Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Perfect Tuna Casserole
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup, printed in 1985. As you read this recipe, the ingredients list will have Options and you can choose an option from the list below the ingredients. I made this on 14 May 2022, easy to put together, and delicious. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Casserole (1 quart)
Ingredients
- 1 can Soup Option, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 can tuna in oil, drained, flaked, (about 7 oz / 185 g)
- 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped, Shortcut
- 1 cup Vegetable Option, cooked, drained
- Topper Option
OPTIONS
Soup - Use 1 Item
- condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of onion soup
- condensed cream of shrimp soup
- condensed New England clam chowder
Vegetable - Use 1 Item
- peas
- cut green beans
- cut broccoli
- whole kernel corn
Topper - Use 1 Item
- ½ cup potato chips, coarsely crumbled
- 3 slices American cheese, cut into slivers or ½ cup shredded cheese
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1 medium tomato, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 1 quart casserole.
- To the casserole, add the Soup Option and milk, stir until well mixed. I used cream of mushroom.
- Stir in the tuna, eggs, and Vegetable Option. I used whole kernel corn.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until hot.
- Stir casserole, top with Topper Option, bake 5 more minutes. I used shredded cheese.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy. I served this with Seasoned Rice II.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Cheesy Rice Bake
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup, printed in 1985. As you read this recipe, the ingredients list will have Options and you can choose an option from the list below the ingredients. I made this on 6 Nov 2022 using the creamy chicken mushroom soup, salmon, and mixed vegetables. Delicious and well liked by the family. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Baking Pan (7x11 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 can Soup Option, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried
- 2 cups cooked rice
- Protein Option
- 1 cup Vegetable Option
- Cheese Option
OPTIONS
Soup - Use 1 Item
- condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- condensed tomato soup, Shortcut
- condensed Cheddar cheese soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of onion soup
- condensed creamy chicken mushroom soup, added by me
Protein - Use 1 Item
- 1 can salmon, drained, flaked, (15 oz / 425 g)
- 2 cups beef, cooked, diced
- 2 cups ham, cooked, diced
- 1 can kidney beans, drained, (16 oz / 454 g), Shortcut
Vegetable - Use 1 Item
- peas, cooked, drained
- whole kernel corn, cooked, drained
- mixed vegetables, cooked, drained
- spinach, cooked, drained, chopped
- tomato, diced
Cheese - Use 1 Item
- 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup Colby Longhorn cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 7x11 baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, Mix together the Soup Option, milk, and parsley.
- Add the cooked rice, Protein, and Vegetable Options.
- Mix together.
- Pour mixture into the baking pan and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle with Cheese Option.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving except for salmon, which would make this fair cost.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Condensed Tomato Soup, Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup, Red Kidney Beans (Pressure Cooker).
Creamy Noodle Supper
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup, printed in 1985. As you read this recipe, the ingredients list will have Options and you can choose the options from the list below the ingredients. I made this on 4 Nov 2022 using the chicken soup, ham, and mixed vegetables option, and it was well liked by the family, very easy to put together, and delicious! Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Casserole (1½ quart)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup onion, diced
- 1 can Soup Option, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ½ cup milk
- ⅛ teaspoon rubbed sage
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups cooked egg noodles
- Meat Option
- 1 cup Vegetable Option, cooked, drained
- Topping Option
OPTIONS
Soup - Use 1 Item
- condensed cream of chicken soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of shrimp soup
- condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of onion soup
- condensed creamy chicken mushroom soup, added by me
Meat - Use 1 Item
- 1½ cups cooked chicken, diced
- 1 can tuna, drained, flaked, (about 7 oz / 185 g)
- 1½ cups cooked ham, diced
- 1½ cups cooked beef, diced
Vegetable - Use 1 Item
- mixed vegetables
- carrots, diced
- peas
- cut green beans
Topping - Use 1 Item
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, buttered
- ¼ cup almonds, toasted, sliced
- ½ cup American cheese, shredded
- ½ cup potato chips, crushed
- 1-2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- First get the the noodles and Vegetable Option cooking, then preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 1½ quart casserole.
- Melt the butter in a 3 quart saucepan on medium heat, when hot, cook the onion until soft, stirring often.
