The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (49 page)

I think winter squash tastes best in the fall and winter. Think of this casserole when planning holiday menus. The pecans give it a nice crunch.

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4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the dish

2 acorn or 1 butternut squash (4 to 4
¹
/
₂
pounds total)

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

¹
/
₂
teaspoon salt

¹
/
₄
cup coarsely chopped pecans

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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a shallow 1
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   -quart casserole.
   
2. Cut the squash (or squashes) in half and remove the seeds. Place, cut side down, in the casserole and pour in boiling water to a depth of
   ¹
   /
   ₄
   inch.
   
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender. Scoop out the squash and put in a large bowl. Drain any liquid remaining in the casserole dish. Beat until smooth and then beat in the 4 tablespoons butter, green onion, rosemary, and salt. Transfer to the casserole and sprinkle with the chopped pecans. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.)
   
4. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.
   

Sliced almonds add a crunchy top to this casserole, and also a bit of class. Serve this with meat loaf or a casserole made with chicken breast. They can bake at the same time.

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1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets

3 cups sliced carrots

5 tablespoons butter, divided

¹
/
₄
cup all-purpose flour

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/
₂
teaspoon salt

1
¹
/
₂
cups milk, heated

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

³
/
₄
cup
fresh breadcrumbs

¹
/
₂
cup sliced almonds

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a shallow 2
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   -quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. Cook the cauliflower and carrots separately in boiling salted water to cover until just tender. Drain and transfer to the casserole.
   
3. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until blended. Gradually whisk in the salt and milk and continue whisking until thickened. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in the cheese, whisking until blended, and pour over the vegetables.
   
4. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a small skillet and combine with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle the almonds evenly over the crumbs. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes until golden.
   

•••••

NOTE:
To make fresh breadcrumbs, tear 1 or 2 slices of fresh bread into pieces and put in a food processor with the steel blade in place. Process with on/off pulses until the bread is broken down into crumbs.

Think of this as an autumn casserole, when apples are abundant in the orchards and carrots are sweet from the garden. You might even add this casserole to your Thanksgiving menu.

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1 tablespoon butter, cut up, plus extra for the dish

6 large carrots

5 large Rome or York apples

5 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¹
/
₂
teaspoon ground nutmeg

¹
/
₂
cup orange juice

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Cut the carrots into thin slices, cook in boiling salted water to cover for 5 minutes, and drain. Slice the apples and put in a clean saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a simmer, and continue simmering for 5 minutes. Drain the apples.
   
3. Place the carrots in the casserole in a single layer and top with the apples. Mix the sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a small dish and sprinkle over the top. Dot with the 1 tablespoon butter and pour the orange juice over all. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate the casserole for up to 1 day. Add 10 minutes to the baking time.) Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes.
   

This casserole is perfect with roasts and poultry dishes all winter long—not just for Thanksgiving. It is important to rinse the raw yams or sweet potatoes in cold water to prevent them from darkening. This doesn’t take long, just a minute or two.

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2 large yams or sweet potatoes

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Dash of ground nutmeg

¹
/
₂
cup chopped pecans

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1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. Peel and slice the yams or sweet potatoes and place them in a bowl of cold water; let sit for a few minutes, then drain.
   
3. Layer the drained potatoes in the bottom of the casserole and cover with the apples. Drizzle with the melted butter and sprinkle with the nutmeg and pecans.
   
4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and apples are tender.
   

Assemble this casserole ahead of time, and cover and refrigerate it. Then pop it in the oven while you heat up the grill. It makes a tasty side dish for grilled fish.

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2 cups
fresh breadcrumbs

¹
/
₂
cup olive oil

³
/
₄
cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

¹
/
₂
teaspoon pepper

3 packages (9 ounce each) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cooked

8 Roma (plum) tomatoes, sliced

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a shallow 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, oil, cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper.
   
3. Layer the artichokes on the bottom of the casserole dish, cover with the tomatoes, and top with the crumb mixture. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate the casserole for up to 1 day. Add 10 minutes to the baking time.)
   
4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove the cover, and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until bubbly and the crumbs are lightly browned.
   

