casserole Archives - Makin' it Mo'Betta

Green Chile Chicken Casserole

November 24, 2015 Kim

Have you ever been torn between two similar recipes and couldn’t decide which one to make? That was my dilemma when craving comfort food not long ago. I wanted chicken…but was it going to be or Cream Cheese Enchiladas? I decided to take a little of both recipes and create this Green Chile Chicken Casserole –

It was warm & comforting and everything I love about a casserole! I’ve posted this recipe over at , where I am a contributing writer. I’d love for you to head over there and check it out!

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

November 6, 2015November 21, 2015 Kim

This Pecan Pie Bread Pudding could also be titled Best.Thing.Ever. I know that’s a strong statement to make, but geez…it was pretty darn tasty. If I do say so myself. And I do. Because I have a blog and that’s sort of my job…to let y’all know when something should be put on your “to make” list ASAP. This would make an excellent breakfast/brunch dish for the holidays too. Just sayin’. Since it’s already NOVEMBER! (Don’t ask me how that happened already!)

I’m calling this breakfast, but slap some vanilla ice cream on that bad boy and it could become dessert. I think I ate it for every meal until I gave the last two pieces to my parents so they could experience it’s awesomeness. And the fact that I couldn’t button my jeans. Calorie friendly it is not.

It’s like pecan pie and French toast casserole got together and had a baby. A sweet, delicious, nutty baby.

This is what dreams are made of right here.

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

Ingredients

8 cups bread, torn into bite-size pieces (I used Challah, could also use Italian, French, King’s Hawaiian, etc.)
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white (granulated) sugar
1 teaspoon maple or vanilla extract (I used ½ teaspoon of each)
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
Pour your bread pieces into the baking dish. It will be very full, gently press it down into pan.
Drizzle melted butter over bread.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, corn syrup, sugars, extract(s), salt (if using) and cinnamon.
Stir pecans into sugar mixture, then pour over bread. Gently press the bread down into the pan so everything is coated.
Bake for 40-45 minutes.

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Recipe Source:

Once done, you can use the parchment paper to lift the casserole out for easy cutting. Enjoy!

This recipe is featured at & !

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Copycat Sausage McGriddle Casserole & Krusteaz GIVEAWAY {#ad}

September 23, 2015November 6, 2015 Kim

I received a gift pack from Krusteaz to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are my own.

This post is full of good things: breakfast food; an easy, kid-approved recipe; and a giveaway! My love for breakfast food is pretty well documented here on the blog. As is my love for casseroles, and breakfast for dinner…which makes an appearance pretty regularly around here. That’s why I am happy to partner with to celebrate National Breakfast Month, and give you some ideas to incorporate Breakfast Night at your house. How about tonight?!

My kids love pancakes. I love sausage and eggs. Since my oldest daughter’s favorite fast food breakfast item is the Sausage McGriddle (from Mickey D’s), this recipe was born. It could be called Breakfast Lasagna because of the layers, or Pancake Casserole, but whatever you call it, give it a try. It’s easy, it’s yummy, it’s filling and it’s just…fun. A little twist on dinner that brings everyone together at the table. Or, you know, you could serve it for breakfast too!

I made my pancakes with Krusteaz pancake mix ahead of time and stuck them in the fridge to make the prep for this even easier.

I was surprised how tasty it was when all layered and baked together.

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Pancake Casserole

12-15 pancakes (depends on size)

8 eggs

1 lb sausage (maple sausage, turkey sausage, or favorite)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

maple syrup (optional)

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
In a large skillet, cook sausage on medium high heat until done, crumbling/breaking into pieces as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium.
In a bowl, scramble eggs, season with salt and pepper. Add to skillet with sausage. Stir eggs in with sausage and cook until eggs are set.
Add pancakes in a single layer to bottom of baking dish. Make sure pancakes are touching or slightly overlapping. I used 5 pancakes for this.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over pancakes.
Add 1/2 the sausage/egg mixture to the pan.
Top with additional 1/4 cup cheese.
Drizzle with syrup, if desired. (Using the maple sausage and/or using maple syrup gives this a more authentic McGriddle flavor. Could also add syrup to pancake mix when preparing.)
Repeat layers, starting with pancakes.
Top with final layer of pancakes.
Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Slice and serve!

So many Krusteaz products to help make breakfast easy!

Giveaway details:

One prize pack (not pictured) will be awarded to a Makin’ it Mo’Betta reader. It will include:

One box of Buttermilk Pancake Mix
One box of Belgian Waffle Mix
One box of Blueberry Pancake Mix
One Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix
A pancake pen (for pancake art!)
A spatula and
A coupon for FREE product

Enter via the Rafflecopter form!

Italian Sausage Sub Casserole

July 7, 2015November 6, 2015 Kim

It’s pretty well established over here that I love a casserole. This has been one of my faves as of late, since I love Italian sausage.

