Lessons from my Mom's Kitchen: The Casserole

My mom has a recipe library. Recipes collected from friends and magazines and cookbooks over the past thirty-five years since she married my dad. She credits recipes with helping her take the leap from "heating soup, pouring cereal, or making a sandwich" to feeling at home and inspired in the kitchen. The recipe library is organized, every food category within easy reach.

I grew up in that kitchen with those recipes - we enjoyed executing what others had tested to publishable perfection. Take baking, which is more science than art ... recipes ensure that breads rise and cookies hold together properly. When I'm entertaining, I have confidence in trying something new when I have a trusted recipe source to lean on. We like recipes.

But then there was the moment my mom discovered a world apart from recipes - a world called casseroles.

Before I tell you about this moment, I think the term "casserole" has fallen out of vogue in the last decade or so and deserves a reintroduction. The etymology is from the French word for saucepan. The modern concept of "casserole" was developed in the late 1800s to describe a savory mixture of rice and meats, and evolved to describe a one-dish meal that became popular in America in the 1950s. What I'm saying is it's part of our American heritage and we should not dismiss it as plain jane kitchen fare.

So back to my mom's kitchen...

I was three days old, with lungs that apparently kept my mom in a perpetually exhausted state for two straight years. Which I really find hard to believe. Her friend, let's call her Terri, came to the front door with a tuna noodle casserole. Terri flipped the oven on, settled down with all of my pudgy newbornness in her arms, and sent my mom off for a nap. Good woman.

The pyrex dish came out a short time later. Mom gushed over the melty, cheesy goodness and asked Terri for the recipe. To which Terri laughed. To which my mom remained straight-faced and repeated the request. To which Terri, with some incredulity, stopped laughing and gave my mom the super secret formula for casseroles. My mom shared it with me. And now I'm going to share it with you. Ready?

First you take whatever meat you have left over in the fridge or canned in the pantry. Then you throw in some pasta or rice, some veggies, a can of cream of something, a good handful of cheese, some salt and pepper. Mix. Put it all in a baking dish. Sprinkle some more cheese on top. Bake at 350° until bubbly. Dinner's ready.

So to review:

Meat/Protein + Starch/Grain + Veggies + cream of something or a sauce + cheese + some spices if desired + the proverbial kitchen sink

No measuring cups required, just a bowl and spoon, baking dish and oven.

I love this formula. Imagine the variations - this could be fun! To this day, it's one of the few things I make without the guidance of a long list of measured ingredients and instructions. That and salads. One of these days I'm going to get comfortable with soups.

Here's a combo I tried recently (with a little Pinterest inspiration) that I'm fond of to get you started. Beyond that, I say play!

Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

Cooked ground turkey + cooked quinoa + 1 can drained black beans + chopped, sauteed onions + 1 small can diced green chiles + thawed frozen corn + 1 can red enchilada sauce + 1 bag of cheddar cheese (some in the mix, some on top) + a tbls of chili powder for some extra flavor

I also tried substituting out the ground turkey for thawed chopped spinach as a vegetarian option.

350° and 20 minutes later, I'm done.

Did I mention the minimal dishes. Because I love recipes but I get cranky when I look at the pile of dishes at the end of the night.