Quick and Easy Leftover Makeover: Chicken and Stuffing Casserole!

We are continuing on with our "Budget Buster, Bulk Cooking - Chicken Edition" series and using up some of the leftover chicken we roasted in a previous video!  Today we are making a delicious chicken and stuffing casserole. 

This casserole is quick to make and only uses two cups of chopped, roasted chicken.  I used one thigh, from which I removed the skin and bone and half of a breast.  This made the two cups I needed.  I sauteed some celery, onion and carrot along with a generous 8 ounces of fresh Crimini mushrooms in some butter.  When they were  just a bit soft and the onion was just a bit translucent, I removed it from the heat and added the poultry seasoning, chicken and one can of cream of celery soup along with 1/2 cup of milk.  At this point you can choose to add whatever else you like.  Be it a bag of frozen mixed veggies, some frozen peas or anything you like.  It is up to you.  

*A note about "cream of" soup:* I seldom use canned creamed soups in my recipes.  However there are some that I do use them in.  I prefer to make my cream soup from scratch, however this recipe is intended to be a quick weeknight meal and getting this on the table after a busy day is more important to me than making cream soup from scratch.  You have to pick your battles.  I make no apologies for using this convenience ingredient.  I don't use them often so I am perfectly comfortable using it here or in my tuna casserole or any other number of recipes that can be put on the table quickly.  That being said, If I were going to be doing a month's worth of bulk cooking and were going to need, for instance, cream of mushroom or chicken soup for several recipes, I would indeed make my own and use it for those casseroles to be prepared for freezing.  If I were going to make three of these chicken and stuffing casseroles, along with a few sour cream enchilada casseroles as well as some tuna casseroles then I would make the soup from scratch.  You need to do what is best for you.  I have recipes on my channel for homemade cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli and cream of celery soups.  You can easily find them by doing a quick search using the search option at the top of my channel page.

When the mixture is well blended it was poured into an 8x8 baking dish.  I topped mine with some leftover stuffing mix that we prepared when we made the chicken.  I made two boxes on purpose so I would have enough leftover for the casserole.  You can make a box of your favorite stuffing mix or if it is after a holiday, you can use your homemade stuffing as a topping for this.  I prefer to use a leftover stuffing because it is much easier to break up and "spread" on top than a hot stuffing.  You use what you have available and just plop it on in little spoon fulls on top of the chicken mixture and it will be fine.  

This was baked, uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and a bit crispy on top.  Then we allowed it to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.  It was delicious!  This recipe is a pretty standard throwback to my youth and many people still enjoy this today in one form or another.  A Thanksgiving leftover meal would not be complete in our house without this dish.

So we now add one more recipe using our chicken to our budget buster bulk cooking series.  I plan on getting at least three or four more meals out of those two chickens.  I am up to the challenge.  You will be amazed at what you can do with just a little bit of meat!  

I hope you give this chicken and stuffing casserole a try and I hope you consider doing some bulk cooking of your own and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

You can get a printable copy of this recipe on my website here: http://bit.ly/2i5WzF7

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:

Noreen's Kitchen

Budget Buster Bulk Cooking

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup onion, diced 1 cup celery, diced 1 cup carrot, diced 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 can cream of celery soup ½ cup milk 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 3 cups leftover stuffing or 1 box prepared stuffing mix.

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a skillet.

Sautee all vegetables until tender crisp and onions are just beginning to turn translucent.

Remove from heat and add chicken and poultry seasoning and stir well to combine.

Add cream of celery soup and milk and stir well, being sure to evenly incorporate into a cohesive mixture.

Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture into an 8x8 inch baking dish/pan.

Top with stuffing.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and the stuffing is a bit crispy on top.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.

NOTE:  You can use any kind of cream soup that you like.  Cream of mushroom, onion, celery, chicken, chicken and mushroom or chicken an herb would be good choices. 

Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake with Prego Pasta Sauce from Wal-Mart

Thank you to Prego pasta sauce for sponsoring today's video! I am so happy to bring you this awesome idea for a delicious dinner that can also be used for lunches, quick snacks and even freezer banking! This cheesy meatball pasta bake is going to be a family favorite at your house the moment you place it on your kitchen table!

