Category: Casseroles/Comfort Foods - Simple Everyday Food

pizza tator tot casserole

Posted by :Amy On : November 23, 2014

Tags:beef, casseroles, cheese, comfort food, pizza, potatoes, tator tots

I don’t know about you, but in our household, Thanksgiving planning started at the end of October (it’s a big deal!). We planned out our menu and everything we may need, and a few days ago I finished up a make-ahead timeline to make things go as smoothly as possible on the big day.

I don’t know about your timeline – if you’re nerdy enough like me to make one – but mine is filled with 2-3 things to prep and make every night leading up to Thanksgiving. And since this week I’ll already be doing lots of chopping, baking, cooking, and prepping after a long day of work, the last thing I need is to worry about the age old question of “what’s for dinner??“.

Enter today’s easy recipe…… *drum roll please*…..

I present to you: Pizza tator tot casserole!

My taco tator tot casserole is perhaps one of the most popular recipes in our house – we make it at least once very few weeks – it’s just that good. I remember the first few weeks when I started my new job back in February, we actually made a double batch of it in anticipation of being busy and giving me enough time to get settled into my new routine. Now we gave a new spin to our favorite comfort food – combining our favorite casserole dish with tons of pizza flavors! It’s hearty, meaty, and cheesy all at the same time. It’s got pizza sauce, basil, plenty of cheesy goodness, lean ground beef, onions and green peppers, and not to mention to crispy baked tator tots carefully arranged in OCD fashion on top. All the food groups balanced into one delicious meal, it’s guaranteed to be a hit at your dinner table!

Have I mentioned that it’s also super easy and painless to make?

Just like ordering pizza on a lazy Friday night, you can totally customize what goes into this casserole based on personal preference. We kept it simple by using plain ground beef and pizza sauce, but this dish totally has the potential to be dressed up based on what you like on your pizza..

Add in bacon bits, crumbled Italian sausage, and pepperoni slices for the meat lovers in your house.

Simply add in more cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

Or if you happen to like your pizza piled high with veggies, just throw in some sliced mushrooms, olives, extra peppers, spinach, or whatever happens to tickle your fancy at the moment.

See? I told you the possibilities are endless.

pizza tator tot casserole

2014-06-21 12:06:41

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Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
15-oz pizza sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package frozen tator tots
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large skillet, brown the beef over medium heat with the green peppers and onions until the beef is no longer pink. Add the pizza sauce and basil.
Transfer the beef mixture into a 8x11" casserole dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and tator tots
Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are crisp and brown. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese, bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Serves 6

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Taste of Home - Ground Beef edition

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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Recipe adapted from Taste of Home – Ground Beef edition

© Simple Everyday Food. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use any of my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.

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crockpot creamy chicken wild rice soup

Posted by :Amy On : March 26, 2014

Category: Casseroles/Comfort Foods, Crockpot, Soups/Stews

Tags:chicken, comfort food, crockpot, rice, soup

You may have noticed the lack of posts the past few weeks. I have been super stressed about my national boards exam that’s coming up in three weeks, so I have been using all my free time to cram as much information into my little head as possible. As a result, SEF has been neglected for quite some time. I have decided that I’m going to wait until my exam is over to take better care of SEF and dedicate more time to writing more posts. I have already created a bunch of recipes (10, to be exact) and have photographed my creations; however, since I spend most of my time editing them and creating blog posts, I’m going to put them on hold until April 13th. I promise SEF will be updated on a more regular basis after that – there will be some pretty delicious blog posts coming in the near future!

So, as my gift to you until April 13th, I present to you this wonderfully easy recipe that involves one of everyone’s favorite kitchen gadget – the Crockpot.

My favorite soups of all time are as follows (in no particular order):

baked potato soup
Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana
creamy chicken and wild rice soup

Throughout the past 10 months SEF has existed, I managed to recreate and blog about #1 and #2 on that list. Naturally, it was time for me to find a family-approved recipe for creamy chicken and wild rice soup.

