Category: Make Ahead

Easy Day Before Casserole

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 24, 2011
No Comments on Easy Day Before Casserole

7 oz. macaroni (uncooked)

1 can celery soup

1 can mushroom soup

1 small jar pimentos (optional)

4 oz. mushroom pieces

1 small onion, chopped

2 c. milk

1/2 lb Velveeta cheese diced

1/4 c. green pepper diced

2 c. ham, chicken or turkey, cooked and chopped

1 can water chestnuts, sliced

Combine all ingredients. Place in buttered 3 quart or 9×13 inch pan. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350. Bake one hour.

8 Servings

Tags casseroles, ham chicken, main dish, make ahead, Pasta, turkey

Asian Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead

Spicy Sweet Glazed “Dump” Chicken

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 24, 2011
No Comments on Spicy Sweet Glazed “Dump” Chicken

Thumbs up for this easy recipe! Served it with Jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. I omitted the Tabasco for the sake of the kiddo and just sprinkled crushed red pepper on my serving.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
2/3 cup Apricot Preserves
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Ketchup
1 Teaspoon Tabasco

For immediate cooking: Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Place all ingredients into a large baking dish, turn chicken to coat. Bake until chicken juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts).

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.

To thaw and cook: Take the bag out of the freezer the night before, make sure the baggie is completely closed. Place the Bag on a shelf furthest from the freezer (It works best if the bag is laying flat, although this may not be the best option with a side-by-side fridge/freezer). Preheat the oven to 350 F. Empty the contents of the bag into a large baking dish and bake until the juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts).

Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead

Creole Dump Chicken

1 1/2 Pounds Chicken Pieces

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1/4 cup Bell Pepper

1 Clove Minced Garlic

14 oz can Whole Tomatoes (Chopped and undrained)

2 Teaspoons Worcestershire

2 Teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper Sauce (Optional)

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.

6 Servings

Casseroles Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 cube chicken bouillon

1/4 cup hot water

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the chicken in a saucepan with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from saucepan, and shred.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dissolve the bouillon cube in hot water. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the bouillon, cream cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with the chicken mixture, and top with 3 lasagna noodles; repeat. Top with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.

16 Servings

Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead

Citrus Ginger Chicken

Dump Recipe: Dump ingredients in a large Zip-loc baggie and freeze. When ready to cook, thaw out then dump it in your baking dish and pop it in the oven or slow cooker. Doesn’t get any easier than that!

1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
1 Tablespoon Honey-Mustard
3/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/8 Teaspoon Red Pepper (Optional)

For immediate cooking: Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Place all ingredients into a
large baking dish, turn chicken to coat. Bake until chicken juices run
clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken
breasts).

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.

To thaw and cook: Take the bag out of the freezer the night before, make
sure the baggie is completely closed. Place the Bag on a shelf furthest
from the freezer (It works best if the bag is laying flat, although this
may not be the best option with a side-by-side fridge/freezer). Preheat the
oven to 350 F. Empty the contents of the bag into a large baking dish and
bake until the juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30
minutes for chicken breasts).

Beef Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead Mexican Pork

Chimichangas

1 lb cooked beef or cooked pork or cooked chicken (3 cups)

1 (16 ounce) jar salsa

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers

1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope burrito seasoning mix or taco seasoning mix

16 flour tortillas (7- or 8-inch)

16 ounces monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese, cut into sixteen 5 x 1/2 inch sticks

salsa (optional)

sour cream (optional)

Using two forks, shred cooked meat or chicken (should have about 3 cups). In a large skillet combine meat or chicken, salsa, beans, undrained chili peppers, and seasoning mix. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. In another skillet heat tortillas, one at a time, over medium-low heat about 30 seconds per side. For each chimichanga, place 1/3cup meat mixture atop a tortilla, near one edge. Top with a cheese stick. Fold in sides; roll up, starting with cheese side. Bake, covered, in 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more or until heated through. Serve with salsa, dairy sour cream.

To prepare, wrap frozen chimichangas individually in foil. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 50 minutes or until heated through. (Or, thaw chimichangas in refrigerator overnight. Bake about 30 minutes.) Unwrap. Bake 10 minutes more or until tortilla is crisp and brown. Or, heat about 1/4-inch depth of oil in a skillet. Cook desired number of frozen chimichangas, uncovered, in hot oil about 25 minutes (about 18 minutes if thawed) over medium-low heat or until golden, turning often. Make-Ahead Tip: To freeze, place chimichangas in freezercontainers. Seal, label, and freeze for up to 6 months.

