I need your recipes.

March 2, 2007 9:38 AM

Feedmyfamilyforaweekfilter: Now that we finished the lasagna, what other full meal sorts of dishes can I make in my big glass lasagna pan?

I made a giant pan of lasagna early this week that was great fresh out of the oven and made great leftovers. I brought the last piece to work for my lunch today. I'm looking for ideas for other things I can make that will be good like that. Being a good Midwesterner, I am naturally acquainted with the full array of tater tot + cream of mushroom ensembles and no longer find them particularly exciting. So, anyone have any cool ideas to share? Things with protein and vegetables and complex carbohydrates and not too much grease would be best, and meat and dairy are yummy and fine!

posted by thirteenkiller to Food & Drink (39 answers total)

mac n cheese
posted by spicynuts at 9:43 AM on March 2, 2007

I usually will take chicken drums (legs) with the bone, fill them in the Plexiglas dish by laying them side by side; as they would come in the package. Cover them with eaqual parts soy sauce and honey and then put some sesame seeds on top if you have them. Bake until done. Amazing and simple. I usually serve this with rice and a salad.
posted by thetenthstory at 9:46 AM on March 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

A giant pan of chicken parmagiana maybe?
posted by contessa at 9:47 AM on March 2, 2007

Start thinking desserts. Apple crisp, yum!
posted by Roger Dodger at 9:52 AM on March 2, 2007

Shepherd's Pie.
posted by amro at 9:55 AM on March 2, 2007

I just made a delicious and cheap Tuna Lasagne! Just creatively layered Cream of Musroom Soup, Milk, Cheddar Cheese, Frozen Peas, Tunafish, Celery, Onions and some bread crumb topping!

Also delish: Chile Relleno Casserole, Moussaka
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:55 AM on March 2, 2007

Baked Ziti.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:57 AM on March 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

Any variation on a strada--there's a breakfast strada recipe in Joy of Cooking that's crazy-good any time of day. I've done a variation on it with leftover grilled vegetables in a casserole: layer toasted, buttered slices of french/italian/whatever bread in the dish with sliced grilled or broiled veggies (peppers, onions, squash, mushrooms), and a good amount of your favorite grated cheese, then bake until crusty on top. I've never added egg, a la breakfast strada, but that would probably only make it tastier.

Excellent question!
posted by paleography at 10:03 AM on March 2, 2007

This list should help you find plenty of casseroles to fill that pan.
posted by necessitas at 10:07 AM on March 2, 2007

I also make a Chile Relleno casserole, it's easy and relatively quick (I use ground turkey or Morningstar Veggie Crumbles instead of beef, but either way it helps greatly to add a packet of taco or burrito seasoning to the meat). Oh, and I add some jalapeno to give it a kick.
posted by malocchio at 10:13 AM on March 2, 2007

How about a polenta lasagna? Instead of lasagna noodles, just substitute layers of polenta. Use either the kind you make yourself or, if that's intimidating, the pre-cooked rolls that you can cut into thin slices and lay out in the pan. Great with a standard or creamy tomato sauce, zucchini and spinach (yummiest if you sautee them with garlic before adding them), and your cheese of choice.

And - to take the dessert cue from Rodge Dodger - peach cobbler.
posted by bassjump at 10:17 AM on March 2, 2007

This is really yummy and good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Chilaquiles

12 corn tortillas
1 can diced Rotel
1 can Herdez salsa casera (red)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 lb. cheddar jack cheese, shredded
1 pint sour cream
1 chicken, cooked, then sauteed with a little oil and cumin

Tear or cut tortillas into triangles. Lightly fry and let drain. Layer tortillas, then cheese, then tomato mixture, then meat. Make 3 layers. Top with cheese and a thin layer of sour cream. Bake at 350 for approx 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Spread more sour cream over the top. You can also top with green onions.
posted by Addlepated at 10:22 AM on March 2, 2007

We just got our glass pan for lasgne and said, now what?

