Shredded Beef Enchilada Casserole Recipe

  

It can be a challenge to put together a Cinco de Mayo celebration dinner when the holiday falls on a weekday. This Shredded Beef Enchilada Casserole is a tasty solution. You can assemble it this weekend and have it ready to pop in the oven on May 5th. 

I first made this roast beef casserole for my niece and her family. They loved it so much she’s requested it two more times. I even gave her a pan as a Christmas gift! Of course, I made a smaller pan full of goodness as well for Mom and me to enjoy. 

The beef is what puts this recipe over the top. A meaty chuck roast slow cooks until it’s fall-apart delicious. I typically prepare the meat a day before assembling the casserole, and I make more than I’ll need for the recipe to have extra shredded beef for tacos, burrito bowls, and barbecue sandwiches.

As I said, you can make this entire shredded beef enchilada casserole recipe a day or two ahead of time. Just assemble, cover, and store in the refrigerator or freezer until needed. (If frozen, unthaw the casserole before baking.) 

Also, here’s a link to recipes I got while in Mexico for Mango Margarita, Guacamole, and Drunken Salsa to complete the meal.

Divertirse!

Cheesy Broccoli Corn Potato Chowder with Ham

What do you do when cravings collide? 

Recently, I was enamored by a social media post for ham and potato corn chowder, but I also was longing for a cheddar broccoli soup. Plus, I had some fresh broccoli that wasn’t going to stay that way for much longer.

So, I combined two soups into one. Boy, was it good—even though the name is a little long!

Full of healthy veggies and sharp cheddar, with just enough ham to give it a smoky taste. 

Best of all, this recipe is perfect for the slow cooker. Put in the bulk of the ingredients at the start of the day and by dinnertime, all you have to do is blend the mixture to your desired chunkiness (I used a stick blender), and stir in the cheese, cream (if using), and ham. 

Dinner is ready! 

Yield: 6 to 8

Author: Linda Ditch

Cheesy Broccoli Corn Potato Chowder with Ham

What happens when broccoli-cheddar soup combines with a corn chowder? Add some ham, and this soup is the result.

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce bag frozen corn
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces Velveeta, diced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces ham, diced

Instructions

1. In a large slow cooker, add all of the ingredients except for the cheeses, cream, and ham. (Add more water if necessary.) Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
2. Using an immersion (stick) blender, whizz up the soup in the slow cooker until it reaches your desired consistency. (If you don’t have a hand-held stick blender, ladle 2 to 3 cups of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Then pour the blended mixture back into the slow cooker.)
3. Add the ham to the soup, and then the cheeses, a handful at a time, stirring until melted and blended into the soup. Then stir in the cream. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
4. Serve and enjoy. (FYI: Like most soups, this one tastes even better the next day!)

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Autumn Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Here in Kansas, we are transitioning from summer to fall. The leaves are just beginning their colorful annual display. Nights are getting cool enough to require the soft, downy comforter on the bed. Fuzzy socks, warm sweaters, and cozy sweats are out of storage and placed in the dresser.

This Autumn Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie is a perfect transition-of-seasons dinner. It has all the tasty comfort of the traditional dish but it's a lightened-up version for these ever-so-slightly chilly days, full of ground turkey and plenty of veg.

The inspiration for this recipe came from two sources: A turkey sweet potato shepherd’s pie on the Skinnytaste website and my own more substantial sweet-potato shepherd’s pie recipe I posted a few years ago. I love this one because it’s full of veggies reminiscent of summer’s harvest but also has a hint of flavors common at Thanksgiving. 

Yield: 6

Author: Linda Ditch

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Autumn Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

This is a perfect transition-of-seasons dinner. It has all the tasty comfort of the traditional dish but is lightened up for these ever-so-slightly chilly days with ground turkey and plenty of veg.

Ingredients

• For filling:
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound 99-percent lean ground turkey or chicken
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, diced
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth (plus extra if necessary)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• For potatoes:
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Put 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey (or chicken) and brown until just cooked through. Put the cooked turkey in a bowl and set aside.
3. Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, and the diced onion and celery. Sauté until the onions start to become transparent, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes more.
4. Next add the garlic, poultry seasoning, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and cooked turkey. Mix well. Then sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to coat the turkey-veg mixture. Add the frozen veggies and pour in the chicken broth. Cook until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens, about 5 minutes. (Add extra broth if necessary.) Add salt and pepper to taste, then pour the mixture into the casserole dish.
5. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork or knife, and then pop them into the microwave. Cook until soft. While still warm, scoop out the inside of the potatoes into a large bowl. (Use a towel or paper towels to protect your hands from the hot potatoes.) Add the butter and milk, then mash until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Spoon the mashed sweet potatoes over the turkey mixture. Place the casserole dish onto a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake until the sweet potatoes start to brown on top, 20 to 30 minutes.

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Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza from King Arthur Flour

Weekends were made for pizza.

At the end of a long week, pizza is a tasty and comforting way to start the weekend, even if our workweek is spent in a home office or teaching and entertaining your kids.

 

While takeout from at your favorite local pizzeria is an option—one I take advantage of all the time!—making homemade pizza is also fun and satisfying. An added bonus is you have kitchen clean-up time while the pie bakes, so once dinner is served you can relax.

 

I’ve posted my favorite homemade pizza recipe before, but I think this one is the winner! I first saw it on the Food 52 website, with this great video on how to make it.

