Chicken & Dumpling Casserole I

Chicken & Dumpling Casserole I

This actually sounds like a chicken cobbler if you can picture that. I made this on 2 Apr 2017 and it is very good. This takes some time but the results are delicious. The baking dish will be full almost to the top before you put it in the oven. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo chicken, see Step 1
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 cups chicken broth, see Step 4
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • The chicken can be anything you like, breasts, thighs, legs and thighs. My personal opinion would be thighs, lots of flavor in thighs. Use bone in and skin on chicken.
  • Place the chicken in a pot and cover with water. Cover and cook on medium heat for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and let this cool to room temperature, this ensures juicy chicken.
  • Once the pot has cooled to room temperature, preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F).
  • Remove the chicken from the pot. Strain the liquid and reserve, there is your broth to use.
  • Remove the skin and bones, and any cartilage and shred the chicken use large forks. If making the soup from a shortcut, reserve about 2-3 tablespoons of chicken and dice that up and set aside, use that for the soup shortcut. Place the shredded chicken in a 7x11 baking dish, spread the chicken out to make a even layer.
  • Whisk together the flour, milk, and butter, pour over the chicken. Do not stir.
  • Whisk together the broth, soup, salt and pepper, pour over the casserole, Do not stir.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top starts to brown up a bit. All ovens are different, so you may have to bake longer or shorter. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Notes

Chicken is low cost, using quarters, legs, thighs, or breasts will all cost on average, 65 Baht/kilo. For 6 servings, this is about 32 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Provided courtesy of good friends, Stephen Connell & Angie Davis Williams.
United States.
Baked Potato Casserole

Baked Potato Casserole

Sounds really good. On my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Main Dish, Side
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 kilos potatoes
  • 1 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted, this is 1/2 standard block
  • 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven 200 C.
  • Wash the potatoes and prick several times with a fork. bake the potatoes for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let potatoes cool.
  • Peel the potatoes if desired or just go right to cutting them with skin on into chunks. Set aside.
  • Preheat your oven now to 180 C.
  • In a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, add the potato chunks and toss gently to coat potatoes. Pour this into a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 40-60 minutes or until hot and bubbly, serve.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcuts: Ranch Dressing Mix, Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
Teriyaki Chicken II

Teriyaki Chicken II

Sounds good, I will have to try this.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup soy sauce, low sodium
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch, plus 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 2 1/4 cups stir fry veggies, like bell pepper, carrot, broccoli
  • 3 cups cooked rice
  • olive oil spray, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180 C. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with olive oil.
  • Combine soy sauce, the 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove lid and cook for one minute once boiling.
  • Meanwhile, stir together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water in a separate dish until smooth. Once sauce is boiling, add mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken then remove from heat.
  • Place the chicken breasts in the prepared pan. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over top of chicken. Place chicken in oven and bake 35 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and shred chicken in the dish using two forks.
  • While the chicken is baking, steam or boil the vegetables until just tender and crisp.
  • When the chicken is cooked, and the vegetables and rice to the casserole dish with the chicken. Add most of the remaining sauce, reserving a bit to drizzle over the top when serving. Gently toss everything together in the casserole dish until combined. Return to oven and cook 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle each serving with remaining sauce.

Notes

The chicken breasts might cost 50 Baht for 2 breast. For 4 servings, this is about 37 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
Turkish Eggplant and Ground Beef Casserole