And this recipe is definitely going to be recreated again (and again) throughout the year. Brian and I both agreed it was so delicious that we were calling dibs on leftovers for work. Good thing this recipe yielded an entire Crockpot of soup! Even then, it still didn’t last more than 3 days in our house…

Rewind to about a year ago: I attempted to make chicken and wild rice soup on the stove… And that attempt had failed miserably. It tasted weird, had a funny consistency, and ended up getting dumped in the trash. Needless to say, my confidence in making creamy chicken wild rice soup was a little shot after that, and we both had to scramble and find something else to eat that night.

I think Brian was also a little skeptical when he heard I was going to try to give our favorite soup another try in the Crockpot. I can’t lie, I think I was too. But it was freezing cold outside, I was feeling lazy, and comfort food in the Crockpot was all that I really wanted for dinner.

This soup is amazing! It’s incredibly creamy and it’s filled with hearty vegetables and tons of juicy shredded chicken. Have you ever had Panera’s chicken and wild rice soup? If you haven’t – try it. It’s delicious. It’s the only soup we ever get there, and this TASTES JUST LIKE IT.

I’m still in awe at how good this soup is, and even better – how easy it is to make!

The steps are pretty simple: throw the veggies, wild rice, chicken stock, and chicken into the Crockpot. Let them sit and hang out and get to know each other for 7 hours. When the chicken is fork tender, take it out and shred it with a fork. Put it back into the Crockpot to soak up more of the yummy juices. Meanwhile, you make the creamy base on the stove…. this is where you should pay attention, simply because it took me three tries to get it right. Trust me, you’ll thank me later :)

When making your creamy base on the stove, melt the butter over low heat. Then add in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly throughout each addition. The milk must also be added only 1/2 cup at a time as well. This is suuuuuper important – the first few times I tried, I added all the flour in at once, whisked, and added all the milk in at once. Somehow it just doesn’t work that way – it became super lumpy and gross, and I contemplated whether we should just make it “chicken and wild rice soup” instead of “creamy chicken and wild rice soup”. The stubbornness in me wasn’t about to let some butter and flour stand in the way of me and my dinner, so 3 sticks of butter later, I finally got the results I wanted.

The trick is to whisk constantly on LOW heat. When I say constantly, I mean it – whisk that sucker the entire time. Don’t walk away from the stove. Don’t even go on Instagram or Facebook. It’ll seem like it’s taking forever for the mixture to start bubbling, but I promise patience pays off in the end.

crockpot creamy chicken wild rice soup

2013-12-08 15:04:09

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Ingredients

1 cup uncooked wild rice
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 heaping teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
2 cups milk + 2 additional cups
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Place the diced carrots, onion, and celery in the crockpot, then place the chicken breast on top. Sprinkle poultry seasoning over the chicken.
Rinse the wild rice, and add to crockpot. Then add in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until chicken is fork tender. Remove chicken onto a cutting board, let cool and shred with two forks. Add the shredded chicken back into the crockpot.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and cook until it starts to bubble. Slowly whisk the milk in with the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, just until it starts to thicken. Add this to the rice and chicken in the crockpot, stir to combine. If mixture is too thick, add additional milk (or water) until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve immediately.
Serves 6

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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So there. Next time there’s a snowstorm in the forecast and all you want to do is snuggle on the couch in warm fuzzy blankets drinking hot peppermint cocoa in front of the fireplace, I’ve got dinner covered for you (trust me, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a snowstorm in April here in Minnesota).

