What's For Dinner: Tuna and Rice Casserole {Recipe}

I have never really been a fan of tuna casserole. I don't really like tuna all that much. It's fish. I don't like fish. And, everyone always puts peas in their tuna casseroles. I don't like peas. 

I found a tuna and rice casserole that had a bunch of veggies in it not just peas, and then (isn't that how it always goes) could not find it again later! This was before pinterest. I had to figure out a casserole that we, meaning hubby and I, would eat. But since little man likes peas, it had to have peas. Luckily he is not the picky one. So after much trial and error, here is the recipe!

Tuna and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:
7oz tuna drained
1 cup rice uncooked
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
2 small potatoes
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided into 1/4 cups)
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tbs black pepper (I like a lot, Season to your taste)

Directions:
1. Clean and chop potatoes into small bite size pieces.

2. cook rice and steam potatoes. I add a small amount of butter and about 1/2 tsp pepper to the water.

I love my rice cooker. Probably the best investment I made when I moved out. It has a steamer to use with the rice cooker! They don't sell my model any more. I bought it at Mervyn's before they were even saying they were going to go out of business. But they have more up to date ones like this Aroma 3-Cup (Uncooked) 6-Cup (Cooked) Rice Cooker and Food Steamer, White (affiliate) version. And it comes in black and red too!

3. Use this time to chop veggies

4. preheat oven to 375

5. Add veggies to a casserole dish. I like my Pyrex Bakeware 2-Quart Casserole Dish with Lid (affiliate). Then the soup, milk (I use the can to measure out the milk) and sour cream. mix in the sour cream. then add tuna and spices. It's easiest to stir and mix in this order. I am a messy cook and I make the smallest mess this way. ;)

6. Stir in rice. and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

7. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

8. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Don't worry about the cookie sheet underneath. I cook everything in the oven on a cookie sheet when the bottom rack is not covered in foil.

I let the casserole cool uncovered for about 5 minutes before I dish it out for hubby and I. I dish it out for the kids to cool faster.

Enjoy!

What's For Dinner: Beef and Broccoli One Pot Wonder {Recipes}

I am not a chef. I barely consider myself a cook. I can do casseroles. I love bakes. And, I am looking for one pot wonders where-ever I can find them.

One thing I have difficulty doing? Following recipes as they are written and remembering what I did for next time. I have a habit of pulling recipes from websites and altering them as I cook, doing what works for what I have at the time that I do it. So I am trying to write down what I do as I do it, just in case it does, or does not, work.

I had limited items in my pantry one day and I needed something different and I found this recipe from Campbell's Kitchen... I decided to give it a go and ended up not even following the recipe really and it came out like this instead.

Beef and Broccoli Pasta: One Pot Wonder

Ingredients:

1 Tbs  oil
1-2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 yellow onion chopped

salt/pepper

1 tsp each: ginger, curry powder, dried basil, ground fennel

2 Tbs soy sauce

1 lb ground beef

2-4 cups broccoli florets

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1.5 cups milk

1.5 cups water

1 package of pasta. I like Garofalo Pasta (affiliate)  I use the 1.1 lb packages from Costco. I like the Gemelli. You can use the 1lb packages too, I like the Fusilli Pasta (affiliate)

     

Directions:

heat oil in a large skillet or pot (big enough to put it all in). At Med-high heat, Add seasonings. You can add more or less depending on your tastes. and brown quickly. Not more than a few seconds to a minute. I often throw these in while I am waiting for the oil to heat up.

Add garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Depending on my mood, or the kids craving attention, I will caramelize the onion.

Add ground beef and cook through.

Turn down heat to medium, add broccoli and soy sauce. stir fry for a minute or two. Longer if you prefer your vegetables softer.

Add cream of mushroom soup, heat through

Add milk and water. cover and return to simmer. It looks like a lot of liquid but it's ok. the pasta will absorb a lot of it and it will thicken later.

Add pasta, return to simmer. turn heat to med-low. Cover and cook according to pasta directions or until pasta is done. stir frequently.

Once pasta is done remove from heat and sit for about 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it stands.

I love this dish. I think it has to be one of my favorites and I don't like mushrooms!  I will even eat this leftovers cold! Even the kids like it!

How do you follow recipes? Do you cook as they say to or end up with something almost completely different?