Casserole #6 - Lemonchick's Cheesy Sausage & Potato Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #6 - Lemonchick's Cheesy Sausage & Potato Casserole

This recipe is a creation of mine. You can substitute your favorite spicy seasoning in place of Penzey's Arizona Dreaming salt free seasoning if you like. Or even try your favorite seasoning. I hope you like it. 

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 medium onion or 1/2 of a large onion, peeled and diced

1 green pepper, cored and cut into chunks

8oz andouli or Kielbasa sausage, sliced into about 1/4-1/2 inch slices

1 cup Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded, plus more to sprinkle on top

1 tsp or more to taste of Penzey Spice's Arizona Dreaming salt free seasoning

1 tsp Penzey Spice's dried minced garlic or fresh minced garlic

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups white sauce:

  1/4 cup butter

  1/4 cup flour

  2 cups milk, heated 

  1/2 tsp salt

  1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boiling and cook the chunks of potato until they are fork soft (You don't want them mushy and you don't want them hard). Drain the potatoes and pour chunks into a large bowl. Cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Stir in sausage, green pepper and onion. Mix shredded cheese into white sauce, pour over the sausage & potato mixture and store to combine. Pour mixture into a greased, 3-qt casserole. Sprinkle with additional cheese and bake for 30 minutes. 

White Sauce: Melt butter on low. Blend in flour. Slowly stir heated milk. Add salt and pepper and stir. 

Lemonchick's Cheesy Sausage & Potato Casserole
Picture being supervised by Charley The Muffin Man

Casserole #5 - Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #5 - Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole

    This recipe is from a 1989 Minute Rice (General Foods) cookbook. The original recipe calls for a 9-inch square casserole. However, I used a large round casserole dish. I believe it was a 3-qt dish. I added chili powder to the original recipe, but you could use whatever spicy seasoning you like, or make it like the original, without spicy seasoning. 

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow summer squash, diced

1 medium zucchini diced

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup milk (I made this with the original 1 1/2 cups milk called for in the recipe. However, the casserole had so much liquid seeping out; it still tasted good, but was way too liquid-y)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup Minute Rice (or generic quick cooking rice)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning or 1 tsp chili powder/spicy seasoning

1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Grease the casserole dish and pour the squash & zucchini mixture into the casserole dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle extra Italian seasoning or chili powder/spicy seasoning over top when serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

*Note: If you want to try cooking the rice first, only use 1/2 cup of milk

Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole