Melissas Casserole Food

BEEF NOODLE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a large skillet cook ground beef and onion in a few drizzles of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook until beef is browned and no pink remains. Drain excess fat from pan.
• To the beef add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper flakes. Simmer on medium-low, uncovered for 10 minutes then remove from heat and stir in pepperoni.
• Meanwhile, cook noodles in salted water per package directions. Drain well.
• Return noodles to pot and onto burner with heat off. To the noodles add cream cheese and half and half. Mix until cream cheese has melted. Add Parmesan, mix well.
• To assemble: Layer 1/2 noodles on bottom of baking dish. Top with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese. Repeat ending with cheese.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is lightly browned.
• Let stand for 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley just before serving.

WEEKDAY CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and dry the chicken well and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• In a large Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add the bacon and slowly render the fat. Remove the bacon to a plate when crispy, leaving the fat in the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove to a plate. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the beans, bay leaf and thyme. Nestle the chicken thighs and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lid and top the cassoulet with sliced tomatoes and the Garlic Bread Crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer. Serve the cassoulet with baguette slices.
• In a small saute pan over low heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir until the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the bread crumbs and cook until the bread crumbs start to turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from heat.

MELISSA'S EASY MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bell pepper, Lipton soup mix, egg, garlic salt, pepper, crackers, 1/2 cup ketchup and water.
• Put into a baking pan.
• Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
• Drain excess fat occasionally during baking.
• During the last 10 minutes of baking time, add the remaining ketchup (add more if you like).

MELISSA'S TATER TOT CASSEROLE (GF)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In an oval Pyrex casserole dish, place cooked ground beef on bottom. If you have precooked, frozen ground beef in your freezer, you can use that too.
• Layer all the tater tots next, completely covering the meat.
• Mix the soup and milk together and pour over the tots. (If you use the gluten free Health Valley Organic Cream of Chicken soup, do NOT use the milk as it is already the right consistency.).
• Sprinkle the Tony Chachere's over the tots. You can add more depending on how hot your family likes it. If you don't have Tony's, use salt, red pepper, garlic powder, and possibly chili powder. It's not quite the same, but it will do.
• Top with the cheese.
• Bake uncovered 30 minutes, or until bubbling.
• This is so easy to make in the morning, refrigerate, and pop in the oven for dinner. Serves 2 adults and 2 elementary school kids with no leftovers. Double the recipe and bake in a large, glass rectangular casserole if you want leftovers.
• Freezer info: You can put together and freeze an extra batch if you want. Just don't cook it (except make sure the beef is already cooked). This can go straight from freezer to the oven if you adjust your time and make sure you cook it until it is bubbling on the edges.
• Hope you enjoy it!

MELISSA'S MUSSELS

Steps:

• In a large pot (or the kitchen sink basin), soak the mussels 10 minutes in enough lightly salted cold water to cover.
• In a separate large pot, mix the onion, tomatoes, garlic, beer, wine, and peppercorns. Place the mussels in the pot, and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until mussels open. Discard unopened mussels.