Festival Fall Recipes: Casserole Edition

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 white onion, chopped

1 (15 oz.) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup salsa

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen tater tots

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion and cook until beef is browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain excess fat and remove from heat.
2. Add black beans, corn, salsa, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and enchilada sauce and stir to combine.
3. Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray or line with a slow cooker liner. Add the ground beef mixture, then top with tater tots. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours, adding cheese during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
4. Garnish with cilantro and Greek yogurt if desired and serve.

INGREDIENTS

1 (16 oz.) package Oktoberfest brats, cooked and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 (21 oz.) package frozen hashbrowns, peppers and onions mixture

1 (16 oz.) package frozen cut green beans

1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the brats, hashbrowns, green beans, cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup cheddar cheese.
2. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Place back in oven and broil on high for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup pepitas

½ cup cold butter, sliced

4 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

Cooking spray

8 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

2 loaves Chunky Cinnamon Bread, cubed (about 12 cups)

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the streusel, place brown sugar, pecans, pepitas, butter and 4 tsp. ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Work together with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Place eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, salt, 3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg into a large bowl. Whisk together. Add pumpkin puree and whisk together until smooth. Working in batches if needed, add bread cubes and gently toss to coat bread with pumpkin mixture.
4. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle chilled streusel on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until topping is bubbling at edges and a tester inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Let stand for 10 minutes, then serve warm with maple syrup.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. whole grain egg noodles

Cooking spray

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ onion, finely chopped

6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups skim milk

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

12 oz. chunk light tuna, drained

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook the egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and place in a greased baking dish.
2. In the meantime, heat butter and oil in a large saucepan to medium-high. Add chopped onion and saute 5-6 minutes, until soft. Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly stir in the milk, whisking as you pour. Whisk in the chicken broth. Increase the heat to high. When the sauce starts to boil, turn back to medium-high. Simmer, whisking regularly, until sauce has thickened. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Stir in the tuna, peas and parmesan cheese and cook on medium-high until cheese has melted.
3. Pour sauce over noodles and stir until incorporated. Evenly spread Panko breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
4. Turn oven to a low broil and allow breadcrumbs to brown. Remove from oven and let sit a few minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen brown rice
1 ½ cups reduced-fat milk
½ cup grated Parmesan
6 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 4 ½ cups)
1 (10 oz.) bag fresh baby spinach
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella, divided

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2 qt. baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Prepare rice according to package directions and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together milk and Parmesan. When cheese is melted, add in cream cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until cream cheese is melted and mixture is thickened, about 4 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, stir together cooked brown rice, cheese sauce, chicken, spinach, artichoke hearts and 1 cup mozzarella. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake until cheese is melted and golden, about 20 minutes.