Best 5 Melissas Casserole Recipes

WEEKDAY CASSOULET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and dry the chicken well and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• In a large Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, add the bacon and slowly render the fat. Remove the bacon to a plate when crispy, leaving the fat in the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove to a plate. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the beans, bay leaf and thyme. Nestle the chicken thighs and bacon into the pot. Add the chicken stock, cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the lid and top the cassoulet with sliced tomatoes and the Garlic Bread Crumbs. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer. Serve the cassoulet with baguette slices.
• In a small saute pan over low heat, add the oil and the garlic. Stir until the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss in the bread crumbs and cook until the bread crumbs start to turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from heat.

MELISSA'S CHICKEN & RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a casserole dish, combine rice, soups, water, soy sauce, pepper and salt.
• Mix.
• Add chicken.
• Cover and bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
• Sprinkle paprika on top and serve.

MELISSA'S TATER TOT CASSEROLE (GF)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In an oval Pyrex casserole dish, place cooked ground beef on bottom. If you have precooked, frozen ground beef in your freezer, you can use that too.
• Layer all the tater tots next, completely covering the meat.
• Mix the soup and milk together and pour over the tots. (If you use the gluten free Health Valley Organic Cream of Chicken soup, do NOT use the milk as it is already the right consistency.).
• Sprinkle the Tony Chachere's over the tots. You can add more depending on how hot your family likes it. If you don't have Tony's, use salt, red pepper, garlic powder, and possibly chili powder. It's not quite the same, but it will do.
• Top with the cheese.
• Bake uncovered 30 minutes, or until bubbling.
• This is so easy to make in the morning, refrigerate, and pop in the oven for dinner. Serves 2 adults and 2 elementary school kids with no leftovers. Double the recipe and bake in a large, glass rectangular casserole if you want leftovers.
• Freezer info: You can put together and freeze an extra batch if you want. Just don't cook it (except make sure the beef is already cooked). This can go straight from freezer to the oven if you adjust your time and make sure you cook it until it is bubbling on the edges.
• Hope you enjoy it!

POMEGRANATE BAKED RICE AND ONIONS WITH DILL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees and lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or large, shallow gratin dish.
• Coarsely chop one of the yellow onions. Cut the remaining yellow and red onions from root to stem into ¾-inch-thick wedges and set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine chopped yellow onion, 2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, partly covered, until onions are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain onions, saving the onion broth. (You should have about ¾ to 1 cup broth.) Transfer onions to a bowl, and set aside broth and onions.
• In the same skillet (no need to clean it), melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in shallots and cook until tender, 4 to 6 minutes longer.
• Add rice and cooked chopped onion. Stir in baharat, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons onion broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rice softens slightly and absorbs most of the liquid, about 15 minutes. If the mixture starts to stick to the pan, add another tablespoon or two of onion broth.
• Stir in dill. Spoon rice mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Shingle onion wedges on top, alternating between red and yellow onions.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together pomegranate juice, olive oil, honey, pepper, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ cup onion broth. Pour over the onions and rice.
• Cover pan with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover pan and continue to bake until the rice is tender and onions are soft, glossy and sticky, about 35 to 45 minutes longer. Serve with yogurt, if you like, and more dill.

MEXICAN QUESADILLA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef and onion in the hot skillet until beef is completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
• Stir tomato sauce, black beans, diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro, corn, and chopped green chiles into the ground beef mixture; season with chili powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low and cook mixture at a simmer for 5 minutes.
• Spread about 1/2 cup beef mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 tortillas, overlapping as needed. Spread another 1/2 cup beef mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle 1 cup Cheddar cheese over beef. Finish with layers of remaining tortillas, beef mixture, and Cheddar cheese, respectively.
• Bake in preheated oven until heated throughout and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.