I was asked to create a recipe using Prego pasta sauce, available from your local Wal-Mart. With back to school, looming, I know, we are in the middle of the summer, and no one wants to think about back to school, but it really is never to early to be prepared and start thinking ahead. This pasta bake is the answer to not one but multiple meals. This will serve between 12 and 16 servings depending on how large or small you make them. 

I love the versatility of this casserole. I have used homemade meatballs that I make in bulk, bake off and then freeze in meal sized portion. I used about a pound or so, but you can feel free to use frozen meatballs if that is what you have on hand or if you are pressed for time. That combined with the Prego sauce that is always ready to go on your pantry shelf and you have a quick start to a dish that will have people thinking you slaved all day to prepare it!

The creamy, cheesy filling is really outstanding here. Ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella and parm come together with a few other ingredients to make an amazing sauce that bakes right into the penne pasta and creates a satisfying, delicious dish that you can have ready to go in under an hour.

I have made this in one 9 x 13 baking dish, but you can easily make this in three 8 x8 foil pans, or even divide this up onto single size portions that can be ready to go for quick lunches that you can take to work or send to school if your child has a microwave to heat it up. Another great option is that your teens can reach into the freezer for a preportioned after school snack of this protein packed meatball pasta instead of reaching for the empty calories of junk food!

Having great ingredients on your pantry shelf can make or break your ability to get your evening meal on the table in a flash. Especially during the busy back to school season where you and your family are transitioning from the lazy days of summer to the super busy, activity filled days of the regular school year. This transition can be a challenge for mom and dad even a bit more than for the kids! So be sure to have plenty of great pantry staples on your shelf like Prego pasta sauce, pasta, canned tuna, chicken and veggies and other things your family enjoys so you have options to reach for in the even that hunger strikes and you forgot to plan something. We all have the best intentions, but sometimes life gets in the way and things sneak up on us! Make it easy on yourself! 

I hope you give this Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake a try and I hope you love it!

Thank you to Prego for sponsoring today's video! 

Happy Eating!

This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#CampbellSavings #CollectiveBias

Noreen's Kitchen

Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake

Ingredients

1 pound, meatballs.  Homemade or frozen 1  pound, Penne, prepared 2 eggs 16  ounces (2 cups) ricotta cheese 8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, softened 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 cloves garlic, chopped 8 ounces sliced Crimini mushrooms 1, 24 ounce jar Prego Pasta Sauce 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Cut meatballs into halves or quarters, as you prefer.

Combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, eggs, parsley, Italian seasoning and chopped garlic, together in a large bowl.  Stir together to combine.

Add sliced mushrooms to the cheese mixture and stir well to incorporate.

Add cooked pasta and meatballs and stir well, being sure to incorporate all the ingredients as evenly as possible.

Pour the pasta mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish and spread evenly.

Pour pasta sauce over the top and spread evenly to cover.

Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta sauce.  Additionally, you could sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese if desired.

Bake, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes until bubble and cheese has slightly browned.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.  Alternatively leftovers can be divided between some foil storage pans, topped with additional sauce and cheese and covered with a layer of heavy duty foil and frozen for up to three months.  To re-heat, place frozen casserole in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour until the casserole is heated through and the cheese topping has melted.

ENJOY!

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video!

Classic King Ranch Casserole! Comfort Food Made Better!

Today I am sharing a southwestern Tex Mex classic!  King Ranch Casserole!  There is some question as to where this recipe actually comes from.  The original inclination is to associate it with the King Ranch in Texas.  The largest cattle ranch in all the world.  However, this casserole contains chicken and there is some idea that the only think "King Ranch" about this casserole is the name.  Probably not too many yard birds running around there!  Some speculate that this was some concoction by the ladies of the Junior League of their day or even some southwestern spin on Chicken A'la King.  No matter where the provenance of the recipe hails from, this casserole is a keeper.

