Thanksgiving Casseroles to Try
Your neighbors across the Merrimack Valley have provided recipes they love.
Looking for a new recipe to spice up your Thanksgiving Day table? Patch readers across the Merrimack Valley have shared their tried and true holiday recipes.
Here are some ideas for casseroles.
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Hamburger Corn Casserole
Provided by Mary Khederian, Westford Patch blogger
Ingredients
1 Package of Broad Egg Noodles, cooked, drained
1-2lbs Ground Beef
1 Onion Chopped
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup (undiluted)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup (undiluted)
1 Can Corn (drained)
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 T Butter Melted
½ Cup of Seasoned Breadcrumbs
Directions:
In large saute pan sauté the onions and the ground beef till no longer pink. Add the soups, the corn and sour cream. Heat through. Add the cooked noodles and turn out into a casserole dish. Melt the butter and add the bread crumbs and place on top of casserole. Bake 350 for 40 mins or till golden brown. Nothing is easier and tastier and faster than this recipe.
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Provided by Maria Pesantes, Tewksbury Patch reader
Ingredients
3 Cups of mashed sweet potato (about 6 potatos)
3/4 Stick of margarine
1 Cup of evaporated milk
1 1/4 - Cup of sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 - Teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 - Teaspoon nutmeg
1 Teaspoon of vanilla
Mix well and bake at 425 degrees at 15 minutes.
1 Cup of crushed cornflakes
1/2 - cup of walnuts
3/4 - cup of brown sugar
3/4 - stick of margarine
Mix and spread over casserole and bake for 15 minutes more.
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Adapted from Cooking Light Five Star Recipes by North Reading columnist Julia Whitney Robarts
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cups mashed cooked sweet potato
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup nonfat milk
2 T. light margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chilled butter
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl, and mix well by hand. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and flour in a bowl, and cut in the 2 tablespoons chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle entire mixture over sweet potato mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
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Zucchini Casserole
Provided by Bill, North Reading Patch reader
Ingredients
4 oz. Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing Mix
1/3 c. butter, melted
4 c. cubed (3/4 inch) zucchini
2 carrots, grated/julienned 1 sm. onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
Directions
Heat oven to 350°. In a small bowl combine stuffing and butter.
In a separate bowl combine zucchini, carrots, onion, soup (as is) and sour cream.
Mix 1/2 of the stuffing mixture in with the zucchini mixture.
Spread into a 9 x 12 greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining stuffing mixture.
Cover dish with foil. Bake for 60 minutes.
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Broccoli Casserole
Provided by Julie Hickey, Chelmsford Patch
Ingredients
2 1/2 - 3 lbs fresh broccoli crowns about 5-6 heads
1 cup of sour cream
1 can cream of broccoli soup
2 eggs
3 cups of white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing
Directions
Steam the fresh broccoli: You can use frozen broccoli, but I find it watery so I use fresh. If you use frozen, thaw it first and let it drain well. If using fresh broccoli, trim and separate the broccoli crowns.
Put the broccoli in a microwaveable dish. Depending on the size of your dish and the size of your microwave, you may have to do the steaming in 2 batches.
Rinse, drain and microwave broccoli on high for 4 minutes.
Mix up the broccoli and microwave for 3 minutes more. You want the broccoli just tender, careful not to overcook. Remember the broccoli will continue to steam even after the microwave shuts off, so check the broccoli and if it is tender, remove from microwave and remove the cover so the broccoli stops cooking.
In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, soup and eggs.
In a microwaveable baking dish approximately 9x13, layer half of the broccoli, then half of the soup mixture and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Then repeat with the rest of the broccoli, soup mixture and cheese.
Top the dish with the Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing. Cover and microwave for 10 minutes.
Anastasia O'Malley
8:03 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The Holidays are definitely the appropriate time to delight in a few decedent recipes that are not daily fair. It's a time to both celebrate & experience the joys in life. That said, "Cooking Light" magazine should be ashamed of themselves on two fronts! 1 You can't just use the "light" version of every ingredient in a recipe & call it healthy. You need to change the recipe to something similar, but just as yummy. 2 A cup of sugar has no business going in a dish that will be served as part of a meal (one that contains one of the most naturally sweet veggies at that). My Thanksgiving dessert does not use that much sugar!
Using sugar as a substitute for fat is like giving a toddler a lego tower instead of a pile of legos; in short order you'll end up with a pile of legos either way.
Try this instead...
Anastasia O'Malley
8:23 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
...instead...
Leave out all of the brown sugar. In its place use a sprinkle of cinnamon & nutmeg, (optionally add allspice as well if you like that).
If you're up for something spicy, replace the vanilla with cayenne.
Feel free to keep the real butter (it's not very much when divided among the family), but use it in the first 1/2 of the recipe instead of margarine which usually has trans-fat.
Next use veggie broth instead of non-fat milk -- it's healthier and once the milk is non-fat, broth is tastier as well. (I suppose you could use almond milk as a compromise.)
Change the topping altogether. 10 minutes before the casserole is done in the oven make a pattern of whole orange slices on top. (Optionally add just a few dried cranberries as well.) OK don't completely change the topping, keep the nuts.