Creamy Veggie Casserole

 

This is a recipe that came about because I just didn’t feel like going out in the bad weather to go to the grocery store. So I had dug through my freezer and pantry to come up with a menu for dinner.

I had some frozen veggies on hand and I really didn’t feel like having them plain. So I did a quick google search for inspiration. I found about 4 or 5 recipes online that looked promising but I didn’t have all the ingredients for any of them. So I took the basic ideas and the things about them that I was most attracted to and came up with this recipe.

I’ve since made it a half dozen times or so and I have tried a couple of different frozen veggies combinations. I find the ones that have broccoli and cauliflower taste the best to me. But feel free to use the veggies that you love the most.

The ingredients in this recipe are things that are in my fridge/freezer/pantry most of the time so that’s why I’ve made it several times already. It is just easy and convenient besides it tastes delicious.

 

 

We start by, making the crumb mixture that will top our casserole. For that we are going to mix some breadcrumbs (I usually use Panko breadcrumbs for the extra crunch), Parmesan cheese (the kind in the can),some melted butter, and just a pinch of Italian herb seasoning.

 

 

 

 

Then we start the sauce. For that saute some onion in a bit more butter in a small pan over medium heat. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then add some flour and cook that a moment along with some seasonings. I like to add the seasonings at this point because they bloom into the sauce better than adding them later. Also by adding the flour to the onions you pretty much eliminate the possibility of getting any lumps of flour in your finished sauce.

 

 

 

 

Then add some milk to make a white sauce. Now just cook over medium heat until it thickens. 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point add the cream cheese and some shredded Parmesan cheese 

 

 

 

 

 

and stir until the cream cheese is melted.

 

 

 

 

 

Then stir in the frozen veggies.

 

 

 

 

Spread in a small casserole dish, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

top with the crumb mixture and bake.

 

 

 

 

I do highly recommend placing the casserole dish on a rimmed baking sheet just in case any sauce bubbles out, it will save you having to clean the bottom of the oven.

 

Since this bakes at 350°F it is the perfect partner to a lot of meat dishes. And since everything is already cooked you are just heating through and getting the flavors to mingle you could cook at a bit lower (for a few minutes more) or a bit higher (for a bit less time, just watch the topping that it doesn’t burn)

 

 

If you are out of shredded Parmesan for the cheese sauce you can use pretty much any shredded cheese you have on hand.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Creamy Veggie Casserole

topping ingredients:

2 Tablespoons dry bread crumbs (I prefer Panko breadcrumbs)

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (the kind in the can)

1 Tablespoon melted butter

pinch of Italian herb seasoning

casserole ingredients:

¼ cup chopped onion

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon flour

pinch Italian herb seasoning

pinch garlic salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup milk

1 ounce cream cheese

3 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cups of frozen veggies, I used “winter mix” with broccoli and cauliflower

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Combine topping ingredients and set aside.

Saute chopped onion in butter over medium heat until softened.

Add the flour along with the seasonings and cook, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.

Add the milk and stir to combine. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens.

Add the cream cheese along with the shredded cheese and stir until the cream cheese melts.

Carefully stir in the frozen veggies until coated.

Put in a small, 2 cup casserole dish.

Sprinkle on the topping mixture.

Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes until heated through and browned on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

 

So what exactly is a Shepherd’s Pie and how is it different from a Cottage Pie? I wasn’t sure of that answer so I did some research, here is what I found. Basically a Shepherd’s Pie has two main components a layer of minced meat topped with mashed potatoes and baked. Most of the time the meat has a gravy and some vegetables with it. Often times those vegetables seem to be carrots and/or peas. It is also very common to have some shredded cheese on top of the potatoes. As for the difference between a Cottage pie and a Shepherd’s Pie it comes down to the meat used in the filling. To really be a Shepherd’s Pie the filling should be lamb/mutton. So technically speaking this is a Cottage Pie but for most people the terms are interchangeable and no matter what the filling is based on if it is has the meat (or a substitute), gravy, veggies and is topped with mashed potatoes and baked it is a Shepherd’s Pie.

That was probably more than anyone needed to know about the subject but if you are still with me thank you. Now onto the recipe for today.

I love a good Shepherd’ s Pie especially with the cooler weather we are getting now. And although I have some recipes I love that take both beef and lamb I think I like this meat-less version better than any of the others. There is something about the combination that makes it a very pleasing dish. It is very filling but not to the point you feel stuffed. You still feel pretty good about yourself after eating it even if you overindulge a bit.

This version is vegetarian if you wish and could also be make to be vegan if desired with a just a few simple substitution. You could also go with an almost vegetarian version. I’ll talk about that in a moment.

As for dishes to bake in I love cooking mine is my two 1 ½ cup casserole dishes. That way each serving is in it’s own casserole dish making plating so much easier. Also if both aren’t going to be eaten right away it is easy to store and reheat later. This could also be baked off in a 3 cup casserole dish or you could leave it in the skillet you make the filling in and just pop the mashed potatoes on top and bake it that way providing your skillet is oven safe.

