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The lowly casserole


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One-pot stews are fine here. And I can get away with the occasional lasagna. But I think my marriage would be endangered if I dared make something that more closely resembles what most in this country call a "casserole" than either of those things... ;) Probably if we'd written our own vows, instead of using the traditional ones, I'd have had to include some sort of promise never to serve casserole (or at least anything made with a canned cream-of-whatsit soup)... ;)

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One-pot stews are fine here. And I can get away with the occasional lasagna. But I think my marriage would be endangered if I dared make something that more closely resembles what most in this country call a "casserole" than either of those things... ;) Probably if we'd written our own vows, instead of using the traditional ones, I'd have had to include some sort of promise never to serve casserole (or at least anything made with a canned cream-of-whatsit soup)... ;)

Ewww... I don't like the cream-of-whatsit soup in my two. That may be why I don't have any other recipes.

 

I've never thought of lasagna or stew as a casserole.

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I didn't use no cream of nothin'!

 

If I tell you all, I think it would be met with Ewwwwwwwwwww! lol I did use Newman's Marinara sauce. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

And believe you me, I am keeping track of the posts which malign the lowly casserole!

So what is in this casserole that your kids are so enjoying?

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and incredibly underrated by foodies in this country. Even the Europeans have their pottages.

 

My kids are eating a casserole I totally made up and they are all "Wow, this is sooooo good!"

 

 

Go one pot meals!

 

My husband... bless his Minnesota raised soul.. calls these... Hot dish..... His favorite is Salmon and Corn... hot dish... Ick....

 

Carrie

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Seriously, it sounds really eeeewww. I will tell you the ingredients and that I baked at 350 for 30 minutes. (I did sautee things before I plopped it all in *casserole* dish and baked it). ;)

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 lb ground beef (grass -fed, of course! lol)
1 lb penne whole wheat pasta
1 lb frozen broccoli
6 oz frozen corn kernels
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 ground dried Thai chili (from my garden!)
3/4 jar of Newman's Marinara sauce
salt, pepper, olive oil
5 oz shredded Colby jack cheese.

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I make lots of casseroles or one-dish dishes. I hate having a bunch of pots on the burner and having to time it all so it's done at the same time. Just throw it all together and let it cook!

 

I make a lot of soup, cassaroles, enchillada-type dishes here.

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One-pot stews are fine here. And I can get away with the occasional lasagna. But I think my marriage would be endangered if I dared make something that more closely resembles what most in this country call a "casserole" than either of those things... ;) Probably if we'd written our own vows, instead of using the traditional ones, I'd have had to include some sort of promise never to serve casserole (or at least anything made with a canned cream-of-whatsit soup)... ;)

 

:lol: Really? What makes your dh so adverse to them? I think casseroles made with canned cream of celery or chicken soup are delish!!

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and incredibly underrated by foodies in this country. Even the Europeans have their pottages.

 

My kids are eating a casserole I totally made up and they are all "Wow, this is sooooo good!"

 

 

Go one pot meals!

 

:smilielol5:Laurie, do you...umm...lie awake at night...thinking of these threads? My 14yo ds just walked by and inquired "What's for dinner?" The darn man-cub hasn't even had breakfast yet. So I told him, "Casserole, baby, casserole." Silence. "Mom, uh, have you had your coffee yet?"

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Probably if we'd written our own vows, instead of using the traditional ones, I'd have had to include some sort of promise never to serve casserole (or at least anything made with a canned cream-of-whatsit soup)... ;)

 

Is it the canned soup that give the casserole a bad reputation? I never use canned cream-of-whatsit (in fact, I can't recall the last time I bought a can of any kind of soup), so maybe that's why my family loves a casserole.

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I never use canned cream-of-whatsit

 

I don't either. Casseroles can be made out of *anything.* All you have to do is put the following in a pan, and bake:

 

- enough veggies to serve your whole family

- enough protein (beans, meat, scrambled eggs) to serve your whole family

- enough grain/starch to serve your whole family

- some type of sauce - white sauce, tomato sauce, flavoured white/tomato sauce, gravy, any other type of thickened, flavoured sauce, etc.

- a bread crumb-n-cheese topping if you wish

 

Double all this so you have one to freeze or to serve for lunch the next day. Casseroles are very versatile. You can even make last night's homemade soup/stew into a casserole, and last night's casserole into a soup/stew.

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:smilielol5:Laurie, do you...umm...lie awake at night...thinking of these threads? My 14yo ds just walked by and inquired "What's for dinner?" The darn man-cub hasn't even had breakfast yet. So I told him, "Casserole, baby, casserole." Silence. "Mom, uh, have you had your coffee yet?"

 

 

Happy to help! lol

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I've been scouring the internet for a casserole recipe because my MIL wants me to bring one to dinner tomorrow night. I found Baked Ziti and the recipe sounds a lot like your concoction of yours. I'm a casserole newbie. If this turns out well I may start making them, they sound easy.

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Is it the canned soup that give the casserole a bad reputation? I never use canned cream-of-whatsit (in fact, I can't recall the last time I bought a can of any kind of soup), so maybe that's why my family loves a casserole.

 

Not necessarily. In my house, it's the various components (protein, veggies, sauce, pasta) are actually *touching* each other. Some of my guys shudder when they contemplate this type of event.

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I make casseroles all.the.time. Either in my oven or in the crock-pot. As long as I can dump it all in one dish and then cook it...I'm good. And my family loves them. No problem there.

