Food: Casserole comfort – Dishes provide warm, happy family memories. . . Pages 30-31

Cheeseburger “Mac” Casserole is one of the dozen shared recipes in the search for one dish hits. Try these tested dishes to add more talk at the next family event.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

By Paula Deen/pauladeen.com 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken 4 cups cooked and drained egg noodles (approximately 2 cups uncooked) ½ cup sour cream 1 cup milk 3 cups grated cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 can cream of celery soup

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease 9 x13 inch baking dish.

In a large, tall-sided saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, sauté until near translucent. Stirring frequently, add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for two minutes more. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour is absorbed. Slowly add the milk and 2 cups of cheese. Reserve 1 cup of cheese for casserole topping. Once the cheese is melted add salt and pepper to taste. Combine chicken, sour cream, soup, and noodles into cheese mixture. Stir until the noodles are coated with mixture.

Pour mixture into a prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

By Holly Nilsson/spend withpennies.com 6 oz boxed stuffing mix 1 ¼ cup hot water 2 cups cooked chicken, diced ⅓ cup sour cream 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine hot water and stuffing mix in bowl. Add all remaining ingredients to a greased 9x13 pan. Top with stuffing mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and topping is browned. Recipe Notes: Combine stuffing and hot water first so it can soak up the water while you prep the rest. Run frozen veggies under hot water to defrost quickly. Shredded chicken can be substituted with ground beef, ham or leftover turkey. Any “cream of” soup can be used in this recipe. Adding a little sprinkle of cheese on the top of the stuffing will give it an extra punch of flavor.

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

bettycrocker.com 1 lb. lean (at least 80 percent) ground beef 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz) 1/2 cup Original Bisquick™ mix 1 cup milk 2 eggs

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese. In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Texas Hash

A personal favorite from a stash of recipes I inherited from my mother, Betty Story. 1 lb. ground beef 3 large onions, sliced 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped 1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes ½ cup uncooked rice 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons chili powder 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, cook and stir meat, onion, and green pepper until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes, rice, salt, chili powder, and pepper; heat through. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole dish; cover; bake 1 hour. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Chicken’n Biscuit Casserole

Here’s another classic from my childhood. It was comfort food made with my mother’s hands. The original recipe had instructions to make the biscuit topping from scratch, but the busy life of a working mom evolved the recipe to a more time-friendly version using canned biscuits. Below, is the original recipe. I used to double the recipe for my large family.

2 tablespoons butter ½ onion, chopped ½ rib celery, chopped ½ green pepper, seeded and chopped 1/3 cup sifted, all-purpose flour 2 cups cooked chicken, cut up 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce ½ teaspoon garlic salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ¾ cup chicken broth ½ cup evaporated milk 1 cup water 1 tube Grands biscuits (8 count)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Sauté onion, celery, and green pepper in melted butter until tender. Blend in flour, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken brother, evaporated milk, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sauce is thick. Add in chicken and soy sauce. Pour into 1 ½ quart lightly greased baking dish, top with canned biscuits, and bake for 15 minutes or until filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown on top. Makes about 4 servings.

Breakfast Casseroles

Mom’s Breakfast Casserole

Okay, so I didn’t really invent this one. It was introduced to me by a co-worker many years ago.

However, when I make it for my kids, it is “Mom’s Breakfast Casserole.” Everyone else can call it what they want. Whatever it’s called, it’s a fabulous breakfast and kids love it. 2 packages dinner croissants rolls 1 package cream cheese 1 package breakfast sausage (I prefer Tennessee Pride – mild) 1 to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 9x13 oblong pan with Pam cooking spray. Brown sausage in a skillet until no there is no more pink. Drain and return to heat. Add cream cheese and stir until cream cheese is melted. Once cream cheese is melted, remove from heat and set aside. Open and unroll one of the croissant tubes into the bottom of the pan, pressing seams together with fingers and mashing out to take dough to the edges of the pan. Spread sausage/cream cheese mixture evenly on top of dough. Unroll second croissant tube on top of the sausage and pinch seams together until as even as possible. Place casserole into oven and bake about 15 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar and bake another 10 minutes or so until golden and bubbly.

Overnight

Cinnamon Apple

French Toast Bake

gypsyplate.com, “The 45 Best Casserole Recipes”

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 large apples, peeled and diced 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided 1 (16-ounce) loaf brioche bread, cubed 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cubed 12 large eggs, beaten 2 cups whole milk 1/3 cup maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; continue cooking until sugar has dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Let cool.

Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place a layer of bread cubes evenly into the baking dish. Top with cream cheese and half the apple mixture in an even layer. Top with remaining bread cubes and remaining apple mixture.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove baking dish from the refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with pecans; place into oven and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover; continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and center is firm.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

Sausage Casserole

gypsyplate.com, “The 45 Best Casserole Recipes” 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 pound breakfast sausage casings removed 1 red bell pepper seeded and finely diced 1 green bell pepper seeded and finely diced 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced 1 teaspoon garlic, minced salt and pepper to taste 20 ounces fresh or frozen hash browns 12 eggs 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 cup milk 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons parsley chopped cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9”x13” baking dish with cooking spray. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the sausage and break up with a spatula into bite sized pieces. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned and mostly cooked through. Drain off any excess grease.

Add the onions and peppers, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Place the cooked vegetables, sausage and hash browns in the baking dish, stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until thoroughly blended. Add the cream, milk and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and vegetables in the pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley. Cut into squares and serve.

Family gatherings, social events and church potlucks – casseroles not only feed any type of event – they represent and define fellowship.

Shrimp is a good lower-carb protein choice.

Keto & Low Carb

Cheeseburger “Mac” Casserole

Southern Keto by Natasha Newton 1 lb. ground beef ½ cup chopped onion or 2 tablespoons dried minced onion 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried parsley ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce 1 (12 oz.) bag frozen cauliflower florets 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef with the onions, crumbling the meat with a large spoon as it cooks, until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Drain the fat, if necessary.

Stir in the paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower, cover, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender.

Stir in the cheese and serve immediately or reduce the heat to low and simmer for an additional 20 minutes for more depth of flavor, then stir in the cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Sushi Roll in a Bowl

Instrupix.com 1 (10 oz.) bag frozen cauliflower rice 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 avocado, sliced 6 oz. crab meat (imitation crab can be high carb, a better choice may be cooked shrimp or other leftover cooked seafood 1 nori sheet, shredded 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds 1 diced green onion Sriracha Mayo 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce

Microwave the cauliflower rice according to the package instructions, and then mix with the seasoned rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil; set aside to cool. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the sriracha sauce. Divide the cauliflower rice evenly between two bowls and mix shredded nori in with the rice. Evenly distribute the crab meat, cucumber and avocado on top.

Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds, and then drizzle with your prepared sriracha sauce.

Glen resident L.A. Story is author of The Gifted Trilogy and a freelance writer who contributes to Crossroads Magazine and the Daily Corinthian.

Dig in to the yummy goodness of a casserole.