casseroles and other things to bake in the oven
tetrazzini
spinach rice casserole
make a pizza
quick Italian bake
spinach-feta casserole in a pan
tetrazzini
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of rosemary
pinch of garlic
1 cup broth
1 cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 very small jar of pimentos or green olives with pimentos
2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
8 ounces cooked noodles
bread crumbs
shredded cheeseIn a large pot, brown onions in oil. In a separate small bowl mix together flour and spices. Add the flour mixture to the oil and onions, brown the flour. Add the liquids to the pot and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and add the chicken, pimentos, and noodles. Pour this glop into a casserole dish and top with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
spinach rice casserole
1 package Stouffers spinach souffle, defrosted
1 1/2 cups rice
1 egg
1/2 cup crushed pecans
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenneCook the rice. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Spread into greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Other variations: Put chicken breasts on top before baking. Skip the chicken and put bread crumbs or mozzarella on top. Instead of spreading in a casserole, drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake until the tops brown. Hey presto!--quick and easy party appetizers.
make a pizza
Think of a pizza as a flat casserole. This is the easiest. Let your significant other make it for you from scratch. Or, get a pizza shell, some tomato sauce, and your favorite toppings. You can get very small pizza shells and make personal pizzas with whatever you have on hand. Allan and I keep a list of toppings we like so we don't get caught in a rut.
pepperoni
sausage
ham
chicken
cheese
sauce
pineapple
anchovies
green peppers
mushrooms
olives
garlic
herbs
artichokes
grilled onions
hot red pepper flakesIf you feel inclined to make your pizza dough from scratch, here is the recipe Allan uses.
1 packet of yeast
1 cup 105 degree water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
some extra flourWarm measuring cup and bowl first. Put hook and bowl on mixer with 1 cup 105 degree water. Add yeast and stir on low until dissolved. Add salt, olive oil, and flour. Mix on medium. Add some more flour a teaspoon at a time if the dough is too sticky. Scrape bowl. Divide dough in half before letting it rise to get rounder crusts. Put dough in oiled bowls to rise for 1 hour, covered. Pull, roll, or punch dough into pizza shape. Put onto oiled pan. Cook pizza with sauce and toppings but without cheese for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Add cheese and cook another 8 minutes.
quick Italian bake
(a recipe from the Bisquick box)1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped tomato
3/4 cup peas, corn, broccoli etc.
1/2 teaspoon "Italian seasoning"*
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup mozzarella, shreddedGrease pie plate. Mix meat, veggies, seasoning. Spread in pie plate. Mix Bisquick, milk, eggs. Pour over veggies. Bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Add cheese to top. Bake 2-3 minutes more.
Ok I don't follow those directions exactly. For one, I seldom use ground beef. So I substitute chicken, or go meatless and use tofu. Or I omit the "meat" altogether. Two, they weren't very imaginative with the veggies. I have successfully used eggplant, asparagus, artichokes, mushrooms, and a host of other veggies. *Three, what the heck is "Italian seasoning"? I use oregano and basil. Four, who wants to pull out a hot dish from the oven only to shove it back in again. Go ahead and put the cheese on at the start. Cover it with a piece of foil. When it is 3 minutes from being done with cooking, pull the foil off and let it finish.
spinach-feta casserole in a pan
2 packages of chopped spinach, drained well
8 ounces cottage cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 package crumbled feta cheese
4 eggs
1/4 cup flourMix all ingredients very well. Oil a baking pan. Put the glop in the baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
This makes a very tasty spinach dish that keeps well (about 4-5 days). What I do is cut it into meal-sized portions, put it into ziploc bags and stick it in the coldest part of the fridge. It reheats very well in a microwave (which we have at work) or in a toaster oven (which we have at home). This recipe came to me from Ruth who makes it with oat flour or matzoh meal instead of wheat flour.