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Seriously, it sounds really eeeewww. I will tell you the ingredients and that I baked at 350 for 30 minutes. (I did sautee things before I plopped it all in *casserole* dish and baked it). ;)

 

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 lb ground beef (grass -fed, of course! lol)

1 lb penne whole wheat pasta

1 lb frozen broccoli

6 oz frozen corn kernels

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 ground dried Thai chili (from my garden!)

3/4 jar of Newman's Marinara sauce

salt, pepper, olive oil

5 oz shredded Colby jack cheese.

That sounds good.

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One of our family favorites is Hot Dog Casserole, which contains not only hot dogs but also spaghetti sauce from a CAN.

 

It originally was a recipe from the 60s or 70s with the name Fancy Franks. I have made it with everything from really cheap hot dogs and Velveeta to nice kosher beef dogs and Irish cheddar.

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When we were discussing marriage my now dh stated, "I don't wear yellow or pink, and I won't eat meatloaf or casseroles."

 

His mom (home ec teacher) is a horrible cook and he had more than his fair share of undercooked, runny and/or burned one pot meals. Honestly, my ability to cook is still a great virtue in his eyes (having eaten at my mil's I know why!)

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My dh grew up on the notorious...hot-dish, and his mom (bless her heart) was not gifted in the kitchen either.

 

One dish meals, made from scratch are one of my specialities. I make them in the oven and on-top, no cans just delicious casseroles, stews, soups, manicotti, lasagna, and so on.

Edited by Tammyla
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I didn't use no cream of nothin'!

 

If I tell you all, I think it would be met with Ewwwwwwwwwww! lol I did use Newman's Marinara sauce. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

And believe you me, I am keeping track of the posts which malign the lowly casserole!

 

Sorry, you'll have to put me on the Ewwww casserole list. I love Beef Stew but anything even close to tuna casserole or with cream of ....mixed in, I just can't eat it;) I don't like veggies mixed in meat with a sauce:tongue_smilie:

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Fay, you need to try some of the meat free dishes and of course make your own sauce...Come on try it, you know you want to. Baked Ziti with cheese and marinara sauce counts too.

 

Sorry, you'll have to put me on the Ewwww casserole list. I love Beef Stew but anything even close to tuna casserole or with cream of ....mixed in, I just can't eat it;) I don't like veggies mixed in meat with a sauce:tongue_smilie:
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One of our family favorites is Hot Dog Casserole, which contains not only hot dogs but also spaghetti sauce from a CAN.

 

It originally was a recipe from the 60s or 70s with the name Fancy Franks. I have made it with everything from really cheap hot dogs and Velveeta to nice kosher beef dogs and Irish cheddar.

 

I would love this recipe :D

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Soups and stews and casseroles are comfort food for me. We grew up eating that. We didn't have much and it is economical. My dh calls it "welfare food". His family was quite well off and dinners were always a roasted chicken, beef roast, ham, etc. Never a casserole. He's grown used to a simpler way of eating and actually prefers it now. It's easier on the body!

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I'm from WI and I've noticed the only time I ever hear the term "hot dish" anymore is when someone much older than me is bringing one to a funeral or to someone's house after hip replacement surgery. We younger, hipper, under-40s kids use the ubercool "casserole". :lol:

 

When I was younger, I couldn't eat any kind of casserole - had an issue with my foods touching each other. Now that I'm older, I make some sort of casserole a couple times a week. Things like veggie and pasta with either a tomato sauce or a home made cheese sauce, enchiladas or tortilla bake, or a veggie stew, etc happen pretty often here.

Edited by LauraGB
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I had to look up the definitions of these terms in my Food Lover's Companion book because I find this discussion rather interesting. According to the book:

 

Casserole is a term that refers to both a baking dish and the ingredients it contains. Casserole cookery is extremely convenient because the ingredients are cooked and served in the same dish. A casserole dish usually refers to a deep, round, ovenproof container with handles and a tight fitting lid. It can be glass, metal, ceramic or any other heatproof material. A casserole's ingredients can include meat, vegetables, beans, rice and anything that might seem appropriate. Often a topping such as cheese or bread crumbs is added or texture and flavor.

 

Stew (as a noun) is any dish that is prepared by stewing (see def below). Ther term is often applied to dishes that contain meat, vegetables and a thick souplike broth resulting from a combination of the stewing liquid and the natural juices of the food being stewed.

 

Stew (as a verb) is a method of cooking by which food is barely covered with liquid and simmered slowly for a long period of time in a tightly covered pot.

 

Hot dish wasn't in there. :lol:

 

So, yeah, I guess a lasagna would be a casserole. I don't think of it like that, but it is. However, it would not be a stew.

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I think the 1950s style canned cream soups ruined everything. I cannot stand that.... taste, but it is a sort that women of a certain generation embrace(d).

 

I don't tend to imagine a stew as the same thing as a casserole. I picture a casserole as a one-pot meal baked in the oven and generally containing a starch, whereas I tend to eat stew (which may or may not have a starch such as potatoes in it) with a starch (bread and/or rice). I would still probably not call a baked pasta dish a casserole, but I'm not entirely sure why.

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As an Italian American I refuse to consider baked ziti or lasagna a casserole. But it looks like the Food Lover's Dictionary would prove me wrong.

 

Laura

 

Yeah, this Scots-German gal doesn't consider them to be casseroles, either.

 

I don't do casseroles that often. I do use my crock pot a lot though, for soups and stews.

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