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Sometimes I’m looking for something warm and comforting but I really don’t want to cook. This baked dish combines the savory delight of a cheeseburger with the total comfort of a bowl of macaroni and cheese. And it’s easy!

What’s in the casserole?

This dish is made with ground beef, onion, pasta, spices, cream of bacon soup and cheese – lots of cheese.

I know you’re thinking, what? cream of bacon? Yep. It’s by Campbells and it’s new – and it really has bacon in it!!

But if you can’t find it or don’t want the bacon, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or even cheddar cheese soup will work.

Be creative! It’s your meal.

What Makes it Comfort Food?

Mac and cheese is a classic comfort food. And a big, juicy cheeseburger fits the bill every time.

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Mixing the two makes it extra comfort!

Making the baked casserole – 

Cook your pasta first. Once it’s done, drain it, but save 1/4 cup of the water. Set aside.

Next brown the beef in a large, ovenproof skillet.

Crumble the beef an put it into the hot skillet. Cook it until it is almost all browned.

Place the minced onion, lemon pepper, and salt on the top. Stir well.

Stir in the soup and pasta water. Mix it well.

Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar. When it’s well mixed, add more salt and pepper to taste.

Top it with the remaining cheddar and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. The top will be bubbly and a little bit browned.

Serve hot and enjoy!

 

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

It’s hard on these hot days to figure out a meal for my family that doesn’t heat the kitchen and satisfies hunger. This dish is cooked in a skillet, is full of flavor and hearty enough to satisfy everyone. Serve with a crisp, cold salad and you’re done. Well, except for the clean up.

Making the Skillet Enchilada Casserole

I like to have everything prepped before I start cooking – cut up, measured, ready to put into the dish.

Use Mexican chorizo ^[6] in this recipe. Peel the plastic wrapper off before you start cooking. Crumble the meat up in a heavy skillet and cook over medium heat, until it’s starting to brown a little and much of the fat has been rendered.

Add the pork chunks and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is lightly browned.

Stir in the onion and garlic and cover. Simmer for about ten minutes.

Remove from the heat stir in the tortillas until the are distributed evenly in the meat mixture.

Add the tomatoes and cheese. I used queso fresco, but it doesn’t melt. Queso Oaxaca will have more of a cheddar like flavor and will melt. You can also use cheddar if you prefer.

Pour the broth over the top, then top with the enchilada sauce.

Bring it all to a boil, the cover and simmer on low for about 35 to 40 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly and the tortillas soft.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with sour cream and avocado –

Serve!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

As usual, I made way too much food on the 4th of July! Only one person even touched the chicken! (Can’t say the same for the ribs – LOL). I wanted to use some of the leftovers but I didn’t want the same meal – so something with pasta…Chicken Noodle! And who doesn’t like a dish that’s chicken noodle?

Here’s how you do it:

In an effort to use up some things in the refrigerator, I added some bell pepper (I had two halves) and some leftover chopped onion. You can be creative and add anything you want to use up – like peas or corn, cheese, even leftover sauces!

So here is my version – I’d love to hear about yours!

Melt 3 Tablespoons of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. If you are using fresh mushrooms, cook them first until they are soft and lightly browned.

Next, gently sauté the onions and garlic until they are are starting to soften.

Add the pepper and celery, continuing to cook for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat the oil for a minutes or two, then stir in the chicken ^[11] and pre-cooked mushrooms.

Stir in the flour and cook it until it starts to thicken lightly.

Quickly stir in the milk and

continue cooking until the sauce is just starting to thicken.

Remove from the heat and add some salt and lemon pepper to taste.

Stir in the noodles.

Pour the entire dish into a 2 quart casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with oil.

My favorite casserole dish … Click on the picture for more information.  And this really is my favorite – this is not a paid plug! (I own two sizes)

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Top with bread crumbs and dollops of butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and it is heated all the way through.

Serve hot.

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I love homemade chicken noodle soup ^[17]. The richness of the broth made with fresh vegetables and chicken – the comfort of the noodles – I love it all. So why not make a casserole instead of soup? So I did!

The chicken is cooked to create a rich stock for the noodles to cook in. Then everything is mixed together and baked until a creamy sauce.  The skin can be placed on the top to crisp up on top. This adds some flavor to the casserole as well. You can eat the skin or toss it (but we eat it).

Here’s how you do it:

This first thing is to cook the chicken and create the stock.

Add the chicken, onion, celery, garlic, 2 sprigs of the rosemary and salt to 5 cups of water. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Lift the thighs out of the water with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

Bring the water back to a boil and cook the pasta in the water. It should be al dente. When you drain the pasta, keep all the vegetables  (discard the sage and rosemary) and save out 1/3 cup of the pasta water. You can freeze the rest to use later as a soup or gravy base.

Remove the skin from the chicken and set it aside. Take all the meat off the bones and chop it into bite sized pieces. Discard the bones.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the chicken with the remaining ingredients (except the rosemary) and the pasta water, adding salt and pepper to taste (we like lots of pepper – preferably fresh cracked).

Put the mixture into a casserole dish. Top with the parmesan,

two sprigs of rosemary, and the chicken skin.

Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes – until the top is lightly browned and the chicken skin is crispy.

Discard the rosemary

and serve. We like the skin so we ate it – you can discard it if you choose.

© Copyright 2022 The Lazy Gastronome

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe or to give as a gift!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Looks like summer is finally here – and with a vengeance! We’re all looking for meals that don’t heat the kitchen up!! This enchilada casserole not only keeps the house cool, it uses up any stale tortilla chips you might have!!

So get that crockpot ^[22] ready!

How to Do it:

In a heavy, large skillet, brown the chorizo until it’s about 3/4 rendered.

Push it to the side of the pan and add the ground beef, crumbled. Begin to brown the beef and continue to brown the chorizo, keeping them to their own sides of the pan. They will bleed into each other a little, don’t worry. You’ll be mixing them.

When the fat has been almost fully rendered from the chorizo and the beef it lightly browned, stir it all together and mix well.

Lay 1/3 of the chips into the bottom of the crockpot.

Next, lay 1/2 of each of the other ingredients (except the cheese) on the chips, topped with 1/3 of the cheese. I added what I put in an enchilada, you can include any items your family likes.

And sauce –

Repeat the layers – chips, meat & seasoning – cheese.

And the final layer of chips topped with cheese. You can add some fresh cracked pepper here if you want too.

Place the cover on the crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. It should be browned and crispy! Turn to warm and leave until your are ready to eat.

Garnish with avocado, sour cream, cilantro and a wedge of lime.

Serve and enjoy!

© Copyright 2022 The Lazy Gastronome

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!