 

The original recipe is from the King Arthur Four folks. (Find it here.) What I love most about this pizza is the focaccia-like crust. The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for 12 to 72 hours, which means you can mix it up when you have a free moment and then let it hang out for a couple of days until you need it. In fact, the longer it’s in the fridge, the more flavor it develops.

                                                                                    

I used a store brand part-skim mozzarella, along with some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. The sauce was a can of Hunts Tomato Sauce

with Basil, Garlic and Oregano I had in my pantry.

The result was a seriously delicious pizza with a crunchy, browned bottom and a crispy, cheesy edge around the top. 

This is now my number one pizza to make!

 

 

Black Pepper Chicken

We are living in strange times, aren’t we?

Like many of you, I’m spending the majority of my time in my home, with a few breaks for walks outside to lift my spirits. My hands are chapped from washing them so many times during the day (any lotion suggestions?). I’m also becoming pretty adept at using Zoom, plus I’m setting up FaceTime coffee chats and outdoors walking times with friends to keep my sanity!

We have adjustments to make, but we’ve got this!

While we may have more time to spend in the kitchen, it doesn’t necessarily mean we want to! Here’s an easy, healthy dish to add some zip to your meal. This is a take on the Panda Express version. I saw the original recipe on   The Kitchn website here, but I made some adjustments to match what I had on hand. 

Remember: Seek joy, cherish love, stay curious, and eat tasty food!

And stay safe!

Black Pepper Chicken

Serves 4

Sauce:

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 green onions, white and part of green portion cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Brown rice, for serving

To make the sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and then the chicken. Sauté until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet onto a plate and set aside.

Add the celery to the skillet and cook until it starts to go tender. Then add the green onions and minced garlic, sautéing only about 30 seconds. Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the sauce. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until the sauce thickens—about 5 minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

Grandma’s Noodles with Chicken

I've written many times about Mamaw, my mom’s mom, who was a wonderful cook but hated the process. On the flip side is Grandma, my dad’s mom, who loved to cook. She passed that love on to my dad, who also loves to cook, and she's where my cooking gene originated.

If Grandma knew you were coming to visit, she always had something for you to eat, such as cookies, pie, or cake. If she didn't know you were coming, one of the first things she would say was, “Let me make you something to eat.”

Grandma loved feeding people. And since my dad is the oldest of six, there were always a lot of people to feed. This sign that was in her kitchen offers the perfect explanation.

Grandma was a country cook. I remember the tub of lard that sat in her kitchen. Most of the meals featured fried chicken or pork chops…sometimes both…mashed potatoes and pan gravy, and lots of desserts.

But Grandma was best known for her homemade noodles. They were similar to the frozen noodles found in the grocery store, which my research suggests is thanks to her German ancestry. They were a staple at every family meal. To this day family members will close their eyes in reverence at the memory of those delicious noodles cooked in chicken broth. The noodles were coated in so much flour the chicken broth became a thick gravy while they cooked. 

    

 

I watched Grandma make them from time to time, but of course, I never wrote down her recipe. When she died years ago, the recipe went with her. My Aunt Mary told me she had one particular spoon she used to measure the flour, and the only ingredients were flour, eggs, and water.

A few years ago, my sister challenged me to recreate the noodles for Thanksgiving. I did! When I bit into the noodles, all of the memories of Grandma’s kitchen came flooding back.

This time I decided to add chicken and vegetables to the mix to make a complete meal. The Picky Eater liked it, and even ate the leftovers!

I think Grandma would be happy.

Hot Pot

While looking through Mamaw’s recipe file recently, I stumbled across a favorite from my childhood. And it was written in my mom’s handwriting!

Hot Pot was a big hit growing up. It’s a layered dish of potatoes, onions, and hamburger, and I pretty much stuffed myself each time Mom made it. So I was thrilled with my discovery.

One glitch: The recipe is meant for an electric skillet and I don’t own one. So I thought I’d give it a try with my Jamie Oliver T-Fal three and a half-quart stainless-steel deep saute pan and lid instead. (This has been my go-to skillet for years!) 

It worked!

The recipe had to be adjusted a little bit, but not anything drastic. The primary change was cutting back on the amount of broth I used. (I’ve provided both the electric skillet and stove-top directions in the recipe.)

 

 

And instead of using hamburger, I tried it with pork sausage from a local butcher. It was wonderful! So feel free to make this quick and easy meal for dinner or breakfast/brunch!

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Yield: 4

Author: Linda Ditch

Hot Pot

An easy, hearty family dinner for those who love meat and potatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds hamburger or breakfast sausage
• 4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• Beef broth for hamburger, or chicken broth for sausage (1 cup for the electric skillet recipe, 1/2 cup for stovetop)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. For the electric skillet: Place 1/3 of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of the electric skillet. Add 1/2 of the hamburger/sausage, and then 1/2 of the onion. Layer another third of the potatoes on the onion, and then the rest of the hamburger/sausage and onion. Finish with the final third of the potatoes on top. Pour in the broth, and sprinkle the top with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook at 250 degrees until the potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.
2. For the stovetop: In a deep skillet with a lid, brown the hamburger/sausage over medium/high heat until just done. Remove from the skillet and set aside. With the skillet off the heat, layer in the ingredients as directed above. Place back on the heat and bring the broth to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. If the broth evaporates before the potatoes are done, add a little more. If the potatoes are tender but there is still broth in the pan, remove the lid and allow the liquid to evaporate.

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