CRAZY FOR CASSEROLE

Soothing dish for dreary winter

It’s that time of year when we’re getting weary of winter and just feel like tucking into a hot, soothing casserole. The word does double duty as an ingredient and as a baking dish — and super convenient, as basically the ingredients are cooked and served in the same dish. The casserole dish itself is

usually deep, round (or square) and some are pretty enough to go from oven to table.

Casseroles usually contain some sort of starch — potatoes, rice, pasta — and a variety of proteins like fish, meats and vegetables (or just veggies) and a creamy sauce. Favourite casseroles include the classics: Tuna noodle, mac ’n cheese and chicken pot pie. Of course, for vegetarian lovers, it’s all about the cauliflower, sweet potato and greens. Something for everyone.

It’s always a good day to consider a casserole for dinner. While it’s baking, prepare a tossed salad to serve alongside. Best? Casserole leftovers taste even better the next day, so make enough to pack a few lunches.

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

For the purists, a bag of crumbled potato chips as a topping is the way to go. We're offering a breadcrumb and cheese mixture for the topping on this dish that is bound to bring back memories. 8 oz. (240g) extra-broad egg noodles (Noyolks suggested) 2 cans ( 6 oz/170g each) water-packed tuna

1 cup (250 ml) frozen peas 1 small onion, diced ¼ cup (60mL) each diced celery and sweet red pepper 1 can (10 oz./284mL) cream of mushroom soup

1 can (10 oz./284mL) cream of celery soup

½ cup (125mL) milk,

½ tsp. (2mL) freshly ground pepper

½ cup (125mL) grated Cheddar ½ cup (125mL) grated Parmesan

1 cup (250mL) bread crumbs

In a pot of boiling salted water, boil pasta until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes.

Drain and rinse. You need 3 cups (750 ml) cooked pasta.

Meanwhile, drain tuna. In bowl, break into flakes; add pasta, peas, onion, celery and pepper. Stir in soups, then milk and ground pepper to make a creamy mixture. Add a little more milk if needed to coat pasta generously.

Pore into an 8x8-inch (2 L) baking dish or shallow casserole dish; smooth top.Toss cheeses with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over tuna mixture. Bake in centre of preheated 350F (180C) oven until crusty

bling, about 35 to 40 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.

COUNTRY CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Recipe courtesy Foodland Ontario (Foodlandontario.ca.) 4 tsp. (20mL) olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 leek (white and light green parts), chopped

1 cup (250mL) each sliced carrots and parsnips

1 cup (250mL) quartered mushrooms

1-¼ tsp. (6mL) dried thyme leaves ¼ tsp. (1mL) each salt and pepper 3 Tbsp. (45mL) allpurpose flour

1 cup (250mL) 1% milk

1 cup (250mL) sodiumreduced chicken broth

2 tsp. (10mL) Dijon mustard 2 cups (500mL) shredded cooked chicken or turkey ½ cup (125mL) frozen peas 2 cups (500mL) torn whole wheat bread pieces

In large saucepan, heat 2 tsp. (10mL) of oil over medium heat. Saute garlic, leeks, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, 3/4 tsp (4mL) of thyme, salt and pepper for 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.

ually stir into saucepan along with broth and mustard. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until bubbling and thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and peas. Spoon into 8-cup (2L) baking dish. (Make ahead: Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Reheat in microwave until hot and continue with recipe.)

In bowl, toss bread with remaining oil and thyme until coated; sprinkle over chicken mixture. Bake in 425F (220C) oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until bread is toasted and sauce is bubbling.

Serves 4.

EASY CREAMY MAC ’N CHEESE

Adapted from a recipe from Dairygoodness.ca. 1 lb. (450g) elbow macaroni 2 Tbsp. (30mL) butter

1 clove garlic, finely minced 1 green onion, white only, finely minced

2 Tbsp. (30mL) allpurpose flour

2 cups (500mL) 18% cream (or light cream)

1 cup (250mL) milk

2 tsp. (10mL) Dijon mustard 1 ½ cups (375mL) Canadian cheddar (or favourite cheddar), shredded

½ tsp. (2mL) ground nutmeg Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Topping:

½cup (125mL) dried bread crumbs

½ cup (125mL) Canadian white cheddar, (or favourite white cheddar) shredded

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender; drain well.

Heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute 1-2 minutes. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually stir in cream and milk. Return to medium heat and stir until sauce boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients and macaroni. Spoon into a buttered large oven proof casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs and Cheddar cheese for topping in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top of macaroni. Brown under preheated broiler for 5 minutes or until golden.

Serves 8.

TIPS: Add diced tomatoes and tsp. (5mL) oregano to sauce mixture. Or ¾ cup (175mL) leftover sausages, chopped to cream mixture.

BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN

Recipe courtesy Foodland Ontario (Foodlandontario.ca.) Gratin:

¼ cup (60mL) butter 1 clove garlic, cut in half 2 cups (500mL) fresh breadcrumbs

⅓ cup (75mL) grated Parmesan cheese

6 cups (1.5 L) each medium-size cauliflower and broccoli florets Cheese Sauce:

3 Tbsp. (45mL) each butter and all-purpose flour 2 cups (500mL) milk 1¼ cups (300mL) grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. (5mL) onion powder ½ tsp. (2mL) grated nutmeg ¼ tsp. (1mL) salt

In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute; remove and discard garlic. Stir in breadcrumbs, coating well; stir in cheese. Set aside.

Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook cauliflower for 2 minutes; add broccoli and cook 4 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Drain well; transfer to 12-cup (3 L) casserole. Keep warm.

In large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour; cook, stirring until it changes colour slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, increase heat to medium, whisking constantly until mixture comes to boil. Stir in cheese, onion powder, nutmeg and salt. Pour over hot vegetables. Top with reserved breadcrumb mixture.

Bake in 350F (180C) oven for 20 minutes until bubbling and topping is golden brown. (If made ahead and refrigerated, add 15 minutes to baking time.)

Serves 10-12.