Bacon, Ranch and Cheese Pasta Bake

 I found this recipe online and then promptly set about tweaking it to fit my needs and my pantry. For example, I didn't want to take time to thaw, fry and crumble bacon. We use a wonderful type of Bacon Bits that look and taste like real bacon without the grease.  It's easy and quick. In fact, this casserole is easy and quick. That's my favorite kind on days that are sometimes way too busy.

Bacon, Ranch and Cheese Pasta Bake

8 ounces uncooked Penne Pasta

1 14.5-15 ounce jar Alfredo Sauce

4 tablespoons real Bacon Bits (or 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled)

1/4 cup Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cook and drain the Penne Pasta according to the package directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir the cooked Penne Pasta, Alfredo Sauce, Bacon Bits, 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese and Ranch Dressing together. Spoon into an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar Cheese on top.

Bake for  20 minutes.

Chicken Casserole

Some days you've just got to go with what you have. It was one of those days. I needed lunch and I needed it quickly. I found a few recipes -- google is a wonderful thing -- but I didn't have time to cook chicken down and I didn't have all the ingredients for any one recipe. So I adapted and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Chicken Casserole

2 cans (12.5 oz. each) chunk chicken breast, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup*
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
32 Ritz crackers

* you can substitute cream of mushroom soup

Place the chicken in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Combine the soup, sour cream and onion. Spread it on top of the chicken. Crumble the Ritz crackers over that.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This recipe comes from a 2006 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. It was apparently submitted by reader Sharon Brenneman of Lima, Ohio.

I’m sure I tore it out of the magazine and kept it because I love Chicken Cordon Bleu. Or, at least, I used to. Many, many years ago this was my favorite dish at a wonderful ocean-side restaurant in California. Alas, the restaurant closed when the owners lost their lease. It was a sad day for many of us because the restaurant was usually filled with customers.

I’m looking forward to trying this casserole. Quick and easy works for me these days. How about for you?

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1 lb. baby red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lb. chicken-breast tenders
1 bag (12-oz.) broccoli florets
1 can (10 ¾-oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cooked ham in 1 piece, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in microwave-safe large bowl, place potatoes and 2 tablespoons water. Cover bowl with waxed paper and microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender, stirring once.

Add chicken and all remaining ingredients to potatoes and toss to mix well. Transfer mixture to a 13-x-9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake casserole, uncovered, 5o to 55 minutes or until chicken loses its pink color throughout and cheese begins to brown.

Makes 6 main-dish servings, at 375 calories each.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

This sounds like a wonderful recipe. Let's see: bacon, hash browns, cheese. Yeah. Sounds good to me.

This is another great recipe from Kraft. I love their kitchen tips as well. With this recipe came the suggestion for crushing 30 RITZ Crackers and mixing them with 2 tablespoons of melted margarine. Then sprinkle the mixture over the casserole before baking. Sounds like a tasty variation!

 

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

 

4 slices OSCAR MEYER Bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 package (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed dream of mushroom soup
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream
1 1/4 cups KRAFT 2 % Milk Shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses, divided

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK bacon, onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 min. or just until bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large bowl.
ADD hash browns, soup, sour cream and 1 cup cheese; mix lightly. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish; top with remaining cheese.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until heated through.

Food Facts

Frozen hash browns come in 2 shapes - small cubes which are called Southern hash browns, and shredded which are called country-style hash browns.

Classic Baked Corn Pudding

This is another great recipe from Pillsbury. Doesn't it look delicious? I can't wait to give it a try.

The recipe calls for frozen corn but the folks at Pillsbury say you can use three 15.25-ounce cans of Green Giant® whole kernel corn, drained, instead of the frozen corn. Also, for a change of flavor, you can add 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves with the parsley. 

               

Classic Baked Corn Pudding

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/2  teaspoon pepper

4  cups milk (1 quart)

6  eggs, slightly beaten

2  cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

2  bags (12 oz) Green Giant ® Valley Fresh Steamers™ Niblets® frozen corn, thawed, drained

1/2  cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoon parsley flakes

3/4  cup Progresso® plain bread crumbs

3  tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish or 3-quart casserole with cooking spray.

 In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Stir in milk. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Gradually stir in eggs and cheese. Stir in corn and parsley. Pour into baking dish.

 In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons melted butter; sprinkle over corn mixture.

 Bake uncovered 55 to 65 minutes or until mixture is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

 

One serving is 260 calories.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

This recipe comes from the folks over at Kraft. What a wonderful Hash Brown Casserole recipe!

