Frugal Feeds | The Basics of Casseroles Made Easy with Eleven Recipes to Start With

Easy One Dish Meals

One dish meals make the dish cook with less hassle and create fewer dishes to clean up. The reason casseroles exist is to use up little bits of food that would likely otherwise get thrown out. Not only can they use up lots of odds and ends, they can taste really excellent. A few days after a taco meal you might find that you have scraps of meat, beans, cheese, tortillas and salsa--mix them into a casserole. After the third day of turkey around the holidays you might have turkey, sweet potatoes, corn, gravy and stuffing. Layer the turkey, potatoes and corn, pour the gravy over and use the stuffing to top it. It will be much more palatable than another plate of dried out leftovers. First let’s look at what proportions you use to make four servings.

Protein (2 Cups)        Starch (2 Cups)          Vegetable (2 Cups) 

(cooked)  

Chicken                         Brown Rice             Frozen Mixed Veggies

Turkey                          Potatoes                                         Carrots

Lean Beef                     Whole Wheat Pasta                            Peas

Pork                             Whole Wheat Bread               Green Beans

Fish                              Corn                         Frozen Asian Veggies

Clams                           Beans                                                 Kale

Oysters                        Peas                                               Spinach

Eggs                            Tortilla chips                            Bell Peppers

Low Fat Cheese          Quinoa                              Onions (Sauteed)

Ham                            Kamut                                          Tomatoes

Sausage                       Whole Grain Crackers        Celery (Sauteed)

Nuts                            Couscous                                  Green Peas 

Beans                           Corn Meal                     Edamame (Cooked)

Lamb                            Millet                                  Squash (Cooked)

Tofu                              Wild Rice                          Eggplant (Cooked)

Ground Meats                Sweet Potatoes             Mushrooms (Sauteed)

Buffalo                           Pumpkin                                            Zucchini 

Binder (2 Cups)                              Topping (1-2 Cups)

White Sauce #1                                        Bread Crumbs

White Sauce #2                                   Crushed Crackers

Brown Sauce                                              Ground Nuts

Mushroom Sauce                                  Low Fat Cheese

Cheese Sauce                                                  Parmesan

Mock Hollandaise                                             Croutons

Cream Gravy                                   French Fried Onions

Egg Sauce                                                  Potato Sticks

Veloute Sauce                                              Lean Bacon

Chaud-Froid Sauce                                     Raw Biscuits

Poulette Sauce                                       Raw Puff Pastry

Bechamel Sauce                                         Tortilla Chips

Onion Sauce                                                 Hasbrowns

Sauce Supreme                                              Tater Tots

Nut Sauce                                              Herbs and Nuts

Tomato Sauce                                   Herbs and Crumbs

               Pesto                                             Crumbs and Nuts               

You will want to take one item from each category, except the topping, add herbs and spices and layer in a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil or a fitted lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, remove cover, and add the topping. Return to the oven without its cover for 10-20 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned and crispy.

Now, here is the fun and challenging part. Not everything is going to taste right if you put them together so start off with things you are familiar with combining. I'll get you started:

Pizza Casserole: Browned and drained lean Sausage, Whole Wheat Pasta, 1/2 cup Onion, 1 cup Bell Peppers, 1/2 cup Mushrooms, Tomato Sauce, 1 cup low fat Mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan. Add garlic, thyme, marjoram, pepper and salt. Add the mozzarella and Parmesan in the last 10-20 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole: Cooked Chicken, Whole Wheat Pasta, 1 cup Peas, 1 cup Carrots, White Sauce #2 made with Low Sodium Chicken Broth, Raw Whole Grain Biscuits. Add 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley, black pepper and salt. Add the raw biscuits in the last 10 minutes. Serve with corn.

Mexi-Casserole: 1 cup browned and drained lean Ground Beef, 1 cup Beans, Tortilla Chips or torn leftover tortilla shells, 1/2 cup Tomatoes, 1/2 cup Onions, 1 cup Bell Peppers, Tomato Sauce, Low Fat Cheese. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, oregano, chili powder, black pepper and salt. Add the cheese in the last 10-20 minutes. Serve with salad.

Noodle Bake: Browned and drained lean Ground Turkey, Whole Wheat Pasta, Mixed Vegetables, Low Fat  Cheese Sauce and Herbed Crumbs. Add garlic, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the herbed crumbs in the last 10 minutes. Serve with steamed carrots.