This Italian Sausage Sub Casserole may not look pretty, but it’s tasty and pretty quick to throw together. I’ve shared the recipe over at today, where I am a contributing writer. Please head over and check it out!

Happy Cinco de Mayo 2015

May 5, 2015November 7, 2015 Kim

In honor of Cinco de Mayo or as I like to call it…May 5th…I thought I would highlight an oldie but goody. I’m pretty sure it’s about as far from authentic Mexican fare as you can get, but hey, it features crack Doritos, making it popular with the kiddoes.

Doritos Locos Taco Casserole

Since I will be running kids around to softball practices, someone enjoy a margarita for me please!

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

April 30, 2015November 7, 2015 Kim

If you want to make a good meal better, add cream cheese. It makes baked spaghetti creamy and fabulous, turns regular crock-pot beef into something my family will actually eat, and it transformed chicken enchiladas from something my kids wouldn’t touch into a meal they want on a regular basis. I think this would be the perfect meal for Cinco de Mayo! Followed by Margarita Cake for dessert:-)

Unfortunately, my pics are terrible. We have the worst artificial lighting in our house and it was one of those super gray, dreary days when I made these. But, y’all know I’m no fancy pants food blogger. Just keepin’ it real. Hey, at least I didn’t use paper plates.

It’s been pretty well established here how picky my kids are. None of the three will eat enchiladas because of the red sauce. When a friend mentioned she was making chicken enchiladas with a white sauce, I thought ‘hmmm…that just might work’. The girls love Alfredo sauce, so I thought they might give this a try. They also love the white cheese dip you can get a Mexican restaurants. Once they tried these, they loved it and requested I make it on a regular basis. Super picky Mr. Three had a tortilla filled with cheese only, but he liked the sauce too.

Oh yeah, and no “cream of” anything. Just good ol’ fattening ingredients like cream cheese, butter and flour tortillas. I used low-carb tortillas, making these pretty low carb overall, which is good for the diabetic hubby.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

6-10 flour tortillas (depending on size you choose) I use low-carb
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (crock-pot is great for this)

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese; divided (reduced fat is ok)

2 cups Mexican Blend or preferred cheese, shredded; divided

salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chillies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, stir together your chicken, 3 ounces of the cream cheese (my package was marked, but if yours is not, just a little less than half the brick is fine), and one cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper. *I recommend going light on the salt because broth is full of sodium and you may have salt in the butter as well.
Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas and roll them up. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish.
In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook one minute while stirring. Whisk in broth until smooth, and heat until mixture is thick and bubbly.
Add remaining cream cheese and stir until melted.
Stir in green chilies. Remove from heat and pour over chicken enchiladas.
Top with remaining cheese and bake for approx. 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbling around the sides. (If desired, place under broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese…I skipped this part as we were hungry!)
Let cool for a few minutes for sauce to thicken.

Recipe adapted from

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Chicken & Biscuits Casserole {Quick and Easy Meal}

March 18, 2015November 7, 2015 Kim

This Chicken & Biscuits Casserole is another quick and easy meal to get on the table, that is approved by 2 out of 3 (of my) children. It’s pretty much the ultimate comfort food, with creamy sauce, biscuits, cheese…oh yeah, and some chicken too. Some people even get crazy and throw a vegetable in there. Which totally would not fly in my house.

This can be thrown together really quickly if you have pre-cooked or leftover chicken (or turkey), use refrigerated biscuits, and condensed cream of chicken soup. However, you could certainly use homemade biscuits, make your own cream of chicken, etc. I went with the super quick and easy version since as I mentioned in my last post…kids have practice in the evenings and dinner has to be FAST.

I used the large Pillsbury Grands biscuits, but next time I will use the smaller biscuits, just to make serving easier; or cut them in half before baking. I quartered and baked the remaining biscuits in the can because my crowd loves a biscuit, but you could buy the smaller container of biscuits. You can always do this with the leftovers too.

Chicken and Biscuits Casserole

1 can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (I used the reduced fat version)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

2 cups chicken, cooked and cut into bite size pieces

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 can of biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands Reduced Fat)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the cream of chicken and yogurt (or sour cream) together.
Add chicken, milk and melted butter to the cream base. Stir until combined.
Pour into prepared baking dish and top with cheese.
Flatten your biscuits (only 4 of the Grands biscuits would fit) and place on top of the cheese.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until biscuits are nice and browned on top, and sauce is bubbly.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so before serving (the sauce will thicken some as it sits)

Recipe adapted from:

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Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole

January 27, 2015November 12, 2015 Kim

What?! Another breakfast casserole? Yep. Another one. I can’t help myself. I love breakfast food, and I love casseroles, so when I see a new recipe…well…I just have to make it. Not to mention I had bought this ginormous box of Eggo Waffles from Sam’s Club (because they were on their “instant savings” and I’m such a sucker for a sale), thinking the kids would eat them up…and yes, you see where this is going. I have a bunch of waffles in my freezer.