Turkish Eggplant and Ground Beef Casserole

This is a common dish in the eastern Mediterranean called Moussaka. This sounds really good. Very common ingredients, this sounds really good. It is unclear on the size of the eggplant used so I will clarify that when I prepare this. Times are estimated.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Turkish
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 5 purple eggplants
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin rings
  • 4 large tomatoes, divided, 6-8 plum tomatoes
  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
  • salt and pepper, as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 cup mild yellow cheese, shredded
  • red bell pepper, slices for garnish
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Peel the eggplants using a vegetable peeler, begin at one end and remove a strip of peel from end to end. Leave a strip of peel about the same width, then peel another strip from end to end. Slice the eggplants about 1/4 inch thick and place in a large bowl of salted water and let them soak for about 30 minutes.
  • Slice the green pepper into thin rings. Grate 1 large tomato or maybe 2 plum tomatoes.
  • Cook the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until tender. Then add the bell pepper slices and cook until soft. Then add the ground beef and cook until browned, then add the grated tomato, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and the allspice. Mix this together, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.
  • Grate the other 3 large tomatoes or 4-8 plum tomatoes and put them into a small saucepan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, oregano, and sugar. Simmer this on low heat for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.
  • Remove the eggplant slices from the water and blot them dry with paper towels. Fry them on both sides in olive oil until tender and golden brown on both sides. Drain them well on paper towels.
  • Line the bottom of a large baking dish with the fried eggplant slices to make a single layer, make sure there are no gaps between the pieces. Spread the tomato sauce over the eggplant. Next, cover the tomato sauce layer with the meat mixture.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 C.
  • In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute, then whisk in the milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens, when it has the consistency of pudding it is ready.
  • Pour the hot sauce over the meat layer, covering it completely. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown and the casserole is heated through.
  • Let the casserole rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Figure about 100 Baht/500 grams ground beef and about 90 Baht for the cheese, Edam or a mild Cheddar would work well. For 6 servings, this is about 93 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
Easy Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes

Easy Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes

Sounds really good, a must try for me. Two ways to prepare the potatoes, diced or shredded. There is also several shortcuts for cost savings. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 5-6 cups potatoes, small diced or shredded
  • 750 grams ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, as needed
  • butter, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Dice or shred the potatoes, skin on or off is up to you. For diced potatoes, add to a saucepan and cover with water, bring to a boil the reduce heat for about 4 minutes to soften the potatoes, drain well and set aside. For the shredded, rinse several times squeezing out the water, drain and set aside.
  • Heat your oven to 180 C, lightly grease a 2.3 to 3 liter casserole dish with butter.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil, when oil is heated and add the onion and cook until soft, then add the ground beef and brown, then add the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two. Drain fat and season with salt and pepper to taste, pour this into the casserole dish.
  • Add the potatoes to the dish covering the beef. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking. Sprinkle the shredded carrot over the potatoes. Mix the soup, sour cream, and milk in a bowl, and spoon this mixture evenly over the potatoes.
  • Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Notes

Figure about 150 Baht/750 grams of ground beef. The cheese, figure about 90 Baht for half a block of 250 grams. For 6 servings, this is about $1.18 per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Hash Browns, Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
Italian Casserole

Italian Casserole

The original recipe I found for this had a very much incorrect name for this dish, I simply changed it to Italian Casserole (this is in no way like Manicotti). This does sound good, and does sound like 2 baking dishes may have to be used as well. On my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams Rigatoni pasta, OR Penne, OR Ziti
  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 500 grams Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, fresh sliced, and sauted, or canned
  • 3 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 750 grams Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, divided
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C.
  • Meanwhile, brown ground beef and Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat, ass salt and pepper as desired. Drain the fat then stir the mushrooms, pasta sauce, half of the cheese, and cooked pasta into the meat in the pot. Once mixed, pour into a baking dish, or two. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  • Bake until the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Lest rest for 5 minutes, serve.

