If you're like me, you watch a lot of cooking shows on TV.
What always strikes me as interesting, though not necessarily interesting in a good way, is that cooking with canned (or frozen, or otherwise processed) food is always presented as a "challenge" to professional chefs. What makes me even more frustrated is the disgust with which they discuss these ingredients: these are things that they "wouldn't be caught dead cooking" if they weren't participating in this particular reality TV show.
First let me say: I get it. You can do a lot more things with fresh food than you can with things that have been processed in some way. But let's face it...this kind of "I only cook with fresh organic produce and meat and wouldn't touch canned or processed food with a ten-foot pole" way of thinking is not accessible to your average home cook, either because they do not have access to them, or (more likely) because eating this way can be quite expensive.
So today I'm going to let you in on a little secret: one of my favourite casseroles is made with (gasp!) mostly canned/otherwise processed ingredients.
This is a casserole that my mom used to make when I was little, and I've made a few modifications to the recipe since then. I love it because the sauce is cheesy and delicious, and it's a complete meal that (1) can be ready in 30 minutes or so, (2) can be made the day before and just re-heated for dinner, and (3) most of the ingredients are things that you can keep in your cupboard/fridge/freezer for a rather long time (making it a great "I didn't have the time/desire to go shopping" meal).
Ingredients
-2 cans of Campbell's "Cream of ________" condensed soup. I like to use one can of cream of celery and another of cream of broccoli, but feel free to choose any two that you like.
-1 cup of milk
-6 cheese slices (alternatively: use grated cheese, though it doesn't melt quite as nicely)
-3 cans of turkey flakes (you could also use tuna or ham), drained
-2 cups frozen peas
-1 pound of penne (or any other pasta)
-1 cup grated cheddar cheese (alternatively: use more cheese slices)
1) Cook the pasta per the directions on the package. Drain, and set aside.
2) Combine the condensed soups and milk in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the cheese slices and cook until they have melted. Add the turkey flakes and peas.
3) Add the soup mixture to the pasta; mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
If you're making this casserole ahead, after step (3) put the casserole in the fridge. I've left it there for as long as 24 hours (though I wouldn't want to leave it much longer than that).
4) If you'd like to eat right away, sprinkle grated cheese over the top at bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or so (until bubbly). If you don't have grated cheese and are topping your casserole with cheese slices instead, add the cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking time. If you have made the casserole ahead it may need a little extra time in the oven...
As always...enjoy the hot, bubbly (admittedly processed and full of sodium) goodness!
-1 cup grated cheddar cheese (alternatively: use more cheese slices)
1) Cook the pasta per the directions on the package. Drain, and set aside.
2) Combine the condensed soups and milk in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the cheese slices and cook until they have melted. Add the turkey flakes and peas.
3) Add the soup mixture to the pasta; mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
If you're making this casserole ahead, after step (3) put the casserole in the fridge. I've left it there for as long as 24 hours (though I wouldn't want to leave it much longer than that).
4) If you'd like to eat right away, sprinkle grated cheese over the top at bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or so (until bubbly). If you don't have grated cheese and are topping your casserole with cheese slices instead, add the cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking time. If you have made the casserole ahead it may need a little extra time in the oven...
As always...enjoy the hot, bubbly (admittedly processed and full of sodium) goodness!
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| I must apologize...I don't have a picture of this particular casserole, mostly because I tend to dig right in after I put it on the plate (seriously...it's that good). But these are the ingredients, and I always have them on hand for those "Oh crap I don't really want to go to the store" kind of days.... |