This is a very good way to use up those frozen waffles! I love the slightly sweet maple flavor in this casserole, paired with the sausage, and I liked the texture of the waffles. This is more ‘bread-y’ than some of my other breakfast casseroles, but I liked it. My kids….one out of three. One of them doesn’t like any egg-based casserole (it’s a texture thing) and my youngest will not eat sausage or eggs…he had plain waffles. For dinner. Don’t judge.

Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole

8 frozen Eggo waffles, slightly thawed and cut into bite-sized cubes
1 pound (16 ounces) sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used homemade turkey sausage; can also use maple sausage for more maple flavor in the casserole)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 large eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used this Quick and Easy Pancake Syrup)
salt and pepper, to taste

Spray an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add half of the cubed waffles in a single layer.
Top waffles with half the sausage and half of the cheese.
Repeat layers: waffles, sausage, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, syrup, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the layered ingredients in casserole.
Cover casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Bake at 325 degrees 45 to 50 minutes. (If using a glass baking pan, place cold dish into cold oven and then turn oven on 325. This allows the glass dish to warm up slowly and avoid possible shattering.)

Recipe Source: , originally from

*In my opinion, this was better after it had a chance to cool, and the next day as well. The waffles had a better texture…I’m funny about textures…and I wonder where my kids get it from!

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Sausage & Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

December 10, 2014November 13, 2015 Kim

I love a breakfast casserole. Actually, I love a casserole, period! What can I say…they are easy, and I like to have all my food mushed together so I get all the flavors in one bite. That sounds weird doesn’t it? Well, no weirder than my brother, who as a child refused to let any of his food touch. Too the point he had to have a plate with dividers, and he would even take apart sandwiches and eat them one piece at a time. Now that’s weird. You’re welcome little brother.

This one is a little different from my other breakfast casseroles on the blog in that it has hashbrowns. I do love a potato. It also has homemade turkey sausage, but you can use any sausage or meat you like.

This would be great for a breakfast or brunch, and feeds several so it may come in handy over the holidays. You can also easily adapt it to suit your family’s taste buds.

Sausage and Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

1 pound sausage (I used turkey breakfast sausage)

1/2 cup chopped veggies (optional – I used some very finely chopped onion and green pepper, because my kids are super picky, and only about a 1/4 cup)

1/2 bag of shredded hashbrown potatoes (approx 3 cups), thawed

pinch of salt

8 eggs

1 cup milk

2 cups cheese

seasonings – fresh ground pepper, parsley, etc. (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In an oven proof skillet*, cook sausage on stove top over medium high heat, breaking up sausage as it cooks. Add vegetables in (if using) when sausage is about half way cooked. (Drain fat if needed).
Remove from heat and sprinkle potatoes over the meat.
Add a pinch of salt over potatoes.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and desired seasonings.
Pour eggs over potatoes in skillet.
Top with cheese.
Place skillet in over and bake for approx 45 minutes or until eggs are set.

*I used a 10-inch cast iron pan.

Recipe Source: Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Other crowd-pleasing breakfast casseroles:

Make Ahead Awesome Breakfast Casserole

Biscuit Breakfast Casserole

Ham and Cheese Biscuit Pull-Apart Casserole

This recipe was featured at:

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Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

November 6, 2014November 13, 2015 Kim

I have two words to convince you to make this…streusel topping. Is not everything better with a streusel topping? Well, almost everything.

This is probably the best French toast casserole I have made so far…and I’ve made several. It is very similar in taste to my Easy Baked French Toast with Streusel Topping but this has the added benefit of pumpkin…which is a vegetable, making this healthy *wink wink*. I really liked the texture as it wasn’t ‘soggy’ like bread pudding and as I said, the streusel topping just takes it over the top. It makes a nice, sweet, cinnamon-y crunchy topping.

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

6 1/2 cups stale French bread, cut into approx. 1″ cubes
5 eggs
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
1 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (or fresh, but not canned pumpkin pie filling)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup butter, cold
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease or spray an 8×8 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, milk, pumpkin, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
Add bread cubes and gently stir to combine.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. Cut in butter until crumbly.
Add bread mixture into prepared pan, gently pressing down with a spatula.
Sprinkle streusel over the top.
Bake for approx. 45 minutes or until topping is nice and brown and the center is puffed, indicating the middle is center is cooked. The casserole will deflate a little as it cools.
Let casserole sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Can be served plain or with your favorite syrup (or this quick and easy version if you suddenly realize you’re all out!)

Recipe adapted from

The original recipe (link above) said to use softened butter for the streusel. I do not recommend that because the streusel becomes a gooey, sticky blob of cinnamon butter. Ask me how I know this. I had to carefully try to spread it over the bread cubes. The end result was delicious, but I think you will get a better crumbly, traditional streusel by cutting in cold butter.

Also, if you need an egg-free version, both of these are pretty good! Egg-Free French Toast Casserole and Egg Free Baked Pumpkin French Toast.

This recipe was featured at:

Thank you ladies!

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