During these days of feeling blah, I found myself craving comfort food. My mind kept bringing images of steaming, fresh out of the oven, casseroles to mind.
Casseroles are fabulous for multiple reasons including the following:
Easy to make
Easy to reheat (i.e. great leftovers!)
Tasty
With a plate full of chicken left over from Christmas dinner and a strong craving for casserole, I took it upon myself to find some creative way to use them in a baked dish.
Now, we all know that most classic casseroles consist of noodles, meat (typically turkey or tuna), and a cream sauce (usually cream of mushroom soup). I can't do the cream of mushroom soup and not just because it contains milk. It's handy when you are in a rush and need to churn out a dish quickly, but taste wise it's just not as good as a homemade sauce.
I used this recipe from about.com to make my delicious casserole :)
Non-Dairy Turkey Tetrazzini
Serves approximately: 4-6
Equipment:
Medium sized casserole dish
Skillet
Ingredients:
1/4 cup and 1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup diced white onion
10 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh thyme, extra for garnish
2 cups chopped, cooked turkey (I used chicken)
10 ounces pasta (I used spirals)
3 T. flour
2 1/2 cups soy milk (I used rice milk instead)
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
Nutritional yeast for garnish, if desired
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil the casserole dish and set aside.
In a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, heat the 1 T. olive oil, adding the onion once hot. Stirring occasionally, cook the onions until they are translucent (about 6 minutes). Add the mushrooms, cooking until just soft (about 3 minutes). Stir in the wine and fresh thyme and cook until all of the wine has been absorbed. Stir in the turkey, remove from heat, and cover and until ready to assemble the tetrazzini.
Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until just al dente. Drain, toss with a small amouint of oil, and set aside.
In the same heavy bottomed skillet used to cook the onions, heat hte remaining olive oil over medium heat. Whisking constantly, add the flour and cook until the mixture gives off a slightly toasted aroma (about 1-2 minutes). Stirring constantly, gradually add the soy milk to the pan (the mixture will bubble and fizzle). Add the salt and cook until the mixture is thickened slightly.
In the casserole dish, toss the pasta with the onion-mushroom mixture and half of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over hte casserole, sprinkle with nutritional yeast if desired and bake until browned and bubbly (about 35 minutes). I only baked it for a few minutes, because the pasta was basically read to eat. Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme or parsley if desired.
Possible suggestions for tweaking the recipe:
- Using tuna instead of chicken or turkey
- Using a non-dairy cheese to melt on top of the casserole- Adding more vegetables
Non-Dairy Turkey Tetrazzini
Serves approximately: 4-6
Equipment:
Medium sized casserole dish
Skillet
Ingredients:
1/4 cup and 1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup diced white onion
10 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh thyme, extra for garnish
2 cups chopped, cooked turkey (I used chicken)
10 ounces pasta (I used spirals)
3 T. flour
2 1/2 cups soy milk (I used rice milk instead)
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
Nutritional yeast for garnish, if desired
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil the casserole dish and set aside.
In a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat, heat the 1 T. olive oil, adding the onion once hot. Stirring occasionally, cook the onions until they are translucent (about 6 minutes). Add the mushrooms, cooking until just soft (about 3 minutes). Stir in the wine and fresh thyme and cook until all of the wine has been absorbed. Stir in the turkey, remove from heat, and cover and until ready to assemble the tetrazzini.
Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until just al dente. Drain, toss with a small amouint of oil, and set aside.
In the same heavy bottomed skillet used to cook the onions, heat hte remaining olive oil over medium heat. Whisking constantly, add the flour and cook until the mixture gives off a slightly toasted aroma (about 1-2 minutes). Stirring constantly, gradually add the soy milk to the pan (the mixture will bubble and fizzle). Add the salt and cook until the mixture is thickened slightly.
In the casserole dish, toss the pasta with the onion-mushroom mixture and half of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over hte casserole, sprinkle with nutritional yeast if desired and bake until browned and bubbly (about 35 minutes). I only baked it for a few minutes, because the pasta was basically read to eat. Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme or parsley if desired.
Possible suggestions for tweaking the recipe:
- Using tuna instead of chicken or turkey
- Using a non-dairy cheese to melt on top of the casserole- Adding more vegetables
