Recently in Casseroles Category

6 servings Dreamfields rotini pasta (30 carbs)
2 cups heavy whipping cream (0 carbs)
2 cups shredded colby cheese (2 carbs)
2 eggs beaten (0 carbs)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to box directions.

In a sauce pan slowly heat the cream and stir in the grated cheese. Stir often as the cheese melts into the cream. Temper the eggs and add them to the hot cream and cheese mix. Stir well to mix the eggs and not let them curdle.

Place pasta in a casserole dish large enough to leave room for the sauce of cream and cheese.

Pour hot cream and cheese mix over the pasta. Top with more grated cheese.

Bake in a 375 degree oven 30 - 45 minutes until cassrole is set and the cheese is just before turning golden.

32 carbs for the entire casserole. Makes 8 - 10 servings. At 8 servings that is 4 carbs/serving.

6 dreamfeilds lasagne noodles (<5 carbs)
2 chicken breasts thinly sliced (0 carbs)
2 cups heavy cream (0 carbs)
1 stick butter (0 Carbs)
4 cups baby spinach leaves (1 carbs)
1 small onion
Garlic (or garlic powder)
Parsley (or parsley flakes)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 cups ricotta cheese (15 carbs)
2 cups grated mozzerella cheese (2 carbs)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup parmesian cheese (0 carbs)

Prepare lasagne noodles according to package.

In a sautee pan heat olive oil, gently cook the onions and garlic without browning them or the pan. Add the thinly sliced chicken and cook without creating a fond or browning the chicken. Stir in the butter cut into pieces so that it melts quickly. Do not allow the butter to begin to brown. Just let it melt. Add the cream. Simmer, stirring often until the mixture begins to thicken. It may take 10 minutes or more to slowly thicken. Sprinkle in the parsley flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

While the sauce and chicken, place the washed and still damp spinach leaves in a glass dish with a lid and microwave for 4 minutes. The spinach will wilt down and be almost as thin as a sheet of paper on the bottom of your dish. Drain off the water and juices. Only use the spinach and carefull fork it out of the bottom of your dish or it will just create one ball of a mess and won't spread easily in your lasagne.

Mix ricotta, parmesian and beaten eggs well with a spinkle of garlic powder. Set aside.

When the sauce is thicken begin assembling your lasagne.

The cassrole dish I use is about the width of 3 lasagne noodles, so with a little cream sauce or butter in the bottom of my dish:

layer of 3 noodles
a layer of 1/2 of the chicken and cream sauce
a layer of of the spinach
a layer of 1/2 of the shredded mozzerella
a layer of the ricotta/parmesian mixture
a layer of 3 noodles
topped with last of the chicken and cream sauce
and a final layer of mozzerella

Place in a 375 degree oven. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes until bubbly and hot and the cheese on top is just beginning to become golden.

Allow to sit and cool for 15 minutes or so before serving with a nice green salad. Ken's steakhouse light northern italian dressing is 1 carb for 2 tbsp. That is a lot.

Total carb count for the casserole: 23 carbs

The casserole made 8 servings (but could actually extend to 10 servings) 2.8 carbs.

A serving with salad and dressing 3.8 carbs.

Under 4 carbs for a delicious meal!

*Taste the cream sauce and make sure it is seasoned to your taste. The salt and pepper and granulated garlic is adjustable to you palatte which is why I didn't add any measures. We like a fair amount of garlic our italian style foods. I know some people do not. If you leave out the garlic it will a bland dish.

1/2 box Dreamfields low carb pasta

1 cup carb count milk
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp butter
2 eggs beaten

4 oz cheddar cheese, grated (check the lable some cheddar brands have more carbs than others)

Boil pasta as directed in salt water. Drain.

In a sauce pan over low heat bring the cream and the milk up to a warm temperature. Melt the butter into the milk. Stir in 3/4 of the grated cheese until melted. Temper the beat eggs then add to the milk and cheese mixture. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Place drained pasta in a casserole dish and slowly pour over the hot milk/cheese/egg mix. Stir gently to mix well with the pasta. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees until set and the cheese topping is bubbly and just beginning to get golden.