- When the onion is softened, stir in the Soup Option, milk, sage, and pepper until well mixed.
- Add the the noodles, Meat and Vegetable Options until just mixed. I am using diced ham and mixed vegetables for this.
- Pour mixture into the casserole. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, stir casserole, sprinkle with Topping Option. I used the Cheddar Cheese Option.
- Place back in the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
For the Vegetable Option, feel free to use Peas & Carrots, and the common Mixed Vegetable available in Thailand is Peas, Carrot & Corn and does not contain green beans.
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Savory Meatballs
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup, printed in 1985. As you read this recipe, the ingredients list will have Options and you can choose an option from the list below the ingredients. I made this on 6 Jun 2023 using the cream of mushroom soup option, excellent meatballs and excellent sauce. Highly recommended. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, or ground pork, (1 lb)
- Crumbs Option
- ¼ cup Vegetable Option
- ½ teaspoon Herb Option, crushed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 can Soup Option, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
OPTIONS
Crumbs - Use 1 Item
- ¼ cup dry bread crumbs, Shortcut
- ¼ cup saltines, finely crushed
- ½ cup soft bread crumbs
- ¼ cup corn flakes, finely crushed
Vegetable - Use 1 Item
- onion, finely diced
- carrot, shredded
- green bell pepper, finely diced
- celery, finely diced
Herb - Use 1 Item
- dried thyme
- dried marjoram
- dried basil
- dried dill weed
Soup - Use 1 Item
- condensed cream of onion soup
- condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of celery soup, Shortcut
- condensed golden mushroom soup
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, Crumbs, Vegetable, and Herb Options, and egg. Mix together but don't over mix or that may result in tough meatballs.
- Shape into 16-20 meatballs.
- Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the meatballs and cook to brown on all sides.
- While the meatballs are browning, mix together the Soup Option, water, and parsley in a small bowl.
- Meatballs almost all browned.
- When the meatballs have browned, pour off excess fat, then stir in the soup mixture, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving using pork, fair cost per serving using beef.
Shortcuts: Breadcrumbs, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Condensed Cream of Celery Soup.
Yellow Squash Casserole
I found this recipe doing a search as I have a lot of yellow zucchini growing. This is an excellent dish to use up fresh yellow squash or even yellow zucchini, and the variant with adding some meat is highly recommended.
Equipment
- Pan (12 inch)
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 1½ kilos fresh yellow squash, or yellow zucchini, (3½ lb)
- ¼ cup butter, (½ stick / ¼ block)
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- 227 grams sour cream, (8 oz), Shortcut
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz / 226 g)
- 1½ cups French fried onions, Shortcut
Instructions
- Prep the squash, small size can be just sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds. For large diameter, slice into ¼ inch rounds then cut slices in half. And for larger size, slice into ¼ inch rounds then cut slices into quarters. (I used 2½ of my garden grown yellow zucchini.)
- Melt the butter in a large non stick pan (12 inch would be perfect), when hot, add the onion. Sauté onion until translucent.
- Add the sliced squash on top of the onions, turn heat to low, cover the pan but stir after a few minutes and often after that. The squash will steam and they will begin to release their water.
- When the squash cooks down a bit and water has been released, season squash with salt and black pepper as desired.
- Continue to cook down the squash until the water is mostly cooked out.
- When the squash is nearly falling apart, drain well in a colander.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F) and grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Add the squash to a large mixing bowl, then add the sour cream and soup.
- I added a variant, I diced a can of spam, and added that.
- Mix together, taste, season with salt and black pepper as desired.
- Pour squash into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with the Cheddar cheese, then the French fried onions.
- Return to the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving, and very little cost if growing the squash yourself, which is what I used here.
Shortcuts: Sour Cream, French Fried Onions.
Variants: 1. Add diced sautéed smoked sausage, ham, or spam. 2. Use condensed cream of mushroom soup in place of the chicken soup. 3. Yellow zucchini work perfectly and I am 99% sure that green zucchini would be just as perfect.