This recipe, in all it's goodness, was originally laden with condensed cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups.  While I grew up with those, I prefer not to use them anymore and opt for a more delicious homemade version.  It does not take that much longer to create your own cream base and it is ever so much more delicious!   It is very simple and will render an amazing result that will make you forsake the canned "cream of" soups for eternity!

Layers of corn tortillas, shredded cooked chicken, cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese, all married together with the comforting blanket of creamy sauce made with chicken stock, cream, bell peppers, onions and the only commercially canned item on the list, Ro-Tel, tomatoes and green chilies.  Those are a must for any self respecting King Ranch casserole!  What you have in the end, is a plate full of comfort food love.  When you take your first bite you will be in casserole heaven and I promise this will be going to your next pot luck or church supper with you because it is THAT good!  This reheats like a dream and holds together beautifully.

I also would add this to my freezer banking list of make ahead bulk dishes that "freeze beautifully" as Annelle would say in Steel Magnolias.  I would simply construct the casserole in a heavy duty foil pan, I like the deeper pans that are approximately 9 x 13 in size. Then cover tightly with parchment paper first, then a double layer of regular foil (I like non stick) or a single layer of heavy duty foil, then I like to put the whole pan inside of a two gallon plastic zip top bag.  This will help the casserole stay fresh and avoid the foil popping off while in your freezer(face it, you know it happens!).  Make sure you write the reheating instructions on the bag so everyone knows what to do!

I hope you give this classic Tex Mex casserole a try the next time you want some delicious, southwestern comfort food and I hope you love it!  How can you not love this?!

Watch how I put this delicious King Ranch Casserole together!

Here is the recipe!  You can get a printable version on my website: http://bit.ly/1Px0iJS

King Ranch Casserole:

6 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1, 10 ounce can Ro-Tel

    tomatoes & green chilies

1 cup diced red and yellow bell pepper

1 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 pounds chicken cooked and shredded*

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

15 corn tortillas, cut in half

Mix the two cheeses together and set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy bottomed stock pot over medium high heat.

Add flour and whisk to combine.  Continue to cook for just a minute or two until the flour is absorbed by the butter and the mixture gets a bit bubbly and foamy and releases a bit of a nutty aroma.

Add half of the chicken stock to the pot and whisk briskly to combine.  Continue to stir until the mixture thickens.  This will take a couple of minutes.

When the mixture has become thick, add the remaining chicken stock to the pot and whisk well to combine.    Set this aside.

In a skillet, melt 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and saute' peppers, onions and garlic, for three to five minutes until you can smell their aroma.  

Add the sautéed vegetables to the cream sauce you set aside along with the Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies.  Stir well to combine.  This will be the sauce for your casserole.

To build casserole:

Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole or foil baking pan with corn tortillas.  I like to cut them in half and put the flat part against the edges of the casserole dish/pan.  This gives more complete coverage.

Top with half of the shredded chicken, then layer on 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Evenly spread half of the sauce mixture over the cheese.

Repeat layers of tortilla, chicken, cheese and sauce.  You should have 1/3 of the cheese and some of the tortillas left for the top.

Cover the top with the remaining tortilla halves and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is browned and the casserole is slightly bubbly.

The top will be cheesy and crispy and delicious.

Allow the casserole to sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

To Freezer bank this casserole:

Build your casserole but do not bake it.  Lay a piece of parchment just big enough to cover the top but not hang over the sides of the pan.  Cover this with two layers of regular foil or one layer of heavy duty foil and seal all edges tightly.

Place the casserole into a 2 gallon zip top bag and remember to write reheating instructions.

To reheat casserole from frozen, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove casserole from plastic bag and place on a baking sheet.

Bake covered for 1 hour then remove foil and parchment and continue baking 15 to 30 minutes until casserole is cooked through, the cheese is melted and the casserole is somewhat bubbly.

Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. 

This casserole can be made in advance and freezer banked for up to six months.

Get a printable version of this recipe on my website!  http://bit.ly/1Px0iJS

Enjoy!