Monday, January 16, 2012

Eat: King Ranch Chicken Casserole

For a busy mom, a casserole can be a great time saver. Casseroles are awesome because so many of them can be made ahead and frozen. Here is a recipe for one of my favorites, King Ranch Chicken. 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup margarine
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
  • 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
  • 12 corn or flour tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
Directions: 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  In a large saucepan, cook pepper and 
onion in melted margarine until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add soups, 
RO*TEL and chicken, stirring until well blended.  In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch 
baking pan, alternately layer tortillas, soup mixture and cheese, repeating 
for three layers.  Bake 40 minutes or until hot and bubbling.  Serves 8.
(recipe from RO*TEL website, texmex.net)

As far as freezing, this casserole can be frozen before baking, then thawed in the refrigerator and baked according to the recipe directions. Place a sticky note with the date and contents of the casserole, plus baking instructions so you don't have to reference the recipe. 

Here is a tip from Good Housekeeping that will save space and keep baking dishes ready to use:
For perfectly shaped packages that stack easily, freeze foods in a casserole dish lined with heavy-duty foil (allow enough extra foil to cover the top). After the food freezes, remove the foil-wrapped food and use the dish for something else.




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