Fancy Chicken Salad
This recipe comes from a friend, and it is absolutely delicious! I made this for my parents and they loved it. For the chicken, feel free to use roasted, rotisserie, canned, or cook your own. I used canned the first time I made this and I also plan on using my pressure cooker so I can make broth at the same time for use in another recipe. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cooked, cubed, (1 kilo / 2 lb), Shortcut
- 3 cups seedless red grapes, halved
- 1 cup celery, diced
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup pecan pieces
For the Dressing
- ½ cup mayo
- ½ cup sour cream, Shortcut
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1-2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, optional
Instructions
- For the chicken, first time I made this I used four 10 oz / 283 g cans of chunk breast meat in water, drained. It was 4 cups and very convenient. I have also made this with 4 cooked chicken breasts, cubed, which was also 4 cups.
- Using a dry skillet on low heat, add the pecan pieces and toast for several minutes, stirring them and turning them with a spatula often until lightly golden and fragrant, remove from pan and set aside to cool. If you are using pecan halves, just coarsely chop after toasting them and let cool.
- To a large mixing bowl (I used a 4 quart bowl), add the prepared chicken, grapes, celery, onion, and the cooled pecans. Toss together.
- To prepare the dressing, add all the Dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix together.
- Add the dressing to the salad, stir until well mixed. Cover and place in the fridge until serving.
- Just before serving, mix in the cheese if using that, serve as is as a main dish with light sides of your choice.
- Serve over lettuce or arugula. Recommended.
- Serve in a large croissant with arugula. Highly recommended.
Notes
Low cost per serving, use the shortcut for the sour cream for additional savings.
Shortcut: Chicken (Pressure Cooker), Sour Cream.
Variants: 1. Use 4 10 oz / 283 g cans, drained. 2. Use chicken thigh meat or a mix of thigh and breast meat in place of just breast meat. 3. Use unsalted cashews in place of the pecans. 4. Wrap in soft flour tortillas.
Updated on 17 December 2021.
Macaroni & Cheese
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup, printed in 1985. As you read this recipe, the ingredients list will have Options and you can choose an option from the list below the ingredients. This is an excellent mac and cheese, highly recommended! I made the version with mushroom soup, milk, Cheddar, and potato chips on 29 May 2023, family and I loved this! Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Casserole (1½ quart)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1½ cups dry macaroni
- 1 can Soup Option, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ¾ cup Liquid Option
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups Cheese Option, shredded, divided, (8 oz / 226 g)
- Topper Option
OPTIONS
Soup - Use 1 Item
- condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of onion soup
- condensed cream of celery soup, Shortcut
- condensed Cheddar cheese soup, Shortcut
Liquid - Use 1 Item
- milk
- water
- evaporated milk
- tomato juice
Cheese - Use 1 Item
- Cheddar cheese
- American cheese
- Swiss cheese
- Monterey Jack cheese
Topper - Use 1 Item
- 1 cup French fried onions, Shortcut
- 1 cup potato chips, coarsely crushed, (85 g bag for Thailand)
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs, mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 medium tomato, sliced
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil, add macaroni and cook until just nearly tender. Drain.
- While the macaroni is cooking, to a 1½ quart casserole, add the Soup and Liquid Options as well as the mustard and black pepper, and mix together.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F).
- Add the drained macaroni and 1½ cups of Cheese Option to the casserole and mix in.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until hot, remove and stir. Top with remaining ½ cup Cheese Option and the Topper Option.
- Bake for additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Serve as a side with any main dish, enjoy.
Chili Cheese Fry Casserole
I came across this recipe while researching recipes that use tater tots, and I am glad I did! This is a delicious casserole that goes together quickly and is quite economical.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 2 cans chili, with beans, (15 oz / 425 g), Shortcut
- 1 bag tater tots, frozen, (32 oz / 2 lb / 907 g)
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz / 226 g)
- spring onion, sliced, white and green parts, for garnish
- sour cream, as desired, for serving, optional, Shortcut
Instructions
- Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat and cook the ground beef, chopping it up with a spatula as it cooks. Cook until no pink is visible. Drain fat.
- Stir the chili into the beef. Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F) and grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Pour chili mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread out evenly.
- Layer the tater tots evenly over the chili.
- Bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until the tots are starting to brown and the casserole is bubbly. Sprinkle cheese over the tater tots.