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

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simple (and super delicious) turkey chili

Posted by :Amy On : January 4, 2014

Category: Casseroles/Comfort Foods, Soups/Stews

Tags:chili, comfort food, turkey

This past season marks the last season the Minnesota Vikings will be playing in the Metrodome. In the next few months, they’re tearing it down and will be building a brand spankin’ new stadium in downtown Minneapolis. I sure hope the new stadium has better food than the Metrodome! So for the next few seasons, die-hard Vikings fans will have to brave the elements and the freezing temperatures if they want to watch their beloved Vikings play. No thank you – I’ll only watch football outdoors if it’s above 50 degrees. If it’s below 50, then I’d rather sit in the comfort of my own home in my PJs watching the game where the commentators tell me what’s going on, there are lines drawn on the screen to tell me where the yard lines are at, and I don’t have to wait in line just to use the bathroom.

This chili recipe is a perfect game day food! It’s perfect for that football party you’re hosting this playoff season or for tailgating outside (you know, if you’re into standing outside in the sub-freezing temperatures thawing out your beer by holding it over a fire).

This is the only chili recipe I have ever used. I don’t know if I would ever consider trying out a new recipe, simply because this one is already perfect (in my opinion)… so why fix something if it ain’t broke? If you’re like me and already have a tried and true chili recipe, I won’t blame you if you’re not up to changing things up. Kudos to you if you’re all for trying new things, though. However, if you’re still out there searching for a good chili recipe, you should totally give this a try!

simple (and super delicious) turkey chili

2013-12-16 11:59:28

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO
1.25 pounds ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cumin
Two 15-oz reduced sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One 28-oz can petite diced tomatoes
One 15-oz can reduced sodium tomato sauce
One 10-oz bag frozen corn
Salt and pepper
Toppings such as sour cream, shredded cheese, if desired

Instructions

Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spatula until cooked through. Then add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic into the pot. Cook until onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the chili powder, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir and cook for another minute.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, corn, 1.5 cups of water, and 2 more teaspoons of salt. Simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes, or until beans are cooked through. Add more chili powder if needed.
Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Top with toppings, if desired
Serves 6

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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I used ground turkey instead of ground beef to make it a little healthier. I like to use products that claim “reduced sodium” or “no salt added” on the package to keep things on the healthier side. If you can’t find reduced sodium products, no worries either – the final product will taste just as good! I also added a few cans of red kidney beans because 1. chili just has to have beans in it, and 2. it’s cheap and filling and is a good source of protein and fiber. If you have a bean-hater in the house, simply omit it… or you can divide the chili into two pots prior to simmering everything and add just one can of beans (instead of two) in one of the pots. That way you’ll get two pots of chili – one with beans and one without beans :)

If you’re making this for hosting a football party, you can keep it warm by throwing it in a Crockpot and setting it on “warm”. Toppings are completely optional too – oyster crackers, shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream…. you can have a little “make your own chili” station for your guests to completely customize their bowl of chili.

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

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chicken pot pie

Posted by :Amy On : November 2, 2013

Category: Casseroles/Comfort Foods

Tags:chicken, comfort food, pie

Chicken pot pies and I have a love-hate relationship.

I’m absolutely in love with it, but I also know how bad it can be for you… the crust requires butter. The filling also requires butter and some sort of a heavy cream. Annnnddd… it’s super time consuming. But man, is it the ultimate comfort food or what?!

Chilly weather, warm oversized hoodies, fireplaces, and individualized chicken pot pies…. YES please!

Imagine the moment you stick your fork into the light, flaky, buttery crust… you’re greeted by the warm filling filled with all kinds of yummy goodness – chunks of chicken, carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, corn, and broccoli florets. Make sure you get a little bit of everything if possible… as you savor the different textures that’s in every single bite, you can feel the the warmth of the pie filling warming your insides as it makes way to your stomach. This is exactly why I love having a hot bowl of soup in the frigid Minnesota winter.

The past few times I’ve made pot pies, I’ve always made my crust from scratch. However, since I’m typically trying to get six things done at once nowadays, I opted for the easy way out this time and used pre-made pie crust instead… tsk tsk. However, to “balance” out the amount of butter I used, I used skim milk instead of heavy cream… just to make myself feel a little bit better about it.