Ham and Potatoes: Cooked lean Ham, Sliced potatoes, Peas, Cheese Sauce and Potato Sticks (like PikNik brand). Add pepper. Add the potato sticks in the last 10 minutes. Serve with broccoli.

Green Bean: Diced browned lean Pork, Wild Rice, 1 1/2 cups Green Beans, 1/2 cup minced Bell Peppers, White Sauce #2, French's Fried Onions. Add salt. Add fried onions in the last ten minutes. Serve with potatoes.

Lasagne: Browned and drained lean Italian Sausage, Whole Wheat Lasagne noodles boiled and drained, 1/2 cup Spinach, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup onions, 1/2 cup sliced, sauteed eggplant, Tomato sauce, Mozzarella cheese. Add thyme, oregano, marjoram, garlic, onion powder, pepper and fennel seed. Add Mozzarella in the last 20 minutes. Serve with salad.


Stroganoff Casserole:  Sliced, browned lean Beef, Whole Wheat Noodles, 1 cup Mushrooms, 1 cup Onions, White Sauce #1, Parsley Herbed Bread Crumbs. Add garlic and salt. Add herbed bread crumbs in the last ten minutes. Serve with green beans.

Eggs Benedict Casserole: Boiled Sliced Eggs, Toasted, Sliced, Lightly Buttered, Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread, Tomatoes, Mock Hollandaise Sauce, Lean Crumbled Bacon. Layer toast on bottom, top with layered tomatoes and eggs, add sauce. Add bacon in last five minutes.

Pilaf: 1/3 cup browned and drained Ground Lamb, 1/3 cup Almonds and 1/3 cup Pistachio Nuts, Couscous, 2 cups peas, 1 cup Spinach, 1 cup Carrots, Onion Sauce, Herbed Pine Nuts. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 cup raisins. Add herbed pine nuts in the last ten minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie: Cooked lean Chicken, Brown Rice or Barley, Mixed Vegetables, White Sauce #2 made with Chicken Broth, Raw Puff Pastry. Add dried parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper. Line the bottom of the casserole with puff pastry, making sure that it comes up the sides of the casserole and drapes slightly over the edge. Fill with mixture. Top with puff pastry. Roll edges inward to seal the top puff pastry. Make a small rectangular cut into center of puff pastry top.

Okay, so now you have some casseroles to play with. Try each as they are and then the next time change it up. If it calls for ham, try fish. If it calls for chicken, try tofu. Mix it up however sounds good. The first few times you do this it will probably just taste okay. As you get used to making casseroles you will start to find some combinations that are really good. Play away!

Frugal Feeds | Leftover Tortillas 3 Ways , Biscuits 5 Ways and 3 Uses for Variety Breads

Not all left over bread easily lends itself to your regular rotation of dishes. Today we cover your less common left over breads and three ways to use them up.

In my family we eat a lot of Mexican food. We love it. Inevitably we end up with stacks of stale tortillas that haven't been cooked, or stacks of tortillas that have. Both need to be thought of differently when it comes time to make something new from them.

When using uncooked tortillas you need to recognize that they will absorb moisture easily and the texture will resemble cooked cornmeal (or other hot cereal). Make this work for you. Add highly seasoned sauce to the dish and the tortillas will help extend that flavor and bulk up the contents.

When using fried tortillas you need to recognize that it won't easily absorb moisture and it will be chewy in texture, meaty in flavor. You won't need highly seasoned sauces, in fact onions, tomatoes and green chiles is often all you need.

For example; you want to make a breakfast dish to use up your left over tortillas from the night before. Chilaquiles comes to mind. Two outcomes are outlined below. The same ingredients are used with the exception of whether the tortillas are fried or not.

Chilaquiles Two Ways
Take 12 whole grain corn tortillas and tear or cut up into chips (or use commercial tortilla chips)
Add 1 Tablespoon low sodium broth to a large skillet set over medium high heat.
Saute 1 onion. When lightly browned add 5 ounces diced green chiles and 10 ounces stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup of low sodium broth, any flavor. Reduce heat.
Add tortillas. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the liquid has mostly absorbed.
Top with grated low fat cheese and serve with a dollop of fat free sour cream.

