Quick Cabbage Roll Casserole & Shepherd's Pie
Quick and Easy Makeovers of Favourite Dishes: Ham Scallop
Nov 13, 2008
There is nothing quite as nice as walking into a house that has the smell of home wafting from the kitchen. In Mom's day producing these wonderful smells took half a day at least and left Mom with a sink full of dishes and that tired feeling. Today it is possible to have those wonderful smells coming out of your kitchen in 30 minutes. These familiar makeovers are quick and easy and your teenager can cook them up after school so that when you walk in from a day of work the evening meal is taken care of. If you can convince them to of course. Instant meals may not always be just what you really want but they can save the day when you are just too tired to cook or care.
I have given brand names that have a proven record for taste and quality. You can use your favourite brands instead. It shouldn't make any difference in the outcome of the recipes.
Cabbage rolls are a great favourite but are time consuming. This is an easy, fairly quick way to get the flavour of cabbage rolls without the extra work of separating, steaming and rolling the cabbage leaves. Using salsa instead of plain sauce means you also don't have to chop onions or peppers. If hot and spicy is more to your liking you can substitute the mild salsa for one that you prefer.
Unrolled Cabbage Rolls
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 cup. Minute Rice (uncooked)
- 3 cups of mild salsa
- 1 cup of water
- 2 lbs. coarsely chopped cabbage
Brown the beef in a skillet and then drain the fat. While the beef is browning chop the cabbage put half of it in a 9 X 13 pan. Mix the rice, water and salsa in with the beef. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the cabbage, put another layer of chopped cabbage over the meat mix and spoon the last half of the meat mix over the chopped cabbage. Cover with lid or with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees F.
This is great served with sour cream on the side.
Shepherd's Pie is another comfort food that takes awhile to make. Cut the time in half by using boxed mashed potatoes. Instant potatoes have always gotten a bad rap and years ago they were pretty awful. The instant potatoes out today are tasty, easy and while not as nutritious as real ones they were "real" ones to start with and an occasional meal with instant potatoes is perfectly fine.
Shepherd's Pie
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 1 can of niblet corn
- 1 can of creamed corn
- 1 box of Betty Crocker Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Brown the ground beef and onions in a bit of olive oil until the onions are transparent. Drain if necessary. Put into a 10 X 10 baking dish or 2 litre casserole dish. Pour the creamed corn over the beef and top the creamed corn with the niblet corn. Make the box of potatoes per package directions. Spread the potatoes evenly over the corn. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until the juice is bubbling around the edge of the potatoes. About 25 minutes.
One more quick and easy casserole from the old days that can be made easier in the present is Ham Scallop. Once upon a time you had to cook the ham first then next day cut it up, peel and cut the potatoes, make the white sauce, put it all together and cook it. Now days the whole process takes 15 minutes to prepare and 30 to cook.
Ham Scallop
- 1 small (about 1 1/2 pounds) cooked ham cut into bit-size pieces
- 2 boxes of Betty Crocker or Dr. Oetker brand instant Scalloped Potatoes
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
In a greased casserole dish, make up the scallop potatoes as per directions. Add the ham and the onions and mix. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
