Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This has got to be one of the easiest recipes I've ever made! At first, we wondered if it was going to be very good because it seemed really liquid-y. But after you add in the tortillas and cheese, it thickens up quite a bit. It really tastes just like chicken enchiladas. Delicious!!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
2 (10 oz) cans of red enchilada sauce
10 corn tortillas
2-3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (divided)
1 (3.8 oz) can olives, sliced (divided)

Directions:
Add chicken and enchilada sauce to slow cooker and cook on low 6-8 hours.
Shred chicken using forks. (I shredded them right in the slow cooker - easy!)
Slice tortillas into strips - a pizza cutter works great - and add to chicken and sauce. Stir.
Add 1 cup cheese, half the olives, and stir again.
Top with remaining cheese and olives. Continue to cook 30-60 minutes longer or until cheese is all melted and bubbly.

Serve with lettuce, sour cream, or any other toppings you would like. Enjoy!

                  

These pictures do not do it justice at all. It looks like a sloppy mess but tastes amazing! We only have 2 kids left at home now, so we had tons of leftovers. I just pulled the dish out of the cooker and stuck it in the refrigerator. Then, a couple days later I popped it back in and heated it up. I thought the tortillas would be all soggy and gross but it was almost better the second time. We will definitely be making this again!

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

I have had this recipe for awhile now, & kept planning on making it but I never got around to it, or it didn't sound good that day - whatever. Well I finally made it tonight and it was sooo good!! I can't believe it took me that long to make it! This was the only picture I got of it before it was GONE. Seriously. 

This recipe makes two 8x8 pans or one 9x13 pan. Since I have a small family I made the two 8x8 pans and froze one for another night! Bonus! 

Ingredients:

5 cups cooked rice

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups broccoli, chopped (I thought this could use a lot more broccoli, so I would do at least 3 cups. I also just threw mine in uncooked, but if you are using frozen broccoli you might want to lightly steam it first.)

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (And some extra to sprinkle on the top.)

salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well.

Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole....this is seriously so good!!  It takes a while to cook, but is soooo worth it!! I will definitely be making this a regular!! 

Ingredients:

4-5 medium potatoes scrubbed and diced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
8 slices cooked bacon, cooled and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, sliced (green parts only)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter cut into small pieces


Directions:

Heat oven to 350*.  Lightly grease an 9x13 baking dish.

Spread half of the diced potatoes in bottom of pan.  Place the diced chicken breasts evenly on top.  Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with half the bacon crumbles, 1/2 cup of the cheese and half the green onions.

Spread the remaining diced potatoes on top, followed by the remaining bacon, another 1/2 cup cheese, remaining green onions and another 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Pour heavy cream over top of casserole and the dot with the butter.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.  Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes.  In the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and bake until melted.

Baked Ziti

This is one of my family's staple pasta dishes.  Everyone loves it (there's no meat), and it's really fast and easy to make.  So when I made this for dinner the other night, I started wondering if I had this recipe on the blog.  Nope.  Well, here it is now!  Yay! :)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. dried Ziti (I think I actually used Penne)
15 oz. tub of Ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 large can spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F.

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Place in large bowl. 

Mix in Ricotta cheese & half the Mozarella.  Stir until combined.

Grease 9x13 inch casserole dish.

Pour half the spaghetti sauce in bottom of pan.  Add pasta mixture and cover with remaining spaghetti sauce.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining Mozzarella.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until it starts to bubble on the edges.


Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Parmesan

I got this little baby off Pinterest!  Super easy takes about 3 min prep time, and bakes in 35 min.  YUMMY!! 

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 5, but they were huge!)
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Directions:

Using a 9x13 baking dish spread olive oil and crushed garlic on the bottom.  Sprinkle to taste red pepper flakes.  Place chicken in bottom of pan (if you are using smaller chicken you will probably be able to fit 7 or 8).  Spread 2 cups marinara sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle with fresh basil.  Add 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 Parmesan cheese.  Cover the top with 1 package garlic croutons (don’t crush).  Sprinkle the other half of the cheese.  Bake uncovered for 35 min at 350*.  (It may take longer depending on how thick your chicken is)

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Another great Bunko recipe. This one from my friend Erin!

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 40)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

Combine chicken, soup, sour cream and poppy seeds into a greased 11x7 in baking dish. In separate bowl combine Ritz crackers and butter. Sprinkle over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered at 350* for 30 min.

BAKED PENNE WITH CHICKEN, BROCCOLI & SMOKED MOZZARELLA

This was sooooo yummy! I was a little worried when I was making it at first. I didn't know how the flavors would all blend and come together. Everyone loved it - it tastes like something you would order at a restaraunt. I personally think the bread crumbs absolutely MAKE it!