One thing I love about Kraft is that they always include tips and such with their recipes. Check out their website for many other recipes.

For an extra twist on this casserole, Kraft suggests crushing 30 RITZ Crackers and mixing them with 2 tablespoons melted margarine. Just sprinkle it over the top of the casserole before baking. Yum!

 

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

 

4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 pkg. (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream

1-1/4 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheeses, divided

 

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK bacon, onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 min. or just until bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large bowl.
ADD hash browns, soup, sour cream and 1 cup cheese; mix lightly. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish; top with remaining cheese.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until heated through.

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells

This recipe was in the Relish newspaper insert today in our local paper. The recipe is from Jack Witherspoon, a leukemia survivor. This young man got hooked of the Food Network while he was sick and he decided he wanted to be a chef, the article said.

Jack and his mom, Lisa, wrote a cookbook titled Twist It Up. (Chronicle Books, 2011) Be sure to check it out and help this young man raise money for pediatric leukemia research. You can purchase it through Amazon or many other places where books are sold. Thanks!

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 (14 ½-oz.) can tomato sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper

Pasta

1 (12-oz.) box jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh spinach
½ cup water
1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

To prepare marinara sauce, heat olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, bouillon cubes, basil, oregano, parsley and sugar. Stir well. Simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper.

Makes about 6 cups.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss cooked pasta with olive oil and set aside.

Combine spinach with water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, covered, until spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture. Finely chop spinach.

Combine mozzarella, ricotta, eggs, garlic, spinach, ½ cup Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to blend. Generously stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture. Place shells in 2 (13 x 9-inch) baking dishes and cover with marinara sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is hot and bubbly. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 10.

Disney World Chicken Divan

This recipe comes, via Disney World I would presume, via a yellowed newspaper clipping.

Disney World Chicken Divan

6 boneless chicken breasts or 1 pound tenderloins
¼ cup butter or margarine
12 spears broccoli, cooked
Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons sour cream
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika

Sauté chicken in butter until tender and golden brown on both sides. Place broccoli spears in casserole or baking pan, allowing 2 spears per serving. Arrange chicken breasts over broccoli.

Blend Cream Sauce with sour cream. Ladle evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and season to taste with paprika.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Cream Sauce

½ cup butter or margarine
½ cup flour
4 cups milk
Salt
White pepper

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken Florentine Casserole

This is another wonderful dinner meal from Kraft. It doesn't take long and it sure beats fast food (which sometimes seems much easier!) Give it a try. You might find that dinner time isn't such a hassle after all.

 

Chicken Florentine Casserole

 

1 tsp. oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme

3/4 cup milk

2 cups cooked farfalle (bow-tie pasta)

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

4 slices Oscar Mayer Bacon, cooked, crumbles

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 

Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir 6 to 7 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in all remaining ingredients except bacon.

 

Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole sprayed with cooking spray; cover.

Bake 25 minutes or until heated through, uncovering and sprinkling with bacon after 15 minutes.

Kraft suggests serving the casserole with a mixed green salad.

Potatoes Rancheros Casserole

Betty Crocker packaged potatoes are always in our cupboards. They're a perfect go-to side dish that everyone loves. They're also good to have just in case you need to take a casserole somewhere with little notice or time to prepare something fancy. I found this recipe in an advertisement for their product. This makes something basic and good downright fancy after all.

Betty Crocker Potatoes Rancheros Casserole

1 package Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes
2 ¼ cups boiling water
1 cup canned corn, drained
2/3 cup milk
½ lb. lean ground beef, cooked and drained
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded taco-seasoned cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped red pepper, if desired
1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix potatoes, Sauce Mix, water, corn and milk in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Stir in beef and ¾ cup cheese. Add red and green pepper, if desired.

Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand a few minutes.

Serve with Tortilla chips and sour cream.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

This is one of those easy meals -- and no, quiche is not just for women. I don't really know where that got started but it's just not true. Making men don't think it's "substantial" enough for them. Whatever. Just serve it with a nice salad and it's a great meal. If you really want to make it festive, Kraft suggests adding 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers to filling before pouring into the pie crust.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup each chopped onions
1 cup chopped broccoli
5 eggs
1/3 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 frozen deep-dish pie crust (9 inch)


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place vegetables in skillet sprayed with cooking spray; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside.

