Hash Brown Potato Casserole

After trying this Hash Brown Potato Casserole different ways to make it "more" frugal, it didn't turn out quite the way my DH loves.  My mom would always make this casserole at all the holiday meals for years, and my DH always loved eating it! (Me too!)  So, I broke down, setting aside my frugal alternatives, and made it as she makes it.   This is indeed a family favorite!

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
16 oz sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
6 cups frozen shredded potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, and shredded cheese until well mixed.  Then, stir in the shredded potatoes and place into the 9x13 pan.

Bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until hot.

Garnish with chives or bacon bits as an option, or just plain is good as well.

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

This casserole is one of my family's favorite dishes.  I usually don't have leftovers.  I had just finished making a turkey earlier in the week, that I bought last year.  In place of the chicken, I used turkey; it tasted great.  I like that you can throw in any kind of veggies that you want; it's great for the little bit of leftovers.  The recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients:
14.5 oz spaghetti**
1/2 onion diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh chopped spinach
1/4 cup corn (optional)
1/3 cup green chilies diced make your own
1 can cream of mushroom soup homemade
1 can cream of chicken soup homemade
2 cups milk*
1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
Garnish with diced tomatoes and shredded cheese.

In one large pot, cook your spaghetti according to the directions on package.  **I've also made it with bowtie pasta as well; it was a super-hit with one of my 4 boys, as he does not like spaghetti much.

In a small saucepan, saute the onion, peppers, spinach, corn, and green chilies until soft.

*If you are making your own cream of chicken soup, add 1/4 cup diced mushrooms.  This will substitute the two canned cream soups and the 2 cups milk.  You will not need to make the cream of mushroom soup.  I love that I can throw it together, it's pretty forgiving.  You only need to make one of the homemade soups.  Hence, there's only 3 cups water and 1 cup milk, plus the seasoning and mushrooms.

In a large bowl, combine your soups, milk*, chicken, sour cream and the cooked veggies.  Then, stir in the cooked spaghetti.  It wasn't until just recently that I decided to add a sour cream to give it a more creamier flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray with a nonstick cooking spray a 9x13 pan.  Place the pasta into the pan.  Cover and bake for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Garnish with the diced tomatoes and shredded cheese.

Husband & Kid Tested & Approved

Hash Brown Sausage Casserole

Wanted to bring something different to a brunch meeting with some friends.   The Hash Brown Sausage Casserole recipe is adapted from this Easy Potato and Bacon Breakfast Casserole.  It was intended for me to take in the morning.  But, it smelled so good, that we ate it for dinner, instead.  Now, I have another one to make for tomorrow.  I was so proud of myself for being all prepared for tomorrow... It's alright, I've got plenty of potatoes to shred in my stash to use.

Ingredients:

1/2 diced onion

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup diced green chilies

1 lb sausage (use 1 cup)

4 cups thawed hash browns or homemade
3 cups shredded cheese
3 eggs beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt

Saute onions, peppers, and green chilies until cooked.  Then, cook the sausage with the veggies & drain the grease.  Toss the hash browns and shredded cheese with the sausage mix in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and salt, and then combine with the hash brown, cheese, and sausage.  Stir well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat 9x13 pan with a non-stick cooking spray.  Pour mix into pan.  Cover and bake for 40-45 minutes, careful to not burn.

*I only used 1 cup of the sausage mix for this recipe to stretch it further.  But, other recipes use the full 2 cups.
*To make the homemade hash browns, just put 4-5 small potatoes through the shredder of a food processor.  Let soak in some lemon juice, to keep from turning brown.  Steam in microwave on "Baked Potato" button, about 7-10 minutes.
*To stretch my milk in baking/cooking, I'll dilute my 2% milk in half with water, 50:50.

Kid Tested & Approved

Mexican Chicken Casserole

When I was growing up, we ate a lot of this!  It was so good.  It's been a while since I last made it.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup or homemade (2 cups)
1 can diced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
2 cups chunky cooked chicken
8 oz shredded cheese or Velveeta
tortilla chips (crushed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray with a non-stick cooking a 9x13 pan.  Except for the chips and cheese, combine all ingredients and warm up together, slightly, to reduce cooking time in oven.  (If using 1 can of cream of chicken soup, you may want to fill up the empty can with milk, to make it creamy.  I used homemade.)

Apply a couple cups of the sauce on the bottom layer, then crushed chips, and sprinkle w/ cheese.  Continue in the same pattern, ending with the cheese sprinkled on top.  (I used 2 cups of sauce for each layer and smoothed it over the chips.)

Cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

Kid tested and approved.

*To cut down on cost, I used fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, & green chilies I portioned and placed in freezer during the summer months.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Got this recipe earlier in the year for my son's Cinco de Mayo food bash @ school.  Made another pan for dinner to test with my family.  Previous to this recipe, I vowed that I would NEVER make Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas again!  But, this recipe has changed my mind!  It is a family favorite.


Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole
(Modified from original recipe, Chicken Enchilada Casserole)

1 cup plain homemade yogurt
2 cups cream of chicken soup (homemade)
1/3 cup chopped green chilies
2 cups diced grilled chicken
10 flour homemade tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese
sour cream

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine plain yogurt, cream of chicken soup, green chilies, 1 cup shredded cheese, & grilled chicken in a bowl.  Spray a 9x13 pan with a nonstick spray, spoon some sauce into the bottom of pan, layer with flour tortillas & sauce, until sauce is gone.  Finish w/ sauce on top.  Top w/ the remaining shredded cheese.  Cover & bake for 30-45 minutes, or until bubbly.  (To prevent cheese from sticking to aluminum foil, spray with Pam.)  Garnish w/ sour cream.