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Casseroles Your Family Will Crave

Jean's Nacho Casserole

Casseroles are one of my go-to meals on a crazy day. They are prepared in a snap and are great comfort food. Life always seems great when you take a casserole out of the oven.

Jessica Silva (East Berlin, CT) is always in the mood for comfort food too. She makes her Bacon Mushroom Noodle Casserole as a play on [her] mom’s tuna noodle casserole.

Bacon and mushroom flavor are very prevalent in this dish. Melted American cheese, cheddar cheese and cream of mushroom soup, make the casserole real creamy. Serve with a side salad and you have an easy weeknight meal.

Besides being delicious comfort food, casseroles can be created with ingredients you probably have in the pantry and refrigerator. That’s how Teresa Horn (Memphis, TN) came up with her Chicken Penne Pasta Casserole.

Her family loved this and I think yours will too. It has all the typical Italian flavors, like tomatoes, garlic, basil, and oregano, with a little sweetness from red onion. Fresh mozzarella melts across the top adding gooey goodness. This is a really tasty and easy to throw together.

Does your family prefer more Mexican flavors? Try Jean Fisher’s Nacho Casserole. “I started making this for my family when my daughters were teenagers,” shares Jean. “They love it!”

This recipe is seriously easy (only 8 ingredients!) and super tasty. Jean uses ground beef, but ground turkey would make a wonderful substitution. Set out your favorite nacho toppings, such as guacamole, tomatoes, sour cream, and let the family customize their plates. Simple and delicious!

Or, add Victoria Russell’s (Blackwood, NJ) Homemade Chili Casserole to your menu. “It’s delicious and great for those cold nights,” says Victoria.

The Crew and I really enjoyed this easy dinner. It’s everything you love about chili, just in casserole form. Victoria makes a quick chili to use as the base. Then she tops it with a layer of cheddar cheese and finally cornbread. Yum! When served, you have a bit of goodness in every bite. If you happen to have chili left from a previous meal, this would be a great recipe to reinvent the leftovers.

Sometimes I like to do breakfast for dinner nights. When I do that, I like Michelle London’s (Gonzales, TX) Texas Two-Step Breakfast Casserole. It’s got all my favorite breakfast foods in a hearty casserole great for dinner.

“I made some modifications to a typical Southwest breakfast casserole recipe,” explains Michelle. “Egg casseroles can often be a bit dry, but this one comes out moist and delicious every time!”

This is really good and quick! Packed with chiles, sausage, tomatoes, cheese, I was a bit leery there wouldn’t be enough eggs. But I was wrong, the ingredient mix is perfect. The result is a moist, flavor-packed casserole.

Have a casserole recipe your family regularly requests? Let us know… Happy Pinching!