So lets talk about the ingredients and the steps involved in making this.

We need to start by cooking the potatoes for the mashed potatoes since they will take a while. You can use whatever type of potato you like to use for mashed potatoes. I have some large russets on hand since that is what I am using for the Cook the Cookbook project so I used a couple of those. That gave me slightly more potatoes than I needed but just one wouldn’t have been enough. Simply peel the potatoes and cut them up. The size you cut the potatoes and veggies will determine how long they cook.

Now onto the prepping the rest of the ingredients. Clean and cut the mushrooms in quarters and set aside.

Peel and dice the carrots and the onion and set aside.

While those potatoes are cooking we are going to create the filling. Start by cooking the cut up mushrooms in some olive oil in a large skillet. You want to get them browned in this first step.

Then we’ll add the carrots and onion and cook them until tender.

The sauce is created in the pan with all the veggies. Butter will add the needed fat to create the roux as well as add flavor. Once melted we will add the flour and seasonings to finish that roux.

To help round out the flavor we are now adding some tomato paste. We only need a small amount (1 ½ ounces) You could use the tomato paste from a tube or for a more economical solution do what I do. I buy the tomato paste in a can at the store and divide it up into 1 ½ ounce portions in small covered containers. I then bag the containers up and freeze them. It just take a short time for the tomato paste to thaw out and it is a lot cheaper than those tubes and still no waste. The tomato paste will be added to the roux in the pan to help develop the flavor.

Once the tomato paste is incorporated add the broth and stir to combine. For broth my favorite is a mushroom broth, but it can be a bit hard to find but is easy to make and freeze. You could also use a vegetable broth or even a beef broth if you are not concerned about being totally vegetarian.

Bring the pan to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. At this point taste the sauce and season as desired. Depending on the salt level of the broth you are using may or may not need any more salt and/or pepper. If your potatoes are not cooked put the pan off heat with a lid on to keep it warm.

Once your potatoes are cooked drain them well. And make mashed potatoes by adding the 2 Tablespoons of butter to the hot potatoes and start mashing. Add half the shredded cheese (¼ cup) and start adding the milk a little at a time. Mash adding the milk as needed to get the texture you desire. Taste and adjust add salt and/or pepper as needed.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the filling in the casserole dishes almost to the edges of the dishes. Use a fork to flatten the potatoes some and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. I do highly recommend putting whatever casserole dish you bake these in on a sheet pan in case they bubble over a bit.

Then all that is left is to bake the casserole dishes of yumminess to get everything hot and to help the flavors to come together even more.

Since the casserole dishes are hot when they come out of the oven I usually fold a paper towel into 4 layers just a tiny bit larger than the size of the base of the casserole dish and put it on my plates before I add the hot dish. I’m not sure it’s absolutely necessary but I feel better about doing that than putting that hot casserole dish directly on my plate.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

For the mashed potatoes

1 pound potatoes

¼ cup milk

2 Tablespoons butter

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

For the filling

8 ounces whole mushrooms

olive oil

2 medium carrots

1 onion

1 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 Tablespoon flour

1 ½ ounces tomato paste

¾ cup stock (mushroom or vegetable are best, beef would also work)

Prep the potatoes by peeling and dicing them. Then put them into a small saucepan of salted water to cover. Bring to a boil turn reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until they can easily be mashed. This could take from 10 to 20 minutes depending on how large/small you dice them.

Now onto the prepping the rest of the ingredients. Clean and cut the mushrooms in quarters and set aside. Peel and dice the carrots and the onion and set aside.

 

In a large skillet heat some olive oil over medium heat and add the mushrooms and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

 

 

 

 

 

Cook them stirring occasionally until they are browned. This will take about 10 minutes.

 

 

Add the carrots and onion and a bit 

more olive oil if the pan is dry. Sprinkle just a bit more salt and cook. Stirring occasionally until the carrots are tender about 5 to 10 minutes (again the size you cut the pieces will determine the cook time)

 

Add 1 Tablespoon of the butter and allow to melt.

 

Now add the flour, thyme and garlic powder, stir to combine and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute.

 

 

 

 

 

Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.

 

 

Once the tomato paste is incorporated add the broth and stir to combine.

Bring the pan to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. At this point taste the sauce and season as desired. Depending on the salt level of the broth you are using may or may not need any more salt and/or pepper. If your potatoes are not cooked put the pan off heat with a lid on to keep it warm.

Once your potatoes are cooked drain them well.

Add the 2 Tablespoons of butter and start mashing. Add half the shredded cheese (¼ cup) and start adding the milk a little at a time. Mash adding the milk as needed to get the texture you desire. Taste and adjust add salt and/or pepper as needed.

 

Divide the filling evenly between two individual casserole dishes (about 1 ½ cups each)

Spread the mashed potatoes over the filling in the casserole dishes almost to the
edges of the dishes. Use a fork to flatten the potatoes some and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. I do highly recommend putting whatever casserole dish you bake these in on a sheet pan in case they bubble over a bit.

