Spaghetti Pie Casserole

This recipe is also originally from my mother. If it sounds like I have a recipe box full of her recipes, well I do. I’ve only made this one a couple of times and is typical for me, I’ve changed it. It’s quite tasty and a real crowd-pleaser but it’s not exactly what you’d call low fat. Still, when the weather is cold and you need to fill up a lot of people, this dish will get the job done.

Ingredients:

• About 10 ounces spaghetti, broken in thirds, cooked and drained
• 1 pound sausage, crumbled, cooked and drained
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ C shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 T olive oil
• Half a medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press
• 10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 C light sour cream
• 3 C marinara sauce
• 1 C water
• 4 ounces sliced Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• While the spaghetti pieces are still warm, mix in the eggs and Parmesan cheese; put in a greased casserole dish and set aside
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions till limp
• Add the mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes
• Stir in the marinara sauce and the water and heat through
• Add the sour cream to the skillet, and then spoon about half of the mixture over the spaghetti mixture in the pie pan
• Add the cooked and crumbled sausage to the pie pan and top with the rest of the sauce
• Top with the Mozzarella cheese
• Place in the oven and bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted

As made, I served four adults, two children and had another three servings for lunches later in the week. 

Green Bean Casserole

My daughter-in-law adores green bean casserole for holiday meals. I have to be honest, I’ve always disliked the dish, largely because it uses canned green beans. I find most canned vegetables to be awful and green beans are the biggest offenders in my world. But this year, she made the casserole from scratch. Oh my word, what a transformation! Here’s her recipe, cut down to serve two.

Ingredients:

Crispy Onion Topping
½ yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (use a mandoline if you have one)
1/8 C flour
1 T breadcrumbs
Dash of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola, safflower, peanut or other high-heat oil, for deep-frying

Beans in Mushroom Sauce
1 ½ T butter
6 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Dash of salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ T flour
¾ C vegetable or chicken broth
¼ C milk
½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into pieces

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325° F*
• Toss onion with flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper 
• Heat oil in a skillet and fry the onions until light golden brown 
• Remove and place on plate with paper towel – set aside
• Over medium-high heat, melt butter in a skillet
• Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté them until they start releasing their liquid, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes 
• Add the garlic and sauté one minute more
• Add the flour and stir it until it fully coats the mushrooms
• Add the broth, stirring the whole time
• Simmer mixture for 1 minute, then add cream and bring back to a simmer, cooking until the sauce thickens. Stir frequently.
• Add greens beans to sauce and stir until they are coated
• Put bean and mushroom mixture into a casserole dish
• Sprinkle crispy onions over the top
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions are a shade darker

* I put the beans into the oven while our Christmas pork roast was cooking at 325°. The beans cooked for probably half an hour and were perfect, so no need to blanch them.

Chicken and Swiss Cheese Casserole

When my children were growing up, I made a lot of chicken and rice dishes. A lot. So when they hit their teen years, they both basically refused to eat them anymore. Now that they're adults, I think the dislike has worn off and one has even asked for a few of the recipes, including this one.

A few words before I get to the recipe: You can make your rice on the stove if you prefer, but I have come to love my rice steamer. If you don't have one, you can make it on the stove and cook it with the broth and herbs and onions. Either way works.

Ingredients:

Casserole
2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, either minced or put through a garlic press
3 C cooked rice (I use brown rice)
1/8 C sherry or white wine (not cooking wine) or vermouth
Water or broth to deglaze the pan
1 bay leaf
2 t dried thyme or about 1 t fresh
1 ½ C cooked, diced chicken
6 to 8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

Topping
2 T butter
1 T flour
1/3 C milk
Paprika to sprinkle

Directions:

Casserole

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet.
• Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until the onion is clear.
• Add the sherry or white wine or vermouth and enough water or broth to deglaze the pan.
• Add the diced chicken and heat thoroughly.
• Quickly combine the chicken mixture, cooked rice and Swiss cheese and put into a large greased casserole pan.

Topping

• Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.
• Stir in the flour ensuring you have no lumps.
• Slowly add the milk and stir constantly until thickened.
• Pour over the casserole and sprinkle the top with paprika.
• Cover and bake about 20 minutes.