First I poached the chicken. You can by all means use pre-cooked diced chicken breast if you’re strapped on time, but I find fresh chicken to be better than the processed stuff. Place the chicken in a casserole dish, fill it with 3 cups of boiling water, cover it with foil, and cook it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Take the chicken out to cool on a cutting board, and use the same water that’s left on the dish to poach/cook your peeled and halved potatoes, about 30 minutes. Dice up the chicken and potatoes once they’re cooled, but keep them in separate dishes.

The reason you keep them separate is because you’ll be covering the bottom of your ramekin with the potatoes. This is because if you add the already cooked potatoes while you’re making and stirring the filling, you’re probably going to mash the potatoes up even more in the process… and no one wants mushy mashed potato/pot pie filling in their chicken pot pies.

While I was cooking/cooling/dicing up the chicken and potatoes, I took out my frozen pre-made pie crust out to thaw. Once thawed, remove the pie crusts from the foil baking dish it came in, onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a big ball, then roll it out with a rolling pin until it’s about 1/8″ thick. Next, using a bowl that’s slightly bigger in diameter than the ramekins you’ll be using, place the bowl upside down the onto the dough, and trace an outline of it with a knife. This is going to be your pie crust. Use the scraps of dough to roll it back into a ball, and repeat the process until you have about 6-7 pie crusts (we have 8-oz ramekins and two pre-made pie crusts yielded seven 5″ crusts). Stack the crusts together, with either a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap in between each one. Return to fridge to chill while you’re making the filling.

chicken pot pie

2013-10-10 18:32:21

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Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 medium sized russet potatoes, peeled and halved the long way
7 tablespoons butter, divided
3 medium sized carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 stalks of celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and black pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 cups skim milk
1 cup broccoli florets, roughly chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 frozen pre-made pie crusts (usually a package you find at the store has 2 crusts)
6 to 7 (8-oz) ramekins

Instructions

Take frozen pie crust out to thaw. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To cook the chicken

Place the chicken breasts in a glass baking/casserole dish. Add 3 cups of boiling water to the chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Cook in oven at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Remove chicken onto cutting board to cool, then dice into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

To make the potatoes

Using the same dish with the same water you used to cook the chicken, add the potatoes, cover with foil, and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Transfer to cutting board and let cool. Cut into bite-sized pieces and transfer to another bowl.

Make the pie crust

On a floured surface, remove pie crusts from aluminum baking dishes. Combine the two pie crusts and roll into a dough ball. Using a rolling pin, roll until dough is about 1/8" thick. Find a bowl that's slightly larger in diameter than the ramekins you'll be using. Place the bowl upside down onto the dough, and trace an outline of the bowl with a knife. Combine the scraps of dough and roll it back into a ball. Repeat steps to get as many discs of crusts as you can. Stack the crusts onto a plate, separating each crust with a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Return to fridge to chill.

Make the filling

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the carrots, celery, and onion and cook until onions are translucent. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir.
Add in the rest of the 4 tablespoons of butter into the vegetable mixture. Once the butter has completely melted, stir in the flour. Stir continuously to make sure the bottom of your pot doesn't burn. Cook flour for 1-2 minutes.
Add in the chicken broth and milk to the vegetables. Cook until mixture starts to thicken, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add in the diced chicken, broccoli florets, corn, dried parsley, thyme, another 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Continue to simmer until all the vegetables are cooked. Once filling is thickened and vegetables are cooked, remove pot from heat and let cool for 20-30 minutes.

To assemble

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease six 8-oz ramekins. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
Add chunks of potatoes onto the bottom of each ramekin, enough to cover the bottom. Spoon the cooled filling mixture over the potatoes, filling each ramekin to the brim. Placed the pie dough you made earlier over the top, crimping the edges. Make several slits with a knife for ventilation.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown.
Remove ramekins from oven, let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Simply Scratch

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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See?! Told you pot pies are time consuming. But I promise it’s totally worth it in the end!! :)

It will be important that you cool the filling down a bit before ladling them into the ramekins and topping them with the dough. This is because if the filling is steaming hot, it could melt your dough and your crust won’t be able to hold its shape while baking.

