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I’ve mentioned before, and it’s nothing that you don’t already know, that the
70s was the decade of the casserole. Women were rapidly entering the workforce -- in many cases still expected to fix dinner -- and needed something that would go
together easily, be shoved into the oven, and come out hot and ready to serve a
hungry family or crowd. This recipe is a throwback to that time, something that I think you
will no doubt realize when you see some of the ingredients. That should not deter
you from making it exactly as written. What I’m saying here is use the
condensed soup and the Velveeta, it makes all the difference.
I found this little gem amongst my mother’s recipes, and decided to give it a
try. I enjoyed it as a meatless main dish; you can do the same, or serve it as
a side. This makes a lot, so is excellent for a brunch or buffet because you
can make it the day before baking.
Happy Meatless Monday!
Vegetarian Casserole
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
½ c. (1 stick) butter
2 c. cooked, drained, chopped broccoli (can use frozen)
2 c. prepared Uncle Ben’s Long Grain
& Wild Rice
½ c. sliced water
chestnuts
½ c. canned sliced mushrooms
8 oz. Velveeta, cubed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ c. milk
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Crushed Cheez-Its
Sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9” x 13” casserole dish with PAM; set aside.
Sauté onion in butter; empty into a large bowl. Add broccoli, rice, water
chestnuts, and sliced mushrooms; set aside. Place Velveeta, condensed soup, and
milk in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until Velveeta has
melted. Pour soup/cheese mixture over your bowl of vegetables and pepper generously.
Fold ingredients together, and turn into a prepared casserole dish. Place in
preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Top with crushed Cheez-Its and almonds
and bake an additional 10 minutes.
9 comments:
Your casserole sounds delicious. My mother in law made a similar recipe with chicken, Broccoli, Uncle Ben's rice with the wild rice in it, water chestnuts,mushrooms, Mushroom or cream of celery soup,and sliced almonds on top, but I made it with breadcrumbs on top. Her recipe didn't have cheese of any kind in it, but I bet it would taste good if added.
That was considered really good food. It still is to me. My Mom was a good cook, but never made casseroles because my Dad didn't like them, so I never really had any casserole dishes until I was dating my husband and ate his Mom's cooking. She worked full time and always had a selection of delicious recipes.
My daughter has never made a casserole,nor has her husband as far as I know. She is a nurse and has long hours on her feet, and her husband, who does more of the cooking than my daughter does and is a good cook, is a plumber and tired when he gets home from work. They do a lot of carry out food, and eat often at restaurants. I doubt if they would eat a casserole with Velveeta or condensed soup. They just don't eat anything like that now that they are grown. I was shocked that they don't even drink dairy milk, since they are not lactose intolerant. They drink pea milk. I am not a fan of peas, so I can't even imagine pea milk, which in my opinion should be called pea juice. It's a different food world for younger generations. I wonder what kinds of food their children and grandchildren will favor when they are grown. My 11 year old grandson is a big fan of chicken strips, and so far our little six month old grand daughter likes her bottle and sweet potato baby food.
I always find such good recipes here on your blog, they give me inspiration to cook something different.
Thanks for your lovely (and lengthy) comment, Susie. Just the words “pea milk“ triggered my gag reflex. How do you milk a pea? That is not milk, that, as you said, is juice. Casseroles are wonderful, and they can be made using different ingredients, including making your own homemade version of condensed soup. This new generation doesn’t know what they’re missing.
The casserole looks comforting and would be great to serve with a big juicy steak :-) I love that crunchy nutty Cheez-Its topping.
The Velveta, the mushroom soup, and the full stick of butter does remind me of the food we made in the 70;s. It must be fun to be going through your mom's recipes.
Oh, my goodness! Break out the platform shoes and disco records! It’s 1975 all over again!!!!!! My Mom didn’t make many casseroles, but I remember seeing them on TV! I feel like I should be parked in front of the TV watching the Jackson 5 on The Ed Sullivan Show!
I think casseroles get a bad rap - they are pure comfort food. Served with a side salad or maybe some rolls - YUM. I remember going through all of my late MIL's recipes like it was a treasure hunt. I love those family recipes - used to make them more often when I had more mouths at my house to feed, but I still love them!
I adore recipes like this Pattie, and love Campbell's creamed soup and Velveeta! Sounds wonderful!
Jenna
You had me at "Crushed Cheez Its" which I happen to have a box sitting on my nightstand because I binged on them last night. This looks really good. I remember those casserole days. I actually cooked a lot of them... well....maybe a few. I never was much of a cook.
"pea milk"...yes...gag. but enjoyed her comment.
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