Beef and Veggie Casserole

As I have mentioned before, I love discovering recipes that use ingredients that I always have in my pantry and this fits the bill perfectly! Sometimes you just want a hearty, satisfying, all-in-one meal. This is very similar to shepherd's pie, only you used sliced potatoes instead of mashed potatoes. I made it recently and it was a huge hit! Hope you enjoy.


Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can vegetable beef soup
1 can English peas
1 can peas and carrots
1 small can corn
2 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat.
Add onions, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until onions are tender.
Pour ground beef into a mixing bowl and add soups, canned veggies, and sliced potatoes.
Stir all ingredients together and add a little bit more salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into 11 x 7 casserole dish. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender*.

*When I made this it took longer than an hour for the potatoes to get done. The next time I make it I plan to blanch them just slightly before adding them to the mixture in an effort to help them cook more quickly in the oven.

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup

We have been dealing with sickness in our house during this cold and flu season and this recipe has quickly become a favorite! It is unbelievably simple to make but tastes like you spent hours preparing it. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

40-oz. chicken broth
2 12.5-oz. cans chicken breast, shredded*
24-oz. frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans whole kernel corn**
2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. butter
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. flour
1 c. water

* Some of you may prefer to boil or bake chicken yourself to use for this recipe and that is totally fine, but the canned chicken breast is very tasty in this and SO much easier!
** There is corn in the frozen mixed vegetables but my husband and I both REALLY love corn so I always add the two extra cans. If your family isn't as big on corn you can certainly substitute canned peas, carrots, or green beans, whichever you like best.

Directions:

1. Melt butter in soup pot over medium high heat.
2. Pour in chicken broth and veggies (frozen and canned). Bring to just a boil and then reduce heat to simmer until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add heavy cream, shredded chicken breast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well and continue to simmer.
4. Stir one tablespoon of flour into one cup of water and then add this mixture to your soup. This will work as a thickening agent for the soup.
5. Simmer for about 15 minutes more, stirring from time to time. You can let this simmer longer if you like but 15 minutes is perfectly fine.


That's it! I told you it was super-simple :). Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!