Cabbage Roll Casserole With Dilled Sour Cream

                        Cabbage Roll Casserole With Dilled Sour Cream

Cabbage Roll Casserole with Dilled Sour CreamThis comforting dish delivers all the beloved flavors of traditional cabbage rolls with a fraction of the effort. Layers of seasoned ground beef, tender cabbage and rice bake in a rich tomato sauce crowned with melted cheese until golden and bubbly. A vibrant dilly sour cream adds a fresh, creamy finish to this crowd-pleasing casserole.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, divided, plus more for greasing pan and foil

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 lb (455 g) lean ground beef
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tsp (10 mL) paprika
3/4 tsp (4 mL) dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (398 mL) diced tomatoes
1 can or jar (about 680 mL) tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
10 cups (2.5 L) thinly sliced cabbage
3 cups (750 mL) cooked long-grain rice, from 1 cup (250 mL) uncooked rice
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded old white cheddar cheese
1 cup (250 mL) full-fat sour cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped fresh dill, plus more to garnish (optional)
Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in a large, deep skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add ground beef and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, stirring to combine with onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Add paprika, thyme and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Carefully add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in large pot over
medium heat. When hot, add cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.  When meat mixture is done, stir in rice.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly oil a 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33-cm) casserole dish.

Spread half of cabbage over bottom of casserole followed by half meat mixture. Repeat with remaining cabbage and meat. Mix mozzarella and cheddar together in a bowl, then sprinkle over casserole.

Lightly oil a piece of foil then cover casserole, oil side down. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted and starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Meanwhile, mix sour cream, dill and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until combined.

Remove casserole from oven and rest for 10 minutes. Cut into serving sizes and serve a dollop of sour cream on side. Sprinkle with chopped dill, if desired.  Serves 6 to 8

Stuffed Zucchini or Kousa Squash

Stuffed Zucchini Or Kousa Squash

 If you manage to find or grow a kousa squash, use it for this by all means, but this recipe also works well with regular green or yellow zucchini. You can use ground beef or lamb, although the latter is more traditional.

Ingredients
Stuffing
½ cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound lean ground beef or lamb
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon allspice or cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Squash and sauce
2½ pounds medium-size zucchini or Middle Eastern kousa squash 

   (about 8)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon chili flakes
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
2 pounds firm tomatoes, chopped with juice, or a 28-ounce can of 

   chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ cup water, as needed
Greek yogurt, optional, for serving

Directions:
To make the stuffing:
Rinse rice in a colander under running water until clear. Put into a bowl with 2 cups of boiling water. Drain after 10 minutes and set aside. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven on medium heat, then add meat and garlic, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break meat into ¼-inch pieces. Continue until meat is slightly pink but not fully cooked. Reserving drippings in Dutch oven, remove meat with a slotted spoon and place in bowl with rice, adding allspice or cinnamon, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix by hand to combine. Set Dutch oven aside but do not clean.

To make the squash:
Trim off the stem from one of the squash with a knife and cut squash in two crosswise. Insert an apple corer at one end of squash and push through until about ½ inch from end of squash. Pull out core. If it does not come out, use a melon baller to remove squash insides. The goal is to hollow squash until there is about ¼ inch of flesh remaining on all sides of the squash. Repeat with all of the squash.

Loosely place the stuffing by hand into the squash, taking care not to pack the stuffing in. Fill each squash to about ½ inch from its top. Reserve any remaining stuffing to add to the sauce when the squash are cooking, if desired.

Return the Dutch oven to the stovetop and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to meat drippings. Add onions to the pot with salt, chili flakes, and pepper. Top with chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Set stuffed squash upright in pan, tilting them slightly to their side. Cook on medium heat until the sauce begins to simmer. Lower heat, cover, and gently simmer 40 to 50 minutes. Halfway through, turn the squash if needed. Add water as needed to keep sauce a little on the thin side.

Remove from heat and serve squash in a bowl with a ladleful of sauce. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, if desired.

