Okay this is how I formulate a basic casserole. I am from MN which is the land of hotdish. Anything can be a casserole! So this is how we do it. First You need to decide what kind of casserole is it going to be, noodle ( can be macaroni, spaghetti, rice, potato or bean) Then Secondly you add the meat if you are adding meat that is. I look in my fridge and find leftover meat shredded chicken, ground beef-can be meatloaf even!, salmon ( hey it is alaska!), game meats, or I pull a can of tuna from the pantry. Thirdly veggies- easy part- a can of green beans, peas, corn, carrots, can bed frozen too, or cooked fresh. So you take these 3 items and you dump it in a buttered casserole dish. But it is dry! So we have to add some sauce. So here comes number Four aka the sauce. Is is Italian- then add a can of pasta sauce, mexican- cream of chicken soup and salsa, basic home-cooking- can of mushroom soup, garlic and pepper.Asian: golden mushroom and soy sauce ( I use bragg's liquid aminos) The list goes on and on. What is in your pantry is what is in your dish! If you are feeding a larger group of people use a can of milk with the cream soup, or a family size can, or add a can of tomato sauce with the pasta sauce to stretch it out. Then we decide about the optional number 4 and 5 Add-ins and Add-ons. Add-ins are items you add to the mixed in dish like- olives, onions, shredded cheese, mushrooms, herbs, pepper and salt. Add-ons are what you put on top, crushed chips or crackers, chow mein noodles, more cheese, sliced tomatoes ( I wouldn't be from MN if I didn't mention tater-tots or frozen french fries!)... Then bake in oven at 350 until bubbly and hot all the way through. Serve with something like buns, salad, dessert. But this is truly a stand alone dish. You can have every food group in one pan! Easy clean up as well... Start cleaning out your fridge and have fun! And if you need any inspiration just look HERE to see what happened when I typed in tuna hotdish! Yum yum.