•••••

NOTE:
To make fresh breadcrumbs, tear 1 or 2 slices of fresh bread into pieces and put in a food processor with the steel blade in place. Process with on/off pulses until the bread is broken down into crumbs.

Here is a really simple and delicious recipe to add to your repertoire. The potatoes are cut into cubes and topped with bacon; then the casserole is roasted to golden goodness.

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1
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/
₂
pounds boiling potatoes (3 or 4 medium)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

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/
₂
teaspoon salt

¹
/
₄
teaspoon pepper

5 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

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1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Coat a shallow 3-quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into
   ³
   /
   ₄
   -inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
   
3. Spread out the potatoes in the casserole dish in an even layer and scatter the bacon pieces on top.
   
4. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the potatoes are cooked through and golden around the edges.
   

Serve this with grilled burgers or hot dogs, of course. It is also good with
Oven-Barbecued Country-Style Ribs
. Add a loaf of
Caraway and Cheddar Casserole Bread
to the menu, too!

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1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil

1 cup diced onions

1 can (28 ounces) Boston-style baked beans

1 cup diced tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

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/
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cup light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 strips bacon, cut into
¹
/
₂
-inch pieces

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a deep 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.
   
2. In a medium skillet, heat the butter or oil. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes.
   
3. Transfer the onions to a large bowl, and add the beans, apples, mustard, brown sugar, and salt. Transfer to the casserole and lay the raw strips of bacon on top.
   
4. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes longer.
   

Eggplant, tomatoes, and feta cheese are a classic Mediterranean combination. Serve this with shish kebabs or another grilled meat.

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1 eggplant (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon salt

Olive oil for frying, plus extra for the dish

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes, or 1 can (14
¹
/
₂
ounces) diced tomatoes with their juice

Salt

Pepper

1 pound crumbled feta cheese

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/
₂
cup grated Parmesan cheese

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/
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cup fine dry breadcrumbs

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1. Peel the eggplant, slice crosswise, and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes, rinse well, and pat dry.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a shallow 2- or 3-quart casserole with oil.
   
3. Heat
   ¹
   /
   ₄
   inch of olive oil in a heavy nonstick skillet. (Be careful not to add too much oil, as the eggplant wants to absorb it all.) Sauté the eggplant slices, turning once, until lightly browned.
   
4. Brown the onion and garlic in the remaining oil. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
   
5. Spread a third of the sauce in the bottom of the casserole. Top with half the eggplant, then half the feta cheese. Cover with half of the remaining sauce, the remaining eggplant, and the remaining feta cheese. Pour the remaining sauce on top.
   
6. Mix the Parmesan and breadcrumbs in a small dish and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly and lightly brown on top. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
   

At the end of the summer, when the first frost hits our garden, we sometimes have green tomatoes on the vine. And when we have green tomatoes, we have a lot of them! This is truly a seasonal dish.

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3 tablespoons butter, melted

8 medium green tomatoes

1 cup fine
fresh breadcrumbs
, toasted

1 teaspoon salt

¹
/
₈
teaspoon pepper

¹
/
₃
cup grated Parmesan cheese

•••••

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread 1 tablespoon of the butter in a shallow 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Core the tomatoes and cut into
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   -inch-thick slices. Arrange half the tomato slices in a single layer in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with half the breadcrumbs, half the salt and pepper, and 1 of the remaining tablespoons butter. Repeat, using the remaining tomatoes, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and butter.
   
3. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the casserole. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are done.
   

•••••

NOTE:
To make fresh breadcrumbs, tear 1 or 2 slices of fresh bread into pieces and put in a food processor with the steel blade in place. Process with on/off pulses until the bread is broken down into crumbs.

It’s good news that fresh baby spinach is so widely available today. The not-so-good news for cookbook authors is that it comes in so many different package sizes, ranging from 5-ounce to 1-pound bags, which makes it difficult to standardize a recipe. Here we use two 9-ounce bags. The fresh spinach leaves are layered with beaten eggs and cheese, and then baked. If you like, assemble this casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it up to 1 day before baking.