Use this recipe to put together a different casserole every day. Discover some new favorite recipes as you design your meal around your available ingredients.
Are you ready for an everyday adventure? It's not an exotic specialty for a dinner with the in-laws, but it can certainly mean a change of pace for the family at suppertime, and it just might save you a trip to the store for a single ingredient that you could substitute. If you frequent pot-luck dinners you may want to try out some new combinations at home so that you can share your most recent discovery with the crowd next week.
The principal is simple. Just choose one (or two) items from each list and combine them in equal (or nearly equal) parts. A can of this, a package of that, one potato or one onion, the beef you have on hand from last nights roast are going to be the right quantity for this project! Remember, the recipe is called the Flexible Casserole.
The formula goes like this:
Choose one kind of meat:
- Hamburger
- Stew meat
- cubed chicken
- ham
- pork
- smoked sausage
- turkey
- tuna
- tofu
- vegetarian meat substitutes
Choose one or two kinds of starch:
- Potatoes
- macaroni
- rice
- noodles
- red beans
- seasoned bread cubes
Choose one or more vegetables:
- Onions
- mushrooms
- whole kernel corn
- peas
- green beans
- mixed vegetables
- tomatoes
Add a sauce to blend it all together:
- Tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
- mushroom soup
- cheddar cheese soup
- cheese sauce
- cream of celery soup
- sweet and sour sauce
- gravy
I often start by cooking the meat in a skillet then I add the starch and the vegetables. Finally I blend it all together with the sauce. The only rule I use is my own judgment. Does it sound like it will be a good combination? Does it seem like it will be about the right amount? Taste often as you go along. From there it can be served directly or placed in the oven to keep warm and season together.
Good luck in creating a great meal, and many more!