I made Spinach Bake. It was amazing. It's more filling than you think. I added mushrooms and a touch more garlic. EatTheWeak said that it aged really well.

I also wanted to learn the secrets behind baked pasta. Lo and behold, the secret is make noodles (i chose penne, i think), make sauce (2 cans of paste, 2 cans of diced seemed to do it for me. as always, i added a little brown sugar with the spices), then add sauce and noodles to the pan, cover with cheese, and bake. i added breadcrumbs as i had them leftover from the spinach bake.
posted by nadawi at 10:22 AM on March 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

man. lasagne, not lasgne.

and the pasta bake was 375 for about 30 minutes.
posted by nadawi at 10:23 AM on March 2, 2007

Seconding enchiladas. Lasagna and enchiladas are The Things I Make in My Big Glass Pan. Like lasagna, enchiladas are "omg-shove-them-in-mouth-now" good both fresh out of the oven and reheated. And like lasagna, you can put pretty much whatever you feel like inside. I like a mix of beans and ground beef. I just use the canned old el paso enchilada sauce, I think it's delicious, but I've been known to make sauce from scratch as well. Enchiladas are also one of my "just tastes better when I make it myself" dishes.
posted by lampoil at 10:25 AM on March 2, 2007

Response by poster: Oh man! These are gonna be good!
posted by thirteenkiller at 10:25 AM on March 2, 2007

Just last night, I made the following meal. I'm not quite sure what to call it.

I cooked up some refried beans, textured vegetable protein, and mushrooms & unions with lots of chili powder. I mixed some solid beans and tomatoes in with the refried beans.

In a bowl, I mixed up some firm tofu and green chiles with mozzarella, an egg and a tablespoon of flour. When all of these were ready, I heated up some enchilada sauce.

I spread the sauce on the bottom of the pan. I filled up four big flour tortillas with the tofu mixture, beans and TVP, sealing them with enchilada sauce and flattening them in the pan, like a layer of lasagna. Cheese, TVP, sauce and the mushroom mixture went on top of this, followed by another layer of filled and flattened tortillas. Sauce and cheese went on top of it all, and I baked it on 400 for about half an hour.

It was mighty tasty, and the tofu/beans/TVP combination filled us up in a hurry. My girlfriend and I had one serving each, so now we've got a big pan of this stuff to get us through the week!
posted by EatTheWeek at 10:26 AM on March 2, 2007

unions = onions

serves me right for skipping preview.
posted by EatTheWeek at 10:27 AM on March 2, 2007

Roasted Veggies. Toss roughly 1" dice potatoes, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, or whatevery you've got in there with onion wedges. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, spices of your choice (I like rosemary) and stir everything to coat. Put in 450F oven for a half hour, add a bunch of peeled whole garlic, shake the pan, cook it another half hour or until everything is done.

We've also tossed a 1 lb. pork roast in there with the veggies. I see no reason you couldn't add chicken peices or something of that sort, but you will surely want to trim fat/skin off meat first. You should also take special care to rub some spices into the meat, and test for doneness with a thermometer.
posted by ilsa at 10:39 AM on March 2, 2007

Moussaka.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:40 AM on March 2, 2007

A pot pie. Fill the dish with cooked meat and/or veg, top with whatever topping you prefer (cornbread, puff pastry, etc), toss in oven. Deeeeee-lish. Email me if you want a nice recipe.
posted by jtron at 10:48 AM on March 2, 2007

Ina Garten's Chicken Pot Pie. It's to die for. I sometimes use phyllo instead of making my own pastry. Cut down on the salt if you use store-bought stock.
posted by LoriFLA at 10:55 AM on March 2, 2007

There are a ton of recipes here:
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm

if you're looking to really cut costs look at these:
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm
posted by xammerboy at 10:58 AM on March 2, 2007

Very Easy Chicken
1 cut up chicken
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (mushroom and garlic soup for extra flavor)
1 container of sliced mushrooms
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2-6 slices cooked, crumbled bacon (or pancetta)

1. Place chicken in baking dish.
2. Mix soup and mushrooms, pour over chicken.
3. Back at 350F degrees for 1 hour.
4. Place cheese and bacon on top, bake for another half hour or until chicken is done.

