lots of vegetables to this dish to help your kids get their 5-a-day.

Ingredients

• 1 packet of egg noodles
• 1 celery stalk (chopped)
• 1/2 an onion (chopped)
• 2-6 oz cans of tuna (drained)
• 2-10.5 oz cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 3/4-14.5 oz can of mixed peas and carrots (drained)
• 1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
• 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Method

1. Boil the noodles as directed on the packet, adding onion and celery in the last 1-2 minutes. Drain noodles and add tuna, soup and vegetables, stirring until well blended.
2. Spread into a 13x9 baking pan, spreading cheese on top.
3. Bake in oven at 350 degrees until melted.

Cheap and Easy Sausage Casserole >

If you are cooking on a budget, sausages are a great way to add meat to your mid-week meals without spending too much money. Frugal meals do not equate to bland meals, however, as is evident in this great sausage casserole recipe.

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 onion, chopped
• 500 g sausages (we like the country style beef sausages)
• 410 g diced tomatoes, canned with juice
• 2 teaspoons of paprika
• 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of flour (if needed, to thicken)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frypan and cook the onion. Add the onion to a saucepan or oven-proof casserole dish.
2. Brown sausages in the frypan. Slice the sausages and add to the onion.
3. Add the can of tomatoes, paprika, barbecue sauce and water.
4. Simmer over a medium heat until sausages are cooked through, about 5 - 10 minutes. If the sauce does not thicken by itself, add the flour.
5. Alternatively after step 3 place into the casserole dish and bake in oven until hot.
6. Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta or crusty bread.

We are sure that you are going to love these quick and tasty casserole recipes and there are plenty more to be found on our Remember Stuff recipe search.