- Bake for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese in.
- Top with spring onion, serve and enjoy. Optionally, top servings with a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
Low cost per serving if using ground pork and the shortcuts for the chili and sour cream.
Shortcuts: Chili, Sour Cream.
Variant: 1. Use ground pork in place of beef. 2. Use 4 cups of your own homemade chili or from the shortcut, making sure it is a thick type of chili.
Honey Graham Cracker Cake
This recipe comes from a friend and it is simply the best cake in regards to taste and easy of preparation. Only three ingredients needed. This is a no bake / ice box type of cake which needs time in the fridge to soften up. I made this by cutting the recipe listed here in half and the photos will reflect that.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 5 cups heavy whipping cream
- 680 grams sour cream, (24 oz), Shortcut
- 3 boxes honey graham crackers, (9 packs)
Instructions
- Add the whipping cream to a large mixing bowl, beat with an electric mixer until the cream thickens.
- Add the sour cream and beat that in until mixed in, scraping down the sides of the bowl so it is all incorporated.
- Spread some of the cream mixture on a plate or cake tray, I used a rubber spatula, and place the first layer of crackers to set them in place to make the base of the cake. (I cut the recipe in half and only used 3 crackers wide to make the base, if using the full recipe, you will want to use two rows of 4 crackers each to make a square.)
- Spread some cream mixture on top of the base crackers about twice the thickness of a cracker and place more crackers on top, pressing them into place. Repeat this process making the cake as tall as you like. (I made mine with 8 layers of crackers.)
- Now spread another layer on the top and clean up the sides using more cream mixture as needed to cover the cake.
- For decoration, crush 2-3 crackers in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin and sprinkle the top and sides with the crumbs. Cover and place the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours, this is to soften the crackers. Or use a variant as I did and I used colored sprinkles on the top.
- To cut this cake, and these instructions come from the author of this recipe and it is highly advised to follow this or you will have a crumbly sticky mess. Fill a tall glass with hot water and place a long knife in it to get warm. Remove the knife from the water, wipe dry with a paper towel and make one downward cut and remove the knife, wipe with a paper towel and place back in the water to warm, repeat that process to cut all the servings. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Variant: 1. Use sprinkles as desired for decoration in place of the crushed graham crackers. 2. Use cinnamon graham crackers or chocolate graham crackers in place of honey graham crackers.
Onion Vegetable Bake
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup, printed in 1985. As you read this recipe, the ingredients list will have Options and you can choose an option from the list below the ingredients. This recipe sounds very good, on my to make and taste list. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Casserole (1½ quart)
Ingredients
- 1 can Soup Option, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ½ cup Liquid Option
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- dash black pepper
- 4 cups Vegetable Option, see Step 1 for clarification
- 1 can French fried onions, (2.8 oz / 79 g), Shortcut
OPTIONS
Soup - Use 1 Item
- condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of celery soup, Shortcut
- condensed cream of chicken soup, Shortcut
- condensed Cheddar cheese soup, Shortcut
Liquid - Use 1 Item
- milk
- light cream, or table cream
- plain yogurt
- sour cream, Shortcut
Vegetable - Use 1 Item
- cut green beans, cooked and drained
- carrots, sliced, cooked and drained
- cut broccoli, cooked and drained
- Brussels sprouts, cooked and drained
Instructions
- For the Vegetable Option, feel free to use these approximate measurements: 4 cups cooked and drained vegetables = 1 package (16-20 oz / 453-566 g) frozen vegetables = 2 packages (9-10 oz / 255-283 g each) frozen vegetables = 2 cans (about 16 oz / 453 g each) canned vegetables = fresh (1½ lb / 680 g) vegetables.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Get out a 1½ quart casserole.
- To the casserole, add the Soup and Liquid Options, soy sauce, and pepper. Stir to mix together. (This is the cream of celery version being made.)
- Stir in the Vegetable Option and half of the onions. (This is the cream of celery and carrots version being made.)
- Bake for 25 minutes, top with remaining onions and bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve as a side dish and enjoy.
Notes
Variants: 1. Use Half & Half Cream in place of Light Cream. 2. Use as many French fried onions as you desire.