The cream, butter and eggs contain 0 carbs. The carb count milk has 3 carbs for one cup. The pasta is 5 digestable carbs per 1/2 cup DRY pasta. I used 3 cups dry pasta @ 30 carbs. The cheddar is <1 carb/1oz. 4 oz is about 1 carb. The casserole dish made 10 servings which works out to be 3.4 carbs per serving that we ate. Not too bad at all for good mac and cheese.

Carbs remain under 5g.

2 cans artichoke hearts in brine (NOT marinated)
1 9oz bag fresh baby spinach
1 brick cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp mayonnaise
6 tbsp milk
1/3 c parmesian cheese
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 350.

In a covered dish, microwave the fresh spinach for 5 minutes. Do not add extra liquid. In a glass covered dish the spinach will sweat and it's own steam will be enough. There will be little to no liquid.

Drain artichokes well and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Using a fork because the spinach will be very hot, layer the spinach on top of the artichokes.

Blend the softened cram cheese and butter together well. Add the mayonnaise. The mix should be smooth enough you can almost whip it. Slowly add the milk until you have a creamy mix.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over the vegetables in your casserole dish. Sprinkle over top the parmesian cheese.

Top with the crushed Ritz crackers. Add a few dots of butter to keep it moist. Bake until top is lightly browned.

Remove the ends from fresh green beans. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil for about 3 - 5 minutes to retain their bright green color. Pour off water. Sautee with a little butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

While hot add 1 small jar pimento peppers, 1 small jar of tiny pearl onions (optional) (in brine not vinegar) and 1 can cream of mushroom soup.

Place in a buttered dish. Top with Durkees french fried onions.

Bake until heated through and bubbly.

1 whole chicken
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 - 4 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper

Place chicken in stock pot. Add vegetables and seasoning. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat. Cook until the chicken is tender and the meat is falling from the bone.

Remove chicken from stock. Set aside on a baking sheet and allow to cool. Carefully strain the vegetables from the hot stock.

Dumplings
Bring the stock back up to a low boil. Begin adding strips of Anne's Dumplings to the pot 3 or 4 at a time. With a long handled spoon move them around in the stock gently allowing them to begin to cook through before adding more. Once all of the pastry strips are in turn the heat down to a simmer. Check and stir often. Dumplings will settle to the bottom and stick and scorch. Scorched dumplings are not good.

While the dumplings are simmering, pick the meat from the chicken and shred or tear into bite size pieces. Put the carcass into another pot with water and those limp cooked vegetables and set to boil again. Believe me there is still a lot of flavor in there to cook out.

Add the meat to your dumpling pot. At this point you can also add a small package of frozen peas and carrots. The bright colors dress up the dish and make it more interesting to the eye.

As the dumplings cook they will absorb alot of the stock. If the stock remains thin like soup you can add a can of cream of chicken soup to get a creamier consistancy. If it gets thick, beyond stew like, the chicken pieces you have boiled the second time, use that stock to thin it out. Add a can of cream of chicken soup to get a creamy consistancy. You can add a few peas and carrots to add color.

Before serving, taste the dumplings. Dumplings need salt, you may have to salt the pot while it simmers.

Whatever stock that you have left, strain out the veggies and carcass pieces, freeze it for use later in other soups or stews or to make noodle soup with. Pick through the bones and you will find a good bit of meat slivers to set aside for noodle soup.

For noodle soup you simply need a quart of stock and some egg noodles. Bring the stock to a boil, add the noodles, cook until tender. Perfect soup every time.

Something my old Aunt's did to dress up the dumpling pot - Once the dumplings are cooked make a pastry crust and seal the top of the pot. Brush with butter and bake like a pie. It is so nice to break through the crust and scoop up a creamy helping of the chicken and dumplings.

4 fresh bell peppers
1 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1 1/2 cup long grain rice
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 8oz can tomato sauce

Cut the tops from the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Rinse. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop in the peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and drain well.

Brown the beef, onion and garlic. Drain.

Cook the rice half of the recommended cooking time in boiling salted water.

Drain the diced tomatoes making sure you reserve the juice.

In a large dish mix the beef, rice, tomatoes and italian seasoning until well combined. Stuff into the bell peppers.

Mix the tomato sauce, the juice from the diced tomatoes and another 1 tsp italian seasoning.