8 Servings

Casseroles Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead

Chicken Noodle Casserole

1/2 c plus 2 T butter, divided

1/2 c all-purpose flour

3 c rich chicken stock

2 c sour cream

1/2 c white wine

dash nutmeg

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb egg noodles, cooked 6 to 7 minutes

4 1/2 c cooked chicken, cut into pieces

1 lb mushroom, sliced and cooked

1 c soft bread crumbs

1/2 c Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Clean and slice the mushrooms and sauté in a 2 tablespoons butter until soft and slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove crusts from 2 or 3 slices of fresh bread and with steel blade in food processor, process bread until softcrumbs form.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan, over medium heat, and whisk in the flour. Cook 1 minute. Gradually add stock, sour cream and wine. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and blend well. Arrange the noodles in an ovenproof casserole. Layer chicken, mushrooms then sauce to cover. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and mix with the bread crumbs. Top the casserole with the buttered crumbsand sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly. Serve with buttered green beans and biscuits.

Note: Can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. Thaw completely before baking.

8 Servings

Casseroles Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead

Chicken Lasagna Florentine

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 23, 2011
No Comments on Chicken Lasagna Florentine

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (6-ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sour cream

6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup to 1 cup chopped pecans

Stir together chicken and next 6 ingredients.

Arrange 3 noodles in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; top with half of chicken mixture. Repeat layers with remaining noodles and chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pecans.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 45 minutes; uncover, and bake 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead: Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking; proceed as directed.

To lighten: Substitute reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup, 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, and reduced-fat sour cream.

6 Servings

Casseroles Chicken Main Dish Make Ahead

Chicken Enchilada Casserole 2

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 23, 2011
No Comments on Chicken Enchilada Casserole 2

Cooking spray

1 1/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breast

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup beer

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained

2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, drained

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

2 cups 1% low-fat milk

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten or 6 tablespoons egg substitute

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut in half

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; let cool. Shred chicken with 2 forks; set aside.

Recoat skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add shredded chicken, beer, red pepper, and tomatoes; cook 10 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 tablespoon green onions and 1 tablespoon olives for garnish. Stir remaining green onions, remaining olives, and chiles into chicken mixture; set aside.Combine flour, salt, cumin, and coriander in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Place over medium heat; cook 7 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg whites, stirring constantly with whisk. Set aside.

Place cheeses in a bowl; toss well. Set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup white sauce in bottom of a 2 1/2-quart round casserole or soufflé dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 tortilla halves over sauce; top with 2 cups chicken mixture, 1/2 cup white sauce, and 1/2 cup cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with sauce. Set remaining 1/2 cup cheese mixture aside.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese mixture, reserved green onions, and reserved olives; bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

NOTE: You can assemble the casserole ahead of time; cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight, then bake at 350º for 1 hour or until bubbly. Or freeze casserole, thaw in refrigerator 24 hours, then bake for 1 hour or until thoroughly heated.

8 servings

Casseroles Chicken Make Ahead Mexican

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 23, 2011
No Comments on Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is sooo good! May be too spicy for kids.

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 (12 ounce) jar salsa verde

3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (or pork, beef or turkey)

1 1/2 cups cheese, mexican style blend, shredded

1 1/4 cups corn

1 (4 oz.) can green chili, chopped

12 corn tortillas

2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, Hass, diced

1/2 cup red onions, diced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 13 x9 in baking dish with nonstick spray.

Sauce: Whisk soup and 1/2 can water in a bowl until smooth. Stir in salsa, 1/4 cup cilantro and cumin.

In another bowl, combine chicken, 3/4 cup each cheese blend and sauce, corn, chilies and remaining cilantro. Layer tortillas on bottom of baking dish. Top with chicken mixture, cheese and sauce. Repeat layers, ending with cheese on top.

Cover dish with foil, bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes, or until sauce bubbles around edges and cheese is melted. Serve with lettuce, tomato, avocado and onion on side.

*This could be made ahead and frozen. Thaw the night before in fridge. Bake as directed.

6 Servings