Beef Stew Casserole

May 10, 2022 Amanda Plott

Like I’ve said, it’s the end of the school year and quick and easy meals are what I’m about. This Beef Stew Casserole is going to be a new family favorite that I think has to go into general rotation. It’s filling and savory and is so easily put together. So what is Beef Stew Casserole anyway? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like, beef stew in the form of a delicious casserole and doesn’t take hours on hours to make.

Everything you love about beef stew traditionally is here; beef, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion. All the goods. And to make this a casserole, it’s tossed together and baked with some tasty egg noodles! The noodles soak up a lot of the broth goodness as it bakes together and you end up with a delicious pasta dish that the whole family will love…

Lightened Up Lazy Enchiladas

April 28, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s definitely that time of year where Summer is lingering on the horizon and we’ve all got to dig deep to try and push forward through the rest of the school year and into Summer break. Most years, I’m not quite ready for the hot 100 degree days and three months of blistering sunshine, but this year I am all in. I. Can’t. Wait. That being said, I still have things to do!

That’s where quick weeknight meals and easy dinner options come into play, like these Lightened Up Lazy Enchiladas! They are so easy to make and delish too. So what’s a lazy enchilada anyway? Well, there’s no tortillas involved. It’s basically a casserole that you make with tortilla chips, sauce, meat, and veggies. No rolling involved….

Overnight Strawberries & Cream French Toast Bake

April 22, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s been a rough week! But, somehow 'I’m pressing on. This Overnight Strawberries & Cream French Toast Bake is not only easy to put together and delicious, but it’s also lightened up and is the perfect make ahead breakfast for a busy weekend. I’ve made a blueberry version of it before, but I decided to change it up a little bit this time and use up these big giant beautiful sweet strawberries that we have popping up ahead of Summer now.

Which let me just say, Summer cannot come quick enough! The strawberry farm that we like to go to is open right now and I think I’m going to have to make a trip out there to pick some of my own strawberries soon. But… back to he french toast bake!…

Chili Cheese Cornbread Casserole

April 16, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s no secret that I tend to make up a batch of chili and then store the leftovers in the freezer to be used at another time. Chili is perfect for the purposes of reuse. It’s versatile and goes on anything from hotdogs to enchiladas and so much more. This time around I decided to use it up in a new casserole. One that has both the chili AND the cornbread baked together into a delicious all inclusive dish.

This casserole starts out with a simple cornbread on the bottom that’s pretty much baked through before you pile the chili on top along with cheese and bake it for a little longer. The cornbread soaks up some of the liquid of the chili and gives you this tasty casserole that’s more spoon friendly than anything else…

Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna

March 29, 2022 Amanda Plott

I don’t know about you, but we have just two months left until Summer break and I am digging deep to try and muster the energy to get us there. As we’re getting ready for Summer, I’m doing everything I can to make life a bit more easy and low maintenance. This Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna fits the bill for exactly what it says it is: lasagna on the lazy.

So if you’re feeling a hankering for lasagna, but don’t want to fuss with the layers and pots and pans that go along with it, this Instant Pot version is where it’s at! Plus, as usual, I made it just a little bit more healthified along the way too!…

Cowboy Casserole

March 23, 2022 Amanda Plott

What can I say? I love casseroles. I love them any time of day. Recently I had a chicken pot pie, but this time I decided to go with something vegetarian! Yeah, I know. I looks like there’s meat in there, but really there isn’t! I used some vegetarian ground ‘meat’ in this Cowboy Casserole that takes no time at all to come together. There’s veggies, cheese, soup, ground ‘meat’ and then tater tots on top to round it out and keep it light but still hearty and filling.

When I saw the original idea for this Cowboy Casserole, I just knew that I wanted to lighten it up and put a little bit more of a healthified take on it. The first thing I did was to swap out the meat. I also halved the recipe and used a reduced fat version of not only the mushroom soup, but also for the shredded cheese too! As usual, I swap out sour cream with greek yogurt anytime that I can get away with it…