This chicken pot pie is TO. DIE. FOR. The filling is creamy and the crust is buttery and flaky. Although the entire process took about 3 hours to complete, the final product sure didn’t disappoint! I’d happily do that all over again tomorrow if I had the time.

Also, just as a warning – the filling will be super hot when it comes out of the oven, so as difficult as it is to sit and wait and be tortured by the smells, letting it cool for a bit before eating is highly recommended! Burnt tongues ruin the enjoyment of eating pot pies, that’s for sure.

Recipe adapted from Simply Scratch

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chicken fajita mac and cheese

Posted by :Amy On : October 14, 2013

Category: Casseroles/Comfort Foods, International, Pasta

Tags:casseroles, chicken, comfort food, mexican, Pasta

Now that fall is in the air, all I crave for are comfort foods. Usually this means some sort of soup or casserole dish when it comes to dinner. Don’t even get me started on the numerous desserts that are on my comfort food list – you’d be here for a while, and I’m sure your time is valuable.

Mac & cheese in casserole form is perhaps one of the best comfort foods ever. What’s better than a ooey gooey spiced up mac & cheese with onions, peppers, and seasoned chicken?!

Okay, I know a warm brownie with a molten chocolate center served with a side of vanilla bean ice cream probably comes to mind, but stay with me here – right now we’re talking about dinner.

You’re going to laugh at me, but this is the first time I’ve ever bought a block of cheese and shredded it myself with a grater. Yep, first time. I’ve always been lazy and used pre-shredded cheese, but I was told those are usually coated with some sort of a flour-y substance that can change the texture of your dish. So this time I put my grater to use and shredded two blocks of cheese myself, and let me tell you what, I don’t think I’m ever going back to the bagged kind anymore. There’s something about fresh shredded cheese that tastes so much better!

The two cheeses we use for this dish are Wisconsin sharp cheddar and pepperjack cheese. Pepperjack is perhaps one of my favorite cheeses ever, and it gives the dish a nice little kick that pairs well with the paprika, cumin, and green chiles.

chicken fajita mac and cheese

2013-10-02 18:32:09

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Ingredients

12 oz of your favorite pasta
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper, more if desired
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained
½ cup sour cream
6 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
Toppings such as diced tomatoes and cilantro, if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO over medium high heat. Add the chicken, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper, stir until chicken is coated with the spice mixture. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of EVOO. Saute the garlic, green peppers, and onion over medium high heat until onions turn translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the green chiles and cook for another minute or two.
Pour the vegetable mixture into the large bowl containing the chicken. Stir until combined. Add in the sour cream and the two cheese. Stir some more until everything is thoroughly mixed and there are no clumps of cheese.
Transfer the chicken/vegetable mixture into a 3 quart baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until pasta is slightly brown and bubbly.
Serve immediately. If desired, top with diced tomatoes, cilantro, or other garnishes.
Serves 6

By Simple Everyday Food

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Simple Everyday Food https://www.simpleeverydayfood.com/

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If you’re a fan of bell peppers, you can also add in a red and yellow bell pepper to the mix. I’m not a big fan of the red and yellow peppers, so I chose to leave them out of the recipe. However, I do like fresh tomatoes with my fajitas, so I diced up some tomatoes and added them to my bowl. A little bit of chopped up cilantro is also highly recommended – it really brings out the Mexican flavors and it gives the dish a nice bright flavor.

I also chose to use rotisserie chicken to save some time – it’s a good way to get rid of leftover rotisserie chicken! If you prefer to cook your chicken yourself, just substitute the rotisserie chicken with two diced up chicken breasts instead.

On a totally different subject, I really shouldn’t have mentioned that warm brownie. Now I need to go make myself a brownie in a mug…

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats

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