Robin’s Healthy Take: Make-Ahead Casseroles by Robin Miller in Robin's Healthy Take, January 28, 2011
- Robin's Chicken Casserole
It doesn’t matter if you’re cooking for yourself, your family or a table of friends, life is easier when you can make a great dish in advance and refrigerate it for another day. It’s no secret I’m a prep-ahead gal, and I do it for two reasons: First, so that I’m not running around the kitchen at the last minute when people are already hungry and second, so I can relax and have a cocktail while dinner cooks.
Whatever your reason for cooking ahead, I’ve got a few recipes for make-ahead casseroles that you can enjoy any night of the week. Oh, and by the way, they’re super-nutritious and lower in calories and fat than their traditional counterparts because I’ve swapped a few ingredients here and there. Check ‘em out, then send me YOUR favorite fridge and freezer-friendly dishes.
Chicken-Asiago Casserole with Rice and Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Combine 2 cups cooked white or brown rice, 1 pound cubed chicken breasts, 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 cup shredded Asiago cheese and 2 teaspoons dried oregano, add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well and transfer mixture to a baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese. Cover with plastic, refrigerate up to 2 days. Remove plastic, cover with foil; bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes; uncover and bake for 15 more minutes, until cheese is golden; top with fresh chopped basil.
Baked Ziti with Seared Zucchini: Cook 1 pound ziti noodles, set aside. Sear 2 sliced medium zucchini in olive oil until golden brown on both sides; set aside. Combine 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon salt-free Italian seasoning. Spoon 1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish; top with 1/3 of the cooked ziti, half of the ricotta mixture and half of the seared zucchini. Pour over 1/2 cup of pasta sauce; repeat layers (1/3 of the pasta, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining zucchini and 1/2 cup sauce. Top with remaining pasta, 1/2 cup sauce and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with plastic, refrigerate up to 3 days. When ready to serve, remove plastic, cover with foil; bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese is bubbly.
Beef and Corn Casserole With Two Cheeses: Cook 1 pound lean ground beef in a little olive oil until browned and drain fat if necessary. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; stir in 1 1/2 cups salsa, 1 cup frozen white corn, 1 cup shredded 2 percent sharp cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup light sour cream; transfer the mixture to a baking dish; top with 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese. Cover with plastic, refrigerate up to 3 days. Remove plastic, bake at 375oF for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.
TELL US: What are your favorite make-ahead dishes?
Robin Miller is a nutritionist, host of Quick Fix Meals, author of “Robin Rescues Dinner” and the busy mom of two active little boys. Her boys and great food are her passion. Check her out at www.robinrescuesdinner.com.
You Might Also Like:
- Robin’s Healthy Slow-Cooker Recipes
- 5-Ingredient, 20-Minute Pastas
- Spotlight Recipes: Vegetarian Pastas
-
More posts from Robin Miller.
Wonderful work! This is the type of info that should be shared around the net. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my site . Thanks =)
A common laser source for substantial-velocity networking is the vertical-cavity area-emitter laser (VCSEL). This semiconductor diode brings together substantial bandwidth with minimal value and is an excellent choice for the gigabit networking possibilities.
I just like the helpful information you supply on your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and take a look at once more right here frequently. I am rather certain I will learn a lot of new stuff proper here! Good luck for the next!
Admiring the commitment you put into your website and detailed information you offer. It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed material. Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later. Many thanks
U-verse and FiOS systems from AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon have not too long ago set fiber optics in the limelight. These methods are for delivery of Television set and Net respectively. AT&T’s cable Television method utilizes fiber to central nodes then devolves to copper cabling to each home or company. Verizon’s program makes use of a diverse method, bringing fiber optic cable all the way into each and every home or organization. A equivalent method has been in place in Japan for some time.
Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!
As we know there are a lot of wavelength lasers that can be utilised for marking/engraving. The predominant kinds are CO2 and YAG lasers. These wavelengths extend the spectrum from much infrared to in close proximity to infrared. The selection as to which laser sort to use is actually based on the material becoming marked.
Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your site. You have some really great articles and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an email if interested. Thank you!
Really? Cook the chicken, cube the chicken and prepare as instructed. If you make it ahead of time, you HAVE to cook the chicken or you'll get salmonella.
I agree with KerryAnn. Just a quick cook can reduce the risk of bacterial contamination like salmonella in the chicken or E. Coli in ground beef. Better safe than sorry.
i substituted with spinach as we didn't have any fire roasted tomatoes in the house. add some minced garlic (2-4 cloves, to taste) and yum!