Using fresh tortillas results in a pudding like dish. For this result I recommend serving with a bottled hot sauce on the table for each person to season to their liking. Using fried tortillas results in a dish that is both chewy and meaty. Neither one tastes much like the other.

Now, you can doll up this basic recipe by adding eggs, diced lean meats, more vegetables, salsas, tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes, chiles, spices, tangy low fat cheeses, dry cheeses, creamy low fat cheeses, etc. As it is, it is really good. Adding to it keeps it from getting repetitive.

Now, lets find a good lunch option. Nachos are always easy for fried tortillas. So is adding powdered sugar, plain sugar and cinnamon. Or plain brown sugar, cinnamon and anise. But, those add to a lunch, they aren't quite a lunch. Lets use the same ingredients as breakfast with a few changes to quantities.

Tortilla Strip Casserole
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Take 6 whole grain corn tortillas and cut into 1 inch wide strips. These can be fresh, fried or day old fried, each results in a different texture. Lightly butter the bottom of a casserole dish. Place one layer of strips on the bottom of the casserole. Add one layer of onions, one layer of chiles and 1/4 c. stewed, diced, tomatoes. Top with some tangy low fat cheese and some creamy low fat cheese. Repeat. Bake for 45 minutes. Let rest for five minutes. Serve with a dollop of fat free sour cream or plain yogurt. Makes four hearty servings.


BiscuitsBiscuits dry up fairly quickly so they are great for topping with saucy things. Here are three quick and easy ways to use them.

Biscuits and Gravy
Make a simple meat gravy with leftover minced or ground lean meat and white sauce. Split your biscuits in half and pour the hot gravy over the top. Let sit for 2 minutes and enjoy. With chipped beef, this is SOS. With lean cooked and drained pork breakfast sausage it is traditional Biscuits and Gravy. With poultry it is Chicken and Biscuits.

Biscuit Shortcake
Take 2 cups fruit, 1/4 c. liquid (water, juice, wine, etc) and 2 Tablespoons raw honey (more or less to taste) and bring to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Allow to simmer on low until the fruit is tender and mashes easily with your spoon. This could take two minutes or 20 minutes depending on the fruit you are using. Keep an eye on the temperature and stir often. Pour over biscuits and dollop with honey sweetened plain yogurt.

Chicken and Dumplings, Biscuit Style
Crumble biscuits into each persons bowl. Add a serving of hot chicken soup on top. Serve right away. Resembles Chicken and Dumplings.


Using up Pitas, Naan, English Muffins and Buns
Using these rounds as a base for pizza is very simple but you want to do one thing that will make a huge difference in how it turns out. If you skip this step it will usually not be as satisfying a dish. Add butter or oil. Let me repeat that in case you missed it. Add a brushing of butter or oil to the surface of your round. If you are using buns brown them under the broiler or in a skillet on the stovetop. If you do this you will find that these rounds are moist and flavorful. If you don't they may very well be too dry to enjoy. Okay?

Personal Pizzas
Take 2 whole wheat english muffins, 1 naan, 1 pita, 2 hamburger buns, 2 hot dog buns or 1 french roll per person and brush lightly with softened butter or olive oil. Add one Tablespoon (or two for the larger rounds) of tomato sauce, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, pesto sauce or carmelized onions, and spread to edges. Top with low fat cheese, bits of leftover veggies, bits of leftover lean meat, olives, pineapple, etc. Broil until just barely starting to brown, then turn oven to 350 degrees for about 10 minutes--or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Tortas
Following the same pattern as above, spread butter or olive oil on your round. Add 2-4 Tablespoons refried beans and spread to edges. Top with left over veggies and bits of left over lean meat. Top with low fat cheese. Broil until just barely starting to brown, then turn oven to 350 degrees for about 10 minutes--or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Top with shredded lettuce, a small dollop of fat free sour cream and a small dollop of salsa.

Sloppy Joes
1/2 c. minced onion
1-2 Tablespoons low sodium broth
1/2 pound cooked minced or ground lean meat
1/4 c. oatmeal
2 Tablespoons c. ketchup
1/4 c. sweet hickory BBQ sauce
1 T. A-1 Sauce
1/4 c. water

Saute onions in broth. Add meat and oatmeal.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Serve using a #20 disher. One scoop per bun, two scoops per larger round.
Serve with bread and butter pickles on toasted buns.
Makes 4 sandwiches.