Ingredients:
Topping:
3/4 c bread crumbs
2 TBS butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch of broccoli florets(about 1 1/2 lbs), trimmed into 1-inch pieces (I just used a bag of frozen)
12 oz penne pasta
2 TBS olive oil
1 med onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tsp dried thyme (I didn't have any, so I left this out)
1/4 c flour
2 c chicken broth
1 c heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 oz smoked mozzarella, shredded (I just used plain - couldn't find smoked ANYWHERE)
8 oz jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces

Instructions:
In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and butter - set aside.

Preheat oven to 400*

In lg pot, bring water to boil. Stir in salt and broccoli. Cook broccoli for about 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove with slotted spoon to a plate. Return water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until a little less than how you would eat it normally.

Drain pasta and toss with 1 TBS oil. Leave in collander and set aside.

Wipe pot dry. Add remaining 1 TBS oil and return to medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown - about 5 min. Stir in garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and cream; bring to a simmer whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through - about 6-7 minutes. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella.

Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine.

Transfer pasta mixture to a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake until casserole s bubbling and crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Burrito Casserole

Normally people cook more over the holidays, but I get lazy! So now I've got to step it up and start cooking again.

I found this recipe from blog chef, one of my favorite recipe blogs! It is so yummy!!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1 package taco seasoning
6 flour tortillas
1 (16 oz) can re-fried beans
2-3 cups shredded cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 oz sour cream
hot sauce (I used salsa)

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Drain. Add taco seasoning and stir in re-fried beans. In a separate bowl mix cream of mushroom soup and sour cream.

Spread 1/2 of the sour cream mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish. Tear up 3 tortillas and spread them over the sour cream mixture. Put 1/2 of the meat and bean mixture on top of that. Add a layer of shredded cheese (add hot sauce or salsa if using). Repeat the layers.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top and bake uncovered at *350 for 20-30 min.

*I used a square baking dish. A 9x13 is to big but my 8x8 was borderline to small. So something in between would be perfect.

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Okay, so I haven't made this before, but I thought I'd post it because it looks like a great Christmas morning breakfast! You can make this the night before, and then just pop it in the oven the next morning - my kind of meal!

Ingredients:

24 oz frozen shredded potatoes

salt & pepper

12 eggs

2 c half & half

1 tsp season salt

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 c shredded pepper jack cheese

2 c chopped ham (or cooked sausage)

Spray 9x13 pan. Place frozen potatoes in the pan. Shake a little salt & pepper over the top.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add half & half, season salt, cheeses & ham. Stir to mix it all together.

Pour it over the top of the potatoes. Cover with foil & put it in the fridge. (overnight or just for a little while)

Bake at 350* for 50 min.

Remove from oven & let sit for about 10 min before serving. This will help the pieces hold shape.

Enjoy!

PIZZA PASTA CASSEROLE

This is really quite good - I thought the pepperoni would be gross, but it's delicious! The best thing is, it makes 2 pans and you can freeze one for another night. :)

Ingredients:
2 lbs of ground beef
1 lg onion, chopped
2 jars(28 oz each) spaghetti sauce
1 pkg(16 oz) spiral pasta, cooked & drained
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz sliced pepperoni

Cook pasta & drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet,
cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta.

Transfer to 2 greased 9x13 baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese. Arrange pepperoni over top.
Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.

Bake the second casserole, uncovered at 350* for 25-30 min or until heated through.

For frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350* 35-40 min.

Note:
Next time I will put more pepperoni throughout the casserole instead of just on top, because I wanted more in it. Also, I added more cheese on top after the pepperoni. (like pizza)

Rhodes Rolls Pot Pie

Nate, my picky eater loved this!

Ingredients:

10 Texas Rhodes Rolls thawed & risen
2 pkg chicken gravy mix-prepared (I used 2 cans of cream of chicken soup)
1 cup sliced carrots*
2 cups cubed potatoes
2 chicken breasts cooked & cubed (salt & peppered)
1 1/2 c frozen peas*
2 Tbsp minced onions
1 Tbsp parsley
*I used, 2 cups mix of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots instead of the peas and carrots.

Directions:

Boil carrots & potatoes together & drain.

Spray 9 inch deep pie pan with cooking spray. Press 5 rolls together, roll out, place in bottom of pan. Cook for 5-10 min at 350*

Mix chicken, gravy, vegetables, onions and parsley. Pour mixture in pie crust.

Press 3 rolls together and roll out, cover top and press sides.

Roll remaining 2 rolls into 2 thin ropes for the sides.

Cook for 30-40 min at 350*

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Girls, this is from grandma's recipe book! There are so many in there that I want to try. This one is supper easy, and stuff I have all the time around the house.

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 c uncooked long-grain white rice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/3 c water
2 c fresh or frozen vegetables (your choice)
1/2 tsp onion powder

Directions:

Stir soup, water, rice, vegetables and onion powder in 12x8-in shallow baking dish.
Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired and cover.
Bake at 375* for 45 min or until done. Top with cheese. Makes 4 servings.