Dinner Recipe: Baked Potato Casserole

A baked potato sprinkled with cheese and sour cream? Delicious. All the makings of a baked potato in an entire casserole dish? Really delicious. With this recipe for baked potato casserole, this popular side dish takes center stage as the main course.

The great thing about this casserole is that you can easily adjust the recipe to match what you like in your own baked potato. Bacon or no bacon; chives or no chives; even if you want to use different cheeses, there is plenty of room to experiment and make the recipe your own. And if you’re looking for a dish to bring for a potluck or a side dish for a big dinner table, this casserole comes in handy then as well.

Get ready to serve lots of second helpings after bringing this dish to the dinner table.

Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 8 medium-size potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Green onions or parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the chopped potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook them over medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are tender. Then, drain the potatoes. (You could also bake the potatoes in the oven and then cut them into chunks.)
3. Put the potatoes back in the saucepan and toss with the bacon.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the salt, pepper, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, sour cream, and onion. Then, add this mixture to the saucepan with the potatoes and toss thoroughly.
5. Grease a 2.5- to 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray, and then spoon the mixture into the dish.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, then top the dish with the remaining cheese and garnish and let it bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
7. Enjoy!

Tater Tot Casserole

It's by no means new! It's not even pleasant to look at. No matter. The point is when you're starving it tastes dang good. Another thing I love about this humble dish is it's fast, it's easy, and it's pretty cheap. I'm a farmer's daughter and I always have lots of ground beef in the freezer. This dish is often the one I fall back on when I don't want to think about what to cook for dinner. Besides when you tell your grandkids you're having Tater Tot Casserole it immediately fools them into liking it.

Enjoy this old tried and true recipe.

The Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4 oz.)
1 cup milk
1 pkg. tater tots (32 oz.) Use Orida, my favorite.
1 can of corn drained (15 oz.)
2 cups med. shredded cheddar cheese. I like to add a little shredded pepper jack too. Yum!

The How To's
Preheat the oven to 375. Brown your beef in a skillet with the chopped onions. Be sure to salt and pepper this. Fully cook and then drain off the grease. Add the soup and the milk to the mixture. I like to add a nice dollop of butter while it's hot and stir that in as well.  Now spray your 9 x13 baking dish with Pam. Never buy Walmart's Great Value cooking spray. It's worthless! Now spread your tater tots in the bottom of the dish.  I like to sprinkle more salt and pepper here too. Now sprinkle the corn over the tater tots. Sometimes I use frozen green beans instead. I love green beans! Now pour the meat mixture over that and top the whole dish with plenty of cheese. Cover it with foil and Bake for 35 min at 375. I wish I had a pan of it right now!

Hearty Beef Bake

Need to use up that Zucchini from your garden? Try this Hearty Beef Bake. It's easy and it taste delicious. Now you know what I'm having for dinner tonight!

The How To
Brown up a pound of ground beef along with a medium chopped onion in it. Drain the grease off.
Salt and pepper it good.
Stir in a cup of cooked rice. White, brown, any kind you prefer. Mix that together with the beef and onion.
Chop up a nice large red tomato. I like to mash mine. You can add more or less as you prefer.
Pam your casserole dish and place the beef mixture in the bottom.
Cover with  two cups of thin sliced Zucchini, I like to use yellow and green. Now cover the zucchini with your chopped or mashed tomatoes.
Next take a 19 oz can of Progresso vegetable classic tomato basil soup and pour over the top.
Pam your tin foil and cover the casserole mixture. Bake at 375 for 25-30 min. Take tin foil off and add two cups shredded mozzerella cheese, cover again with tin foil and bake another 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
(I like to season this with a little Italian seasoning before I bake it.) That's an option for you.
Enjoy!

Happy Cooking

Sweet Potato Casserole

This Sweet Potato Casserole (made with Yams?) is compliments of Jason McKellar. I haven't tried it yet but I just know I'm going to love it and I want it in my recipe book! 

Base
3 c cooked (peeled, cubed, boiled then mashed) yams
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c soft butter
1 T vanilla
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
2 well beaten eggs

Mix well, then spread in a 13x9 baking pan

Topping
1/3 c melted butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1 c chopped pecans

Mix well, then spread on top of base

Bake at 350º for 25 minutes