Tuna Casserole

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes


Grade: B+/A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011)  

This recipe was from a lightened up comfort foods article. The sauce replaces a lot of the whole milk with broth. I think that adds flavor and is a good idea. It also uses a tiny bit of parm in the topping with panko. I felt like there should be more cheese in the topping. I used less oil for the onions and white sauce, and that was fine, so next time I would add more cheese.

The amount of tuna in this was kind of small. I think I would use more next time. The panko makes a much better topping than regular bread crumbs (although fresh toasted would be great also, if you don't have panko.) I didn't have enough peas, so I threw in some chopped fresh spinach for added green and more veggies. I thought the spinach and peas might clash, but I barely tasted the spinach.

I'm not sure which tuna casserole is my favorite. I think that Cook's Country version probably tastes the best, but it is also pretty high calorie since it is made with heavy cream. It is a quick and easy recipe however, so that goes in it's favor. The other Mediterranean Tuna Casserole from EF is nice and a bit different. I don't make tuna casserole very often, and I'm not sure which one I would do again. Really, any of them are fine, I think.

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

This was just a simple recipe to use up leftovers. The original recipe uses mushrooms and black beans, but I don't like mushrooms, so used some chopped up leftover chicken breast. I also used a trick learned from Cook's Illustrated, to spray the corn tortillas with olive oil spray and then back for a few minutes at 300. This makes them more pliable (and tasty!) 

This tasted quite good, but was not too attractive. I won't go out of my way to make this again, but would certainly do it if I have these ingredients on hand and wanted something quick to make for dinner.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 1998)

This is, of course, a leftover recipe for after Thanksgiving. It isn't super quick, but it is fairly easy, and I really find it to be good comfort food that froze fine, so I will make this again next time I have turkey leftovers.

(I skipped the mushrooms, used less butter and lemon, as I often do.) Oh, and I also used Panko instead of fresh breadcrumbs. I used a technique from The Best Light Recipe and browned them in a little butter on the stove which works well.

Hoppin' John

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

This recipe is good, but the leftovers are not as good as the original. I had a littel trouble, because it calls for cooking the ham first, and then adding the bacon, and I never really got my bacon browned as much as I wanted. I used lean ham, which may be why. Next time, I'll reverse the order.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

I modify this recipe a lot, because I don't like overly soupy or cheesy macaroni and cheese. The way they make this recipe is extremely, heavy and too cheesy for me. It is still not even close to being a "light" dish the way I make it, but it is much better.

Basically, I keep the amount of pasta and topping, but I cut the sauce in half. I don't really cut the seasonings in half though, because I am using the same amount of pasta. I usually just cut them by about 75%.

Chicken Divan Casserole

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Assemble Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

I like this recipe, but I think it is underseasoned. Next time I will make sure to season the chicken when putting the casserole together. The very best thing about this recipe is that you can make all the parts the night before and put together. For this reason, I have used it for serving a casual dinner to extended family and friends.

Sopa Seca

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

This is a nice vegetarian (if using vegetable broth) casserole made with pasta, diced tomatoes and a little cheese. It is flavored with Chipotle peppers. I like making it with black beans to make it a main dish. The recipe calls for vermicelli broken in half. I found the vermicelli very difficult to manage in the skillet. But I found a one inch long pasta that is the same thickness as vermicelli at a store that has a large pasta selection. This works perfectly, and makes the recipe much easier.