King Ranch Chicken Casserole... A Texas Staple

In Texas, everyone knows of Bob Kleburg and his famous 15 million acre King Ranch located in South Texas. It grew from its early days as a Mexican hacienda to a South Texas Cattle Ranch and ultimately, an international corporate agribusiness. It all began with Richard King, who was a steamboat-captain-turned-South-Texas-cattle-rancher-landowner. This recipe is the perfect reflection of that easy-going ranch lifestyle, reflecting the Mexican influence as well. It is truly the best casserole I make and is served in most Texas homes at one time or another.



Since there are now just the two of us here at home, I usually split this recipe into two or three separate casserole dishes and freeze them for future use. It's such a treat some nights to just toss a casserole dish into the oven and have dinner ready an hour later. Enjoy!




King Ranch Chicken Casserole:




Ingredients:

 

1 whole baked chicken, boned & cut into bite size chunks

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 stick of butter

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup

1 10 oz. can of Rotel chiles & tomatoes

12 soft corn tortillas cut or torn into bite size pieces

1/4 cup of chicken broth

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Place cut up corn tortillas in bottom of casserole dish.

2. Pour a little of the chicken broth over the tortillas.

3. In a large skillet, sauté the onion and bell peppers in the butter until almost transparent.

4. Set aside to cool.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the soups with the Rotel, mixing well.

6. Add the onion & bell pepper mixture, stirring well.

7. In 13 x 9" glass casserole dish, arrange alternate layers of tortillas, soup mixture, and grated cheese, until all ingredients are used.

8. Bake in 350 degree pre-heated oven for 50 minutes or until heated through & bubbly & cheese is browned.

9. May be frozen for future use before or after cooking.

Economical Leftover Spaghetti Sauce Lasagna

Since our children are no longer living at home, we often have large amounts of leftovers after having spaghetti with meat sauce. In my quest to quit waxting so much food, I started saving the leftover sauce and keeping it in the freezer until there is enough to make hearty lasagna. It also saves me from having to go through the whole meat sauce process, which saves me huge amounts of time. If you're in a hurry, you could also use jars of ready made, but I prefer my own sauce. Besides, it is far more economical this way.



Since there are only two of us, I'm always able to make two smaller casseroles of lasagna, which also saves me another night of slaving over a hot stove, grill, or oven. What's not to love about that? So, let's get this show on the road, shall we?



Ingredients:

1/2 box of lasagna noodles, cooked al dente'

5 cups Italian meat sauce (or leftover spaghetti sauce)

1 container (15 ounce) container of ricotta cheese

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup (4 ounce) Parmesan cheese, shredded

Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cook noodles according to box directions, drain, and separate.

3. Heat meat sauce in a large pot, simmering until heated.

4. Spray 13x9 casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray.

5. Spread about 3/4 to 1 cup of meat sauce over the bottom of the pan.

6. Place 2 to 3 lasagna noodles over the meat sauce, overlapping if necessary.

7. Place bits of ricotta all over the noodles.

8. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the entire pan and cover with meat sauce.

9. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, reserving enough mozzarella for topping.

10. Finally, sprinkle shredded Parmesan evenly over the top.

11. Cover casserole in foil so that it doesn't invert, otherwise you'll have cheese sticking to it.

12. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

13. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

14. After removing from oven, allow lasagna to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

15. Serve with garlic toast and tossed salad.