Serve with rice, pour pan juices over everything in sight.
posted by GarageWine at 11:01 AM on March 2, 2007

I cross lasagna with enchilades and make a Tex-Mex lasagna. I brown some chicken, then mix it with a can of Mexican seasoned Tomatoes, black beans, and salsa. Layer burrito sized tortillas, the chicken mixture and cheese then bake.
posted by saffry at 11:27 AM on March 2, 2007

Finnish Cabbage Rolls! These are good both hot and cold, and they last about a week or so in the fridge. I usually make them with a mix of ground turkey and buffalo, but any ground meat will do. I also like to put in an equal amount of mushrooms with the meat. It gives it a nice rich flavor. You can also throw in some chopped greens (like spinach or kale) if you want a more well-rounded meal... but I usually just serve them with a salad.

Cabbage rolls are one of my all-time favorite meals. There's something really comforting about them, especially in leftover form.
posted by vorfeed at 11:31 AM on March 2, 2007

Eggplant Parmesan!
posted by elkerette at 11:34 AM on March 2, 2007

Fish pie. I like this recipe with some cheese added to the sauce.
Apple crumble is also really easy to make, keeps well and is delicious.
posted by Jakey at 11:36 AM on March 2, 2007

Johnny Marzetti

Also, if you have some people coming over, you can make a great dip. Open a large can of refried beans and spread it on the bottom of the dish with a spatula. Then brown up a pound or two of ground beef with taco spices. Spread the beef on top of the beans. Spread a can of diced tomatoes (Rotel tomatoes with chilies is the best) on top of that. Sprinkle with black or green olives. Then dump a whole bunch of shredded cheese on top and add some pickled jalapeno. I usually bake it at 350 for about a half hour. Serve it with chips. The best part is the next day you can wrap up the leftovers in tortillas for lunch.
posted by Otis at 11:46 AM on March 2, 2007

The Moosewood Cookbook's Carrot Mushroom Loaf is sooo yummy. I know it sounds weird, but give it a try. I always make a huge pan and then freeze the leftovers in single-serving sized gladware containers for future lunches. It reheats really well. You could probably even double the recipe if you've got a really big pan. (I find that the recipe calls for too much salt, so try cutting it in half.)
posted by vytae at 11:49 AM on March 2, 2007

Spanakopita, Moussaka and Pastitsio (Opa! Hellas in the house!)

The New York Times Cookbook (1st ed.) has excellent recipes for the first two; check out The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China, Greece and Rome for a pretty good take on the third.
posted by Opposite George at 11:55 AM on March 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

Tuna ala king - mix tuna and fresh green peas and onions, cover with white sauce, cover that with a biscuit-mix topping to form a crust, bake.

Will transport you to the 1950s. In a good way.

Can substitute chicken or turkey for the tuna.
posted by cda at 12:24 PM on March 2, 2007

Here are some yummy casserole-y things I've made from EatingWell magazine:

Squash and Leek Lasagna
Mediterranean Baked Penne
Polenta and Vegetable Bake

And here's something that I didn't actually like that much, but my family really loved (and they aren't the type to just be polite):

Shrimp Chili Cornbread Casserole

It has good reviews on the website, too, so maybe I'm missing something.
posted by amarynth at 3:37 PM on March 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

The older Moosewood cookbooks are filled with casserole-type recipes which would probably fit your requirements.
posted by janell at 3:58 PM on March 2, 2007

French toast casserole is a slamdunk for breakfast. Amaze your out of town guests, hush your whiny kiddies, and the bonus is you must make it the night before, so no rushing around with morning brain fog. This recipe is from the good folks at the food network website.