Notes

The beef will cost about 100 Baht/500 grams, the pork about 50 Baht/500 grams, the cheese, that will cost about 425 Baht/600 grams. For 8 servings, this is about $2.12 per serving.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Pasta Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
Corn, Beef and Biscuit Casserole

Corn, Beef and Biscuit Casserole

Sounds good, I will say the use of green olives is interesting. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/4 cups Bisquick Mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons green olives with pimento, sliced
  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained, chopped
  • 1 can cream style corn
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C. In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and olives until soft dough forms.
  • In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, then drain off the fat. Stir in tomatoes, corn, and chili powder. Heat to boiling then pour in ungreased 11x7 inch glass baking dish. Drop biscuit dough by tablespoonfuls over mixture.
  • Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over biscuits; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until biscuits are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Notes

The beef will run about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 6 servings, this is about 50 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Bisquick Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato Bake

Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato Bake

I got this from a good friend in the states, sounds very good. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 14 medium potatoes, cubed, about 2 - 2 1/2 kilos of potatoes
  • 3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
  • 1 cup spring onions, chopped, white and green parts
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 250 C. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, ranch dressing mix, and pepper. Add the cubed potatoes and toss well to coat all the potatoes. Spoon the potatoes into the backing dish, leaving as much of the oil mixture in the bowl. Roast until the potatoes are crispy, about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  • While the potatoes are roasting, add the chicken to the bowl with the oil mixture and toss to coat and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the cheese, bacon, and spring onion and set aside.
  • When the potatoes are crispy, remove from the oven and lower the temp to 200 C. Add the chicken to the top of the potatoes then top that with the cheese mixture and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and let this rest for 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream or ranch dressing.

Notes

For the cheese, figure about 180 Baht for a 250 gram block. For the bacon, I estimate about about 300 grams which for average bacon, figure 130 Baht total. The chicken runs about 60 Baht/kilo, 3 pieces will be less than that but I will use 60 Baht for the pricing here. For 6 servings, this is about $1.82 per serving.
Shortcut: Ranch Dressing Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Bob Wicker.
United States.
Chicken Lombardy

Chicken Lombardy

This sounds really good. On my to cook list. Readily available ingredients makes this sound like it could be a regular and inexpensive meal.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 170 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced, button, king oyster, shiitake, would be good
  • butter, as needed
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, fresh or make from powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 spring onions, chopped, green and white parts

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 230 C.
  • Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise then flatten a bit with the smooth side of a tenderizer mallet. Coat the chicken in flour.
  • In a large nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat and cook the mushrooms for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl, then cook the chicken in batches, adding more butter as needed, 2-3 minutes per side. As the chicken is cooked, place in a large baking dish in layers, leave the drippings in the skillet. After all the chicken is cooked, pour the mushrooms over the chicken.
  • Using the same skillet, add a tablespoon of butter and add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and pour the sauce over the mushrooms and chicken. In another bowl, mix together the cheeses and spring onion and sprinkle that over the mushrooms and chicken.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes, serve with a buttered pasta or potato on the side.

Notes

Chicken breasts, go for the large ones, maybe 100 Baht for 6 large ones. All the rest of the items are minimal. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pizza Pasta Bake

Pizza Pasta Bake

Sounds really good, feel free to add any pizza toppings you like. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 340 grams dry Penne pasta, spirals, shells, any bite size pasta works here
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 250 grams Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 250 grams ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and drained
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 4 cups pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 2-3 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • Pepperoni, slices, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
  • Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender, drain and rinse with cold water, drain well then place the pasta in the baking dish and spread evenly.
  • In a large non stick skillet, brown the sausage and beef along with the onion and garlic until the meat is no longer pink then drain off the fat. Add the diced peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers are just starting to get tender, then mix in the pasta sauce and oregano. Mix this together then pour the meat sauce over the pasta in the baking dish.
  • Top the meat sauce with a layer of cheese then top the cheese with slices of Pepperoni. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pasta is warmed through. Serve.

Notes

Bulk sausage I cannot price but you can make yourself with ground pork which will cost about 25 Baht/250 grams. Figure about 50 Baht for 250 grams of ground beef. The Mozzarella cheese will cost 140 Baht for a 200 gram block which will make about 2 cups of shredded. If using 3 cups of shredded, go with 1 1/2 blocks at 210 Baht. For 8 servings, this is about $1.05 per serving.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Pasta Sauce.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.