Veggie & Faux Chicken Casserole

I don't know what it is, but I've been craving casserole lately. Thinking even a tuna casserole would be good, and I normally can't take canned tuna hot. I couldn't decide if I wanted something like turkey tetrazzini or something like lasagna more, but in the end, the former won out. Well sort of.



Here's what I did:

Cooked and drained 12oz egg noodles



Heat two cans of Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic and one can Cream of Mushroom and Chicken soup with 1 pint half and half and one can chicken broth to a simmer.

Sautée 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion and 1 tsp. minced garlic until the onions are translucent.



Stir into sauce:
2 cups shredded carrot
1 cubed green bell pepper
1/2 pound frozen broccoli (defrosted)
8 oz fake chicken strips (Morningstar Farms, real chicken would work too)
4 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded parmesan
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
the sautéed onions

Transferred to a 3 quart casserole dish (it filled it to the rim, needed either a bigger dish or a smaller recipe) and baked at 350ºF for 45 minutes (supposed to be 30 minutes but I screwed up). Sprinkled 6 oz french onions over top and baked another five minutes.



Makes 3 quarts plus of late Sunday dinner and Gladware lunches.

It's delicious. I worried it would be soupy, that's why the half-n-half instead of skim milk. It occurs to me that all a casserole is, really, is a super stiff stew. Since my soups, chilis and stews tend to end up rather thick and stiff, I might as well be honest with myself and set out to make solid food.

For those of you who balked when you saw the red pepper, feel free to omit it.* Though if you give it a chance, I think you’ll find that’s a modest addition to a recipe of this magnitude, and tends to accent the black pepper more than asserting itself as fire.

Who says bachelor cooking has to suck?



*Okay, my first instinct was to say, 'Don't be such a pussy,' but then I tried to imagine what it'd be like getting my daughters to try this stuff. Impossible, with or without the red pepper. Em's favorite vegetable is a grilled cheese sandwich. Mo will eat anything as long as it's a chicken nugget. And while I might say they're being a pain in the ass, I would never, ever, tell them they were being pussies. I'll save that for the boys who try to date them in a few years.