Chicken Parmesan or Italian Style Meatball Casserole

This is a recipe from a cold day in Maine one year 
For dinner tonight since Its freezing here in Maine 17 degrees, I decided to make a casserole. I cut a corner because of costs of the ingredients. I used Rotini pasta and a package of frozen Italian style mini meatballs. It’s full of melty cheese, and the tomato sauce totally counts as a veggie.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:


1 pound lean ground chicken
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk


For the casserole:


1 pound campanelle pasta (any small shape is fine, such as ziti)
1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce (Barilla)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for 1 minute less than package directions state.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the meatballs. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and use your hands to mix them together well. Form into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Add the pasta sauce to a large bowl and stir in the cooked pasta and meatballs. Stir gently to coat everything in sauce.
Spread half of the pasta and meatballs into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.
*To freeze this dish, stop just short of baking the casserole, cover tightly with foil, and freeze until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.*

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
1 (3 oz.) bag bacon pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Layer half of the frozen tater tots on the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the bacon pieces.
4. Now top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
5. Add diced chicken on top.
6. Season with salt & pepper.
7. Now add 1/3 of the bacon pieces and another 1/3 of shredded cheese.
8. Put the rest of the frozen tater tots on top.
9. Finish with the remaining 1/3 cheddar cheese and remaining 1/3 of bacon pieces.
10. Pour 3/4 cup milk all over the top.
11. Cover and cook on low about 4-6 hours.

Hashbrown Hamburger Casserole with Veggies and Cheese Recipe

Hashbrown Hamburger Casserole with Veggies and Cheese Recipe

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

2 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 cup beef broth

3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 20 oz. package of refrigerated hash brown potatoes (appx 3 1/2 cups)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

In a skillet, cook onion in olive oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add in ground beef and cook until browned. If there is a lot of fat from the ground beef, pour it off at this time.

Add in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring.

Add in ketchup, broth, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and veggies. Cook for 5 minutes.

Spread mixture in bottom of 9×13 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix potatoes, cheese and butter.

Spread potato mixture over beef/veggie mixture.

Bake 45 minutes or until hash browns are golden brown.