Bake at 350° F for about 20 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese.

Serve and enjoy.

Makes 2 generous servings.

Slow Cooker Chili

 

Since the weather is definitely getting colder here I am personally focusing more on comfort foods like soups, chili, stews, casseroles a lot of the time. One of the first to come to mind was chili so I thought I would share this recipe with all of you. This takes a lot of inspiration from the chili I made all the time when my kids were growing up. The main difference is this feeds two people not an army. I did some tweaking to the recipe to make it work in the smaller amount easily.

When we get to the ingredients you might be surprised by one of them, just take a breath and try it. You see I add just a tiny bit of baking cocoa to my basic chili. Not enough that anyone will taste even a hint of chocolate but just enough to get a rich deep flavor that will bring you back for another serving.

Now I have dozens of recipes for chili, some with meat some without. Some with beans some without. This one has both ground beef and beans so it makes a hearty meal.

A few things you should know about this particular chili, first it is middle of the road chili as far as spice level, not really hot but not too mild at the same time. You can always add some hot sauce when you to each portion to taste. Also it is a soupy chili since I always serve it over rice. That is my favorite way to serve chili and it makes for a filling meal that really sticks to your ribs. If you want a thicker chili cut down or leave out the beef broth from the recipe.

This recipe is sized to fit my 2 quart slow cooker. I do love to make chili in the slow cooker for several reasons on being it is a food that really benefits from the low slow cooking method, it just comes together so nicely. Also not having to do much to serve dinner at the end of a busy day is so nice.

 

Now since this needs at least 7 hours of cooking time at the low setting you will need to start in the morning. We start by cooking the ground beef and onion in a small skillet until the meat is cooked through and the onion is softened. Drain off any excess fat from the pan.

 

 

 

Then add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook just until they all become fragrant. By cooking the spices particularly the cumin you release more of the flavor and I find it infuses with the rest of the dish much better.

 

 

 

 

 

Then move the meat mixture into the slow cooker followed by the rest of the chili ingredients. Give it a stir, cover and cook it all day long.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the day put some rice in the bottom of your bowl

 

 

 

 

 

followed by about half of the chili.

 

 

Then top as desired,

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Slow Cooker Chili

Chili ingredients:

½ pound ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin powder

1 ½ cups beef broth (you can cut this down or leave it out for a thicker chili)

1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chili (like Rotel) with the liquid

½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

red pepper flakes, to taste (I put in just a bit less that ¼ tsp)

Ingredients to serve the chili

2 cups of cooked rice

shredded cheese

chopped avocado

sour cream

chopped cilantro

In the morning cook the ground beef and chopped onion over medium heat until the meat is cooked through and the onion is tender. Drain off any excess fat from the pan.

 

 Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook just long enough that they become fragrant.

Pour the meat mixture into the bottom of a 2 quart slow cooker. Add the remaining chili ingredients and give the mixture a stir. Set on low and cook for at least 7 hours. 8 or 9 hours is even better.

When ready to serve place the rice in the bottom of bowls, top with the chili and top as desired.

Serves 2

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

 

A while back a friend asked me if I had a recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup and I promised to work on it. I did have several that I have made over the years but no one that I loved. There were points about each on that I loved/liked but not an overall favorite. So I did what I do in that case and pulled out all of them, read over my notes on each and took the things I liked the best and combined them to make one that I hope is superior.

I did use frozen cut broccoli for this because it is more convenient for me and almost always in my kitchen. You could use an equal amount of lightly cooked fresh broccoli if you wish.

I made this a very thick soup, I mean very thick because that is how I like most this soup the best. If you want it to not be so thick either cut both the butter and four down to 2 Tablespoons or add an extra cup of chicken broth. Either of those steps will give a thinner soup and still taste just as good.

This is a pretty basic soup and can be dressed up in many ways. If you love celery or peppers in your soup add them along with the onions and carrots.

So without any further chatting let’s make some soup.

You can find a downloadable/printable version of this recipe here.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

¼ cup butter, cubed*

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup matchstick cut (or coarsely grated) carrots

1 clove garlic, minced or grated

¼ cup flour*

salt and pepper to taste

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup chicken broth*

1 cup frozen chopped broccoli

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

 

 

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and then add the onion and carrots. Cook stirring occasionally until the onion is tender and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.

 

 

 

 

 

Add the flour, salt, and pepper cook stirring for about 1 minute being sure all the veggies are well coated with the flour.

 

 

 

 

Add the liquid ingredients and stir until the mixture bubbles. Turn the heat down to barely a simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the carrots are almost cooked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the broccoli cook and stir until heated through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese until melted.

Taste for seasoning, adjust if needed and serve.

 

 

I got 2 large bowls of soup from this recipe.

*Note: this is written as a very thick soup, if you prefer a thinner soup you can do either/both of the following.

1- cut both the butter and flour amounts to 2 Tablespoons and proceed as directed.

2- add an additional cup of chicken stock