Jailhouse Dirty Rice

                                                         

Jailhouse Rice

The name was intriguing to me!  Jailhouse Rice is a variation of the tradition al Cajun-style dirty rice: packed full of ground beef and sausage so it's extra filling and nourishing, with lots of big meaty flavor. The rice itself is cooked in chicken broth and creamy soups, so it comes out creamy, savory, and absolutely loaded with onion flavor and garlic. Your taste buds will love rocking out to this Jailhouse Rice!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cups celery, finely diced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of onion soup
2 cups long-grain white rice 

raw parsley, optional, to taste, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Add the ground beef, the ground sausage, the salt, the pepper, and the garlic powder to a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, crumbling the meat, until browned, about 5-7 minutes.

Halfway through cooking the meat, add the onion and the celery, cooking them with the meat for the remainder of the cooking time; the vegetables should be cooked until tender.

Whisk together the broth, the celery soup, and the onion soup until smooth.

Pour the soup mixture into the skillet (without draining the skillet) and stir to combine.

Cook until the mixture starts to bubble, about 4-5 minutes. Gently stir in the rice. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with foil.

Bake the mixture until the rice is cooked through, about 1 hour-1 hour 20 minutes.


Transfer the dish from the oven and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove the rice and fluff it with a fork. Serve the rice garnished with the parsley

Lebanese Rice

 

Lebanese Rice

Looking for a special side dish? You can use basmati or any long grain rice and it will cook up just as nicely. The addition of broken vermicelli is optional. The recipe scales up very easily for a big crowd. Also, you can make this dish in advance and reheat it with more broth and another handful of freshly cut scallions. Hold to garnish with pine
nuts until serving.
Ingredients:
For the rice:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
1/4 cup vermicelli, broken into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
Big pinch kosher salt
2 sticks cinnamon
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
For the melange:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch scallions, finely sliced, both white and green parts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium high heat until foamy. Add the vermicelli, if using, and cook until the pasta is deeply toasted. Add the rice and salt, and stir to coat it with the oils. Tuck in the cinnamon sticks, add the broth, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the rice is soft and has fully absorbed the broth, about 20 minutes.

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it is hot, but not smoking. Add as many of the sliced mushrooms as will fit in one layer. Leave them to cook without disturbing them for a few minutes, to encourage browning, then stir and continue cooking until they are nicely browned but still somewhat firm. Push the mushrooms to one side and sauté the remaining mushrooms in this same way if there wasn’t room in the first round. Add more olive oil if the pan gets dry.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and scallions, reserving a small handful of the sliced green scallion for garnish. Cook just until the scallions are starting to wilt. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Stir the rice into the mushroom mixture, discarding the cinnamon sticks. Drizzle with more olive oil, and taste. Add more salt if needed. The rice can now rest, covered, on the stovetop until you are ready to eat (up to several hours). Just warm it over low heat.

Garnish with the raw scallions and pine nuts, and serve immediately.

  

Chicken And Rice Casserole

Chicken and Rice Casserole

It is a quick and easy dish, one to keep the recipe handy!

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken
Salt/Pepper to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 cups white long grain riceuncooked
16 oz bag frozen broccoli floretsthawed
10.5 oz Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
½ cup milk
½ cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese separated
Casserole Topping
1 cup Ritz crackers crushed
2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat until melted. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Remove and set aside. Note: This step is not needed if using a cooked rotisserie chicken.

Add the chicken broth, olive oil, and rice to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

Cover tightly and cook for 7 minutes.

Add the broccoli to the rice and turn off the heat. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes, do not stir.

Add the cooked chicken, soup, milk, sour cream, and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir only to combine.

Add to a lightly greased 9 x 13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.

Cover and bake for 15 minutes.

Melt the butter and crumble up the crackers. Combine to form the topping for the casserole.

Top the casserole with the crumbled cracker topping and bake uncovered for 10 additional minutes.

Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.