Not Yo Momma’s Casserole
So random, but true & funny story – I used to call this “Pregnancy Casserole” because it is the *perfect* casserole for any new Mama’s & Daddy’s because EVERYTHING wholesome, nutritious & delicious is packed in! However, I realize not all of us are pregnant / nor want to feel weird about opening a recipe with a dumb title. So, I felt it would be best if I renamed it, of course, for the sake of inclusivity and simply not to be a weirdo *wink*
give it up for TASTY
I also will not lie – ya’ll should know me better than that by now, damn – but the originality of this recipe is not mine. But I made it taste hella better, bet your ass.
The OG form of this casserole was a “Tasty” recipe from back in the day – think 2016. I was salivating watching the video on Facebook. It was glorious – it literally has EVERYTHING in it! A complete meal! In convenient, casserole form. Chopped veggies galore, hearty brown rice, rotisserie chicken, tomatoes AND spinach and topped off with Monterey Jack cheese – who wouldn’t be in heaven seeing that all come together?!
For my first attempt, I made it with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers ((put that in your back pocket for use in a couple of weeks, you’re welcome!)) and it smelled amazing, the recipe was super easy to follow, it made a ton & it was relatively healthy from all those great ingredients! I couldn’t wait.
they def don’t deserve ALL the credit
WOMP. It was completely lackluster. I was devasted. Crushed beyond recognition. I didn’t know what to do! I was so saddened that I decided to scrap it. We literally threw away the casserole because it was so bland. I was like WTF man, how can this happen??
Well, one of my friends got pregnant a year later so I decided I’d try it again because IT REALLY IS THAT PERFECT – obviously I’m not going to serve my friend a boring, plain-ass casserole. Obviously, I Southern-ified the hell out of it and gave it a lil taste-test. And it worked! It was sooo much better. I was on top of the world & excited about this recipe, yet again.
MY MVPs
The main attractions that I used to send this recipe over the top are easily-recognizable ingredients & delicious additions – seriously Tasty, I hope you’re taking notes. Firstly, I doubled the amount of celery because, delicious & health factor. I also added a large, diced shallot to pump up the onion flavor. Come to think of it….I added another 2 more onion-y ingredients. Damn. What can I say? I like onions in all their forms. Whatever. This casserole desperately needed some OOMPH and I gave it the goods!
Crunchy French Fried Onions as a topping make this casserole gourmet – at least in my book. Who wouldn’t want a layer of delicious crunchy onions atop perfectly melty cheese? NOBODY. That’s right.
The Dry Onion Soup Mix just seemed right to throw in. It adds a hell of a lot of deep flavors without being overly salty or overly onion-y – weird but it worked.
All in all, the 2nd time around, I was incredibly excited to share this meal with a dear friend who was recovering from having her first child. It was a great experience to be had by all. The best part about this recipe is it seems to be an all-season wonder. Not overly heavy to serve in the summer, a bowl of cozy in the winter, and is perfect to use for Thanksgiving / Christmas leftovers with turkey! It literally cannot be beat! Let’s get to it!
Ingredients
· 2 cups deboned & deskinned Rotisserie Chicken (or whatever leftovers you have)
· 2 cups Brown / Wild Rice (I used Uncle Ben’s Microwave Ready pouches!)
· 4 stalks celery – diced fine
· 1 large shallot – diced fine
· 1 medium Vidalia Onion – diced fine
· 1 TBS Salted Butter
· 1 can Cream of Celery Soup
· 2 TBS Dijon Mustard
· Juice of 1 lemon
· 1 TBS Garlic Powder
· 1 TBS Smoked Paprika
· 1 packet Dry Onion Soup Mix
· 1 cup Fat Free Half & Half
· 1 Cup Colby Jack, shredded
· 1 Cup Monterey Jack, shredded
· 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, quartered
· 2 Cups Spinach, torn
· S+P to taste
· green onions, for garnish
Instructions, 1
This is a 1-pot wonder so don’t worry about having to have multiple pots or bowls going – just get 1 big pot & 1 big casserole dish, you be otay.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Firstly, dice the celery & both onions.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and melt the butter – drop in the celery & onions and stir until transluscent.
While the onions & celery are cooking, debone and deskin the rotisserie chicken and tear into smaller, bite-size pieces.
Measure out the 2 cups of chicken & set aside.
Empty the can of Cream of Celery soup into the pot with the celery & onions.
Keeping the stove on medium, stir in the Fat Free Half & Half and add in the packet of Dry Onion Soup Mix.
Sprinkle in the 1 cup of Colby Jack Cheese along with the rotisserie chicken & stir to combine.
Next, add in the spices : Garlic Powder & Paprika.
Juice the lemon directly into the pot & add in the Dijon Mustard – stir well.
Go ahead & microwave your packets of rice as well – they will mix directly in the pot with everyone else!
Instructions, 2
Remove the pot from the heat & prep the last 2 ingredients.
Quarter the Grape Tomatoes ((I personally just don’t like big hunks of tomatoes in anything so do what you wish!))
Measure out the 2 cups of Baby Spinach, remove the stems & roughly tear or chop into smaller pieces – no exact science here.
When the rice is cooked, the grape tomatoes are cut & the baby spinach is torn and everything is measured – this is the coupe de grace.
Stir in the rice, tomatoes & lastly the spinach – this leaves the last cup of Monterey Jack cheese – leave that as a sprinkle-sprankle for the top of this casserole – trust, it deserves a final cheesy curtain.
Empty into a greased casserole dish & spoon down gently – any size, any shape, any ol kind you like.
Evenly distribute the Monterey Jack Cheese, cover with tin foil & bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Lastly, remove the tin foil after the 20 minute timer has elapsed, then (shit, maybe THIS is the REAL coup de grace) generously pile on a single layer of delectable French Fried Onions.
Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
The casserole will be bubbly & smelling delicious, the cheese will be melty & you will get that amazing twang from the warmed French Fried Onions. It is beautiful.
Serve immediately! It is the perfect meal! Healthy Carbs, Protein, & Veggies – TELL ME I’M WRONG!!! You can’t. Because you know I’m right.
Tis the Season….for whatever.
I’m glad I re-thought this recipe title….& not to be weird but I’m sure you’re thankful too HAHA “Pregnancy Casserole” definitely has a weird-ass ring to it. It sounds like it could cater to some weird cravings that pregnant ladies have. Who knows. BUT SERIOUSLY. I’ve made this for 4/5 friends who have had babes and the weather has been different everytime, and they have all said the same thing : that this casserole is different, it hits the damn spot and its not full of junk – you heard it here first. Pasta casseroles are great, but anybody can make those & sometimes, they are just overdone and you might not be able to please everyone with baked pasta – scary & sad but true. Not the case with this chicken casserole – its comforting & old-school without feeling clumpy, lumpy or overdone. I feel like Goldilocks trying to persuade you to make this casserole & enjoy it as much as I do, so I’ll stop right there. The picture actually does it justice. Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
© 2021 Cookin’ & Cussin’
