Story & Photos by Anais Keenon
I squint my eyes at the bubbling concoction. Surely the soup-sauce isn’t supposed to be that thick? Is it even supposed to be that color? I turn my head to the peas. Hmm. Peas aren’t supposed to stick together when you pick them up, right? I check the pasta–nope, still too crunchy. Another few minutes on everything, I guess.
This is my second attempt at making the family casserole. It’s not really a secret. In fact, I’m pretty sure households all across America know this same recipe by heart. I’ve heard the benefits of casserole touted by my family so often it’s annoying: “It’s a good way to sneak in your vegetables!” my mother chirps. “It’s an economical way to feed a family of five,” my grandmother informs me. “In my day, we had to walk fifteen miles for a hot meal, and you get a week’s worth of meals straight out of the oven on Sunday,” a grandfather nothing like my real one admonishes.
If you’re one of the lucky college students with access to a kitchen and basic kitchen supplies, the humble casserole should be at the top of your list–especially if you’re busy, poor, or both (like me). The basic premise of a casserole is pretty simple: Cook all the separate components, throw them together in a pan, top with your cheese of choice, and bake. And hey presto, a casserole!
Below is the basic recipe my family uses. Although it may seem complicated, it’s essentially about cooking the components and adding it to a dish to bake off. And by no means is the recipe below that end-all, be-all recipe for casseroles, which means if you’re an adventurous cook, this is a great opportunity to try some pretty wild combinations (tuna and olives, anyone?).
Basic Casserole
Ingredients:
16 ounces ground turkey
4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
Seasonings (I recommend cumin, garlic salt, pepper, and paprika. Taco seasoning works in a pinch.)
Around 5 ounces of medium or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Combined amount should be at least ½ cup of frozen peas and/or corn
2-14 ounces, either whole grain or regular medium pasta shells
2 cans cream of chicken soup
Water
Salt
Heat oven to 375°.
Heat a large skillet to medium-low. Add canola oil, and let it heat up for a few minutes.
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add salt if desired.
Turn heat up to medium on the skillet. Place ground turkey in skillet. Add in desired seasonings. Use a masher to break up meat and mix in seasonings. Let cook until brown, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon (about 10-15 minutes). Once cooked, turn heat down to warm.
While turkey is cooking, pour pasta shells into the large boiling pot of water. Cook until just barely al dente (soft enough to bite into without it being crunchy, but not so soft it’s mushy). Drain water. Set aside for a couple of minutes.
Set a small pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add frozen peas, frozen corn, or both. Cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Drain water.
While peas/corn are cooking, add both cans of soup to the skillet with the ground turkey. Increase the heat to medium-low. Add about one can’s worth of water and stir slowly until everything’s incorporated.
Add pasta and peas to skillet. Stir very slowly until everything is warmed up.
Pour mixture into a 9”x13” glass cooking dish. Top the mixture with cheddar cheese.
Place in oven and cook until cheese is melted (about 5–10 minutes)
Enjoy! (And worry about the dishes later).