Create-a-Casserole
To create a casserole you need to think in terms of categories. There are (roughly) 5 categories to a casserole.
- Framework
- Sauce
- Meat
- Add-Ons
- Toppings
I am going to be giving you a 5 week tutorial on creating casseroles. I'll devote one week to each of the above categories. And give you a recipe to try each week.
Framework
This can be dry pasta, rice, or potatoes. All can be either pre-cooked or not. If you're a Texan, you can even use tortillas for your framework.
If you use raw potatoes, you need to increase your oven time by an hour and add a little more liquid. For most casseroles you will want to use regular old russet potatoes, peeled and diced or sliced.
Some recipes that use potatoes will do better if you cook them first. Depending on the recipe you could fry diced potatoes, other recipes will require mashed potatoes.
Frozen potatoes are also very useful in constructing casseroles. Frozen hash browns can form a nice "crust" or foundation for a casserole. Tater tots are a wonderful "framework/topping."
When you use uncooked rice you need to increase your liquid significantly, adding the full amount of water or broth for the amount of rice you are using. Also, you will need to increase the time, depending on whether you are using brown rice or white. When using brown rice, you should add one hour of oven time to the recipe. When using white rice you should add 30 minutes.
When using un-cooked pasta you only need to increase your time by half. For example, if your recipe calls for cooked pasta and 30 minutes in the oven, just add about 2 - 3 cups of water or broth to the sauce and increase the time in the oven to 45 minutes.
I'm calling this week's recipe "Braunes Abendessen" which is German for brown dinner, and now you know why I translated it into German. Because, if the children ask, "Hail, Mother, Queen of my heart, what's for dinner?" They won't like it so much if you yell out, "Brown Dinner!" Whereas, if you sweetly respond, "Child of my heart, we are dinning on Braunes Abendessen," you may just get their attention. 
Braunes Abendessen
You will need:
- 1 bag frozen hash brown potatoes (the shredded variety)
- 2 pounds ground beef (cooked)
- 1 envelope brown gravy mix
- 1/2 bag frozen peas
- small can french fried onions (like you put on the green bean casserole at Thanksgiving)
Take the hash browns out of the freezer about an hour or so before you begin. Pre-heat the oven to 375. Spray your 9 x 13 casserole dish or your dutch oven with oil. Spread the mostly thawed potatoes in the bottom and sides of the dish, like a crust, kinda press 'em in there, but not too firmly. Pre-bake this "crust" for 15 minutes.
While this is baking, put the cooked beef in your frying pan and heat it up. Sprinkle the gravy mix over the beef and add 1 1/2 cups water. Stir to mix thoroughly. Add the peas.
Once your "crust" is done, remove it from the oven and pour your meat mixture into the crust, being careful not to displace the crust, it can be a little wiggly if you're rough with your spoon. Put the lid on or cover with foil and pop it back in the oven for 25 minutes.
Next, take it out of the oven and remove the lid/foil. Sprinkle the french fried onions over the top and put it back in the oven for about 5 or 10 minutes.
This is not the very cheapest most frugal way to construct a casserole considering that it calls for some pre-packaged foods, but neither is it expensive. It will get you in and out of the kitchen fairly quickly, and it feeds 8 - 10. Just add a green salad.
Come back next week when I'll talk about sauce, and I'll have another crowd-pleasing recipe for you to try.
Meanwhile, why don't you come over to Ship Full O' Pirates and get to know me and my crew better.
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4 Responses to “Create-a-Casserole”
October 1st, 2008 at 7:32 am
Excellent! I look forward to the series.
October 4th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I need some new ideas here too. I love to make up my own recipes (and can’t help tweaking new recipes even before I try them) but I’m in a cooking rut.
I especially can’t wait for the sauces. All of mine use either cream-of-something soup or taco seasoning. Our favorites use both. Not surprisingly, all of my casseroles bear a striking resemblance to one another.
I’m sure there are other options out there, but I have no idea what they are. Of course, I’d probably want to tweak them by adding a can of cream-of-something soup…
October 8th, 2008 at 6:41 am
[...] week I focused on Framework. Did y’all enjoy the Braunes Abendessen? This week I’m all about [...]
October 29th, 2008 at 6:01 am
[...] Framework [...]
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