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.
posted by SMELLSLIKEFUN at 4:50 PM on March 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

You can make an awesome fritatta in a big flat dish like that. It's not the traditional size/shape, but works really well as long as you don't overfill the dish. And big squares of left over fritatta taste great the next day. There are all kinds of recipes and ways of making this kind of thing, search allrecipes.com or similar.
posted by shelleycat at 7:24 PM on March 2, 2007

Not quick to make, but if you want your family or dinner guests to kiss your feet afterwards, omg! - try this:

Eggplant Gratin (from Richard Olney)

1 1/2 pounds eggplant (preferably, small, elongated variety), sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices (or, if large, sliced crosswise)

Olive oil for frying

Stewed tomatoes:

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt, small pinch cayenne

Cheese Custard:

4 ounces ricotta or other fresh white cheese
1 egg
Salt, pepper
About 1/2-cup freshly grated Parmesan
About 1/2-cup heavy cream

Pepper
Handful fresh basil leaves and flowers
About 1/2-cup freshly grated Parmesan

Cook the eggplant slices in hot olive oil until golden brown on both sides and tender at all point. Drain on paper toweling (for this quantity, the slices will probably have to be fried in three batches, additional oil being added to the pan for each).

Cook the onion in olive oil for some 15 minutes until soft and yellowed, but not colored. Add the garlic and the tomatoes, season, turn the flame high, tossing several times, until well heated, then simmer gently - for 16 minutes or so - until the tomatoes' liquid is almost completely reduced. Taste for salt.

Mash the white-cheese with a fork, mixing in the egg - first stirring, then beating. Season and stir in enough Parmesan to bring the mixture to the consistency of a thick paste, then stir in cream until a heavy but easily poured creamy consistency is achieved. Taste for salt.

Line the bottom of a gratin dish or shallow baking dish with half of the eggplant slices, grind over a bit of pepper, tear the basil leaves into tiny pieces, sprinkling the surface evenly with leaves and flowers, sprinkle lightly with cheese, and spoon the tomato mixture evenly over the surface. Gently press the remaining eggplant slices into place and spoon the cheese-custard mixture regularly over the entire surface. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan and put into a fairly hot oven (425 to 450 degrees), turning it down after some 10 minutes to about 375 degrees, counting approximately 25 minutes or until the surface has swelled, no depression remaining in the center, and it is uniformly colored a rich golden brown.

The only problem with this recipe is that it doesn't last as long as it should because it's too delicious. :)
posted by taz at 11:08 PM on March 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

Lamb shanks with vegetables.

Affordable, delish and good over several days on its own or served over rice or noodles.

4 meaty lamb shanks (4 lbs.)

The night before put the lamb shanks in a ziploc back with a fistful of sugar, another one of salt and fill the bag with water. Put the bag in the fridge and let the meat soak, this is a cheap and effective tenderizer. It's called brining the meat.

When ready to cook the lamb rinse it under water to get the brining solution off.

6 cloves garlic, chopped (or whatever garlic you like, I like it garlicky)
2 big onions, chopped any way
2 carrots sliced
a parsnip cliced
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive or salad oil
2 tsp. chicken bouillon powder
a teaspoon italian seasoning
a couple of bay leaves
a tablespoon parsley
3/4 c. any wine (I prefer white)


(You can add any other vegetables too: celery, potatoes, turnips, cabbage, a spoon of spaghetti sauce if you like a bit of tomato flavor etc)

In frying pan brown the lamb shanks in the butter/oil and chicken bouillon powder.

Then add the onions & garlic until onions are somewhat transparent. (about 7 minutes)

Then put what's in the frying pan into the casserole.

Add parsley, the other vegetables, spices and wine.
Cover.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

If you want truly falling off the bone soft and tender lamb, after the 1 hour turn the stove down to 225 degrees and let the casserole sit in there at low heat for another two hours.

The lamb will be very juicy and tender and the vegetables yummy.
posted by nickyskye at 3:06 PM on March 3, 2007

Coconut chicken and rice. Easy enough to make during the week, impressive enough to serve to guests. It can be halved, and can also be made a day ahead. I like to make a mango salad to go with it.
posted by CiaoMela at 6:58 AM on March 5, 2007