Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Bake

My kids loved this dinner. Hamburger, noodles, and cheese always please them. This was comfort food, tasty and easy to make. This recipe is slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman. Definitely one we'll make over and over.

Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Bake

by Chelsey W.

1 1/4 lb ground beef

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

8 oz egg noodles

3/4 c sour cream

1 1/4 c small curd cottage cheese

2 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Brown ground beef. Season beef with salt, pepper, and some onion powder. Drain any excess fat. Add tomato sauce and simmer for about 10 min. Meanwhile, cook noodles al dente, drain, and set aside. In a medium bowl combine sour cream, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir the noodles into the sour cream mixture. To assemble grease a 9x13 casserole dish, layer half the noodles on the bottom then half the meat sauce, then half the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until cheese melts.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

This is my favorite casserole. It's so good I could eat it every week and not get sick of it. I always requested this for my birthday dinner growing up. I know there are a lot of versions of this casserole out there but this one is the best. The sauce has great flavor. The curry powder really compliments the broccoli and cheese. The toast on top gives it some crunch. If you like chicken, broccoli, and cheese you'll love this too!

Recipe:

3 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) around 1 1/2 - 2 lbs

2 pkgs (around 13 oz each) frozen broccoli florets

or about 5 c fresh broccoli florets

2 slices of bread

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 c mayonnaise

1/2 c chicken stock or I often substitute milk with a little chicken bouillon in it

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp curry powder

1 1/4 c grated cheddar cheese, divided

Fully cook chicken, season, and cut into bite size pieces. Boil broccoli until tender but don't overcook you don't want it mushy, drain. Make sauce in a sauce pan or microwavable bowl. Sauce includes: cream of chicken soup, mayo, chicken stock, lemon juice, curry powder, and 3/4 c cheese. Mix and cook on stove top or in the microwave until cheese melts. In a casserole dish layer broccoli then chicken, then sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 c cheese on the top. Lightly toast bread then butter it and tare it into pieces the size of croutons and sprinkle the bread on the top of the cheese. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bake

When I'm making a grocery list I often ask my husband, "what would you like for a dinner?" He always replies the same, "chicken and rice," which is this Campbells soup recipe. It's fine with me because I love it too and it is probably one of the simplest dinners to prepare out there. You don't have to precook the chicken or rice, you just throw it in a casserole dish and bake it. It has great flavor and we eat it regularly.

The recipe came off of the cream of chicken Campbells soup label a few years back. Now the soup label has this same recipe on it with a different name because they added veggies to it. We are bad and don't care for the veggies in it but you can add one cup of frozen vegetables in it if you'd like.

This recipe only serves enough for 3 or 4 servings. Between my husband and I and our two little boys it's gone. So I've tried doubling it for more people and for some reason it did not work out. The rice was hard and it was all watery and weird even with extra cooking time. I think it has something to do with needing to be in a shallow baking dish. So now if I want more I make it in two separate shallow baking dishes and bake it together and that seems to work fine. So I thought I'd give a heads up to anyone with a large family. Doubling it might work if your baking dish is very large and shallow.

Recipe:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/3 c water

3/4 c uncooked regular long-grain white rice

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp pepper

2 large chicken breasts, halved

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder, and pepper in a 2 qt shallow baking dish. Top with chicken. Cover. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 min. or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is done. Uncover. Stir rice and sprinkle the top with cheese. Cover again and then serve once the cheese melts.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a simple supper that even the pickiest kids will eat. (I know I have one) It's a comfort food for me because I grew up eating it often. When there's no groceries in the house this is my go to recipe, because I usually have these items in the pantry. I love that it uses tuna so there's no meat to cook. You can add different veggies to it if you want, but for my picky eater I leave them out and it's still good.

Recipe:

3 c uncooked medium noodles (I use macaroni)

1 can tuna fish

1/2 c mayonnaise

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 c milk

1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, divided

Optional: celery, green pepper, onion

Boil and drain noodles according to package directions. In a small bowl combine tuna (drained), mayo, and salt. In a pot or microwave safe bowl stir and heat through cream of chicken soup, milk, and 1 c cheese until it melts. Once cheese has melted add tuna mixture to the soup mixture and heat through a little more. Combine noodles and sauce in a large casserole dish or pot. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top. Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 2o-25 min until cheese is slightly brown and sauce is bubbly in the center.