Beat eggs, dressing and milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in vegetable mixture and cheese; pour into pie shell. Place pie shell on baking sheet.

Bake on baking sheet 40 to 45 min. or until center of quiche is set and top is golden brown. Let stand 10 min. before cutting into slices to serve.

Makes 6 servings

Ham and Cheese Lasagna

This is a different take on a classic Italian recipe.

Ham and Cheese Lasagna

Cheese Sauce
2 cans (10 3/4 oz) condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 soup can filled with lowfat milk
1 can (14 1/2 0z) no-salt added diced tomatoes, drained, with large pieces cut up
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tub (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 uncooked, oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 bag (16 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and pressed dry on paper towels
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 oz. thinkly sliced baked Virginia ham
1 jar (12 oz) roasted red peppers, well drained and chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Cheese Sauce
Whisk ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan until blended. Heat, stirring with a whisk, until cheeses melt.

Mix ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese and the nutmeg in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

Layer lasagna in prepared baking dish as follows: Spread 1 cup cheese sauce over bottom, top with 4 overlapping noodles, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, the broccoli, 1 1/2 cups cheese sauce and 1/2 cup Cheddar sauce.

Finish with rest of noodles, cheese sauce and Cheddar cheese. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake 50 minutes or until sauce bubbles and noodles are tender. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Breakfast Sausage Casserole

This recipe comes from the Jimmy Dean sausage people. I'm really not a morning person so I like being able to assemble this the night before and bake it in the morning.

Breakfast Sausage Casserole

1 pkg. Jimmy Dean Roll Sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained
10 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups light cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon dry mustard
16 oz. day old bread, cubed
4 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
              

                  
Grease 9 x 13-inch pan.

Place bread in pan. Sprinkle with cheeses and sausage.

Combine rest of ingredients together and mix well. Pour over bread.

Refrigerate overnight. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until golden brown.

Serves 6-8.

Beef Taco Skillet

Okay, does anyone out there sometimes want supper that is quick and easy and requires a minimal amount of pans? Yeah. Me too. Beef Taco Skillet is one of those recipes. It's a Campbell's soup recipe. They usually offer recipes that can be thrown together with ease.

One warning though: traditional meat and potatoes people probably won't be patting you on the back with gratitude. Older Southern men generally fit that description. This recipe is for busy people and kids. Oh, and people who love Tex-Mex food.

Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb. ground beef
1 can (10 3/4-oz.) tomato soup
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup water
8 flour or corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1" pieces
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook beef in skillet until browned. Pour off the fat.

Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas and half the cheese. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for five minutes or until it's hot.

Top with remaining cheese.

Eat and enjoy!

Squash Casserole

Sometimes it's easy to understand why the Deep South is know for being a little overweight. Not that we would ever cook anything that would adhere directing to one's thighs.

Squash Casserole is not something for those concerned about calories and weight gain. It is for anyone who loves something truly mouth-watering wonderful. This is my Mother's recipe. Indulge!

Squash Casserole

2 lbs. yellow squash
1 to 2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1/2 stick margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
plain bread crumbs
extra shredded cheese

Wash squash. Cut off ends and discard them. Cut up squash into one to two inch pieces. Place squash in water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender. Drain off water and mash squash until it resembles a course batter.

Stir together squash, mayonnaise, onion, egg, cheese and margarine.

Coat a 12" x 12" baking dish with cooking spray. Pour mixture into the dish.

Sprinkle bread crumbs over top of mixture. The top should be lightly covered.

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven

Sprinkle grated cheese on top of crumbs. Bake an additional five to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Tuna Casserole

Many, many years ago a friend shared her Tune Casserole recipe with me. I'd never heard of Tuna Casserole. Shocking, I know. But she explained that it's a wonderful last minute item. The ingredients are items we usually have in our kitchens anyway.

She made one and I learned something else about Tuna Casserole -- it's good! My friend and I lost touch a long time ago. She moved. I moved. Lives that were once parallel went in separate ways. Still, I always think of her with a smile when I make a Tune Casserole. I hope you enjoy it too!

Tuna Casserole

One 5 oz can of tuna
One 10 3/4 oz can of Cream of Mushroom soup
One 8 oz package wide egg noodles
shredded cheddar cheese

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Drain.

Sir in the tuna and soup. Place in a glass casserole bowl. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. How much depends on your taste buds. I love cheese so I make sure to cover the top. You might prefer a lighter sprinkling.

Cook in a 325 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

Enjoy!