Place 2 peppers in a freezer bad. Place half the sauce mix into a quart freezer bag. Place both bags into a 2 gallon size freezer bag. Lable and date the bag. Place in the freezer.

When ready to cook thaw in the refrigerator. Place the 2 peppers in a baking dish and pour the sauce over the top. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

You can also top the peppers with grated cheese near the end of the cooking time.

5 boneless chicken breasts, boiled
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained
4 cups Ritz crackers
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 8x8 Glad Ovenware with lids

Cut chicken breasts up into small chunks. Coat a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray or butter. Mix together chicken, cream of chicken soup and sour cream.

Pour half of this mixture into each of the Glad Ovenware pans and spread evenly.

Crush crackers and mix with melted butter. Spoon cracker mixture over each pan of chicken mixture. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top.

Put the lid on pan, lable and place in the freezer. When you are ready to cook, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

This is an excellent casserole to serve with a salad made of baby spinach leaves and dressed with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

You can also freeze the butter and crackers separately and add them to the top of the casserole the day you decide to bake it.

Preparing the eggplant
2 eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
Bread crumbs
Olive oil
Mozzarella cheese

Lightly salt the eggplant and lay on paper towels to absorb alot of the water they will extrude, about 30 minutes is enough. Lightly coat the eggplant slices in flour, dip in egg, coat with bread crumbs. Sautee them in a scant amount of olive oil until golden brown. Remove to more paper towels.

Slice the mozzarella thinly and refrigerate until needed.

Marinara Sauce
1 large can of Hunts tomato sauce (Normally I am not picky about tomato sauce but if you are cooking Hunts is the best to use, it just tastes different, fresher, doesn't have that bitter after taste some canned sauces have.)
1 can plum tomatoes roughly chopped
10 basil leaves fresh from my herb pot, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion very finely chopped
1/2 cup parmesian cheese, grated
black pepper, fresh cracked
salt
Olive oil
Oregano (I do not use oregano. It makes Steven gassy. It is not worth it!)

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan, add garlic and onion and sautee to release their flavor, do not brown. Add tomatoes and sauce, basil, pepper and salt to taste. (If it is too thin add 2 tsp tomato paste.) Simmer at a low heat for 30 minutes. Add the parmesian cheese. Simmer about 5 minutes until the cheese is beginning to melt. Remove from heat.

In a casserole dish, cover the bottom lightly with the tomato sauce mixture. Make a layer of eggplant slices much like building a lasagna. Cover with a little more sauce. Add a layer of thinly sliced mozzarella cheese. Repeat until you have used all the eggplant slices. Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top. Sprinkle with a generous amount of parmesian cheese. Traditionally this would be made with a single layer of eggplant, sauce and cheese but I like mine thick and gooey. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 - 30 minutes before serving.

My kids cannot wait for 30 minutes. They can't wait for 15 either but being the mean mother I am I make them wait.

For plating I make a mound of pasta on each persons plate, top with a generous helping of the parmigiana.

If you are coming over for supper tonight do you mind picking up a nice bottle of Red? I prefer marriage wines like an nice grenache/shiraz. I also prefer Australian wines made by Italians. There is a difference in the soil that adds something to the fruit of the vine. Try it. You'll see I am telling the truth -but it MUST be made by Italians.

Grazie.

1 large cottage cheese, 1 large ricotta cheese, 12 oz parmesian cheese
Mix well. Add more parmesian if the cottage cheese has too much liquid. You want it to look thick almost like plaster.

1 large bag of baby spinach greens - 1 large zuchini grated

Spray baking pan with cooking oil. Place a little sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Build the lasagne in this order:

Lasagne noodles
1/2 of the spinach leaves
Sprinkle with mozerella and parmesian
Lasagne noodles
1/2 Cheese mixture
Lasagne noodles
Grated Zuchinni
Sprinkle of parmesian cheese
Lasagne noodles
Other 1/2 of spinach leaves
Other 1/2 of cheese mixture
Sprinkle with parmesian and mozerella

Let sit overnight in refrigerator. Take out and set on counter one hour before baking. Bake at 350 degree oven until bubbly and cheese is nicely toasted.