Pesto Chicken and Roasted Veggie Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash (medium/large)
• 8 oz. of pesto
• 3 chicken breasts
• marinade: Mojo seasoning (enough to cover the chicken when marinating....around 1-1.5 cups) 
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 2 large tomatoes (or 3-4 Roma/plum tomatoes)
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, Italian blend)
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup almond milk

Steps: 

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Cut spaghetti squash lenthwise, remove the seeds, and bake (face down) for about 35 minutes. 
1. The skin should be soft/caving in when you squeeze it. 
3. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. Grill the breasts and shred. I used a grill pan. 
4. Once the spaghetti squash is baked, roast the veggies (tomato, onion, green pepper). Make sure they are tossed in some olive oil and seasoned with salt and Italian seasonings. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. You don't want them fully roasted. 
5. Add the spaghetti squash, chicken, pesto, and sundried tomato into a lasagna dish and mix well. 
6. Add the eggs and almond milk. Season to taste.
7. Once the roasted veggies have cooled, spread them over the top of the chicken and spaghetti squash mixture. 
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until the edges are browned.  
9. Serve with parmesan cheese. 

Turkey Quinoa Taco Bake

This is SO good! I didn't even have to go to the grocery to make this. Love it when that happens.

Here are the details...

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed
• 1 onion (any kind), diced
• 1 can of chili beans/pinto beans
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of rotel (spicy....if you like spicy!)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (or make your own...google the recipe, you probably have the spices!)
• Shredded cheese (1 cup)
• 2 cups of plain tomato sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• Optional: jalapeños (fresh or pickled) or cilantro to garnish, extra cumin (to taste). 
• For serving: hot sauce, salsa, sour cream 

Steps: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Prepare quinoa according to instructions on packaging. 
3. In a large pan, saute onion with a little bit of EVOO until translucent. 
4. Add the turkey to the pan and cook through until no longer pink.  Add taco seasoning (I use a little extra cumin here).
5. In a large bowl mix:
1. Cooked quinoa
2. Turkey
3. 1/2 cup cheese
4. Canned beans, corn, and tomatoes
6. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, add tomato sauce (a little at a time) until you get a nice thick consistency (you don't want it crumbly and dry). 
7. Taste test and add salt/pepper as needed. I added an extra teaspoon of cumin. 
8. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased pan.
9. Pour lime juice over this and cover with cheese. (Add jalapeño here!)
10. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. 

Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot sauce, salsa and/or sour cream!

Enjoy!

Or you could add jalapeños:

Skinny (kinda) Chicken Parmesan Casserole

I love practicing for a cook-off! Why? Because I try things like THIS:

We're about 4 days out from the annual "Brenner Super Bowl Cook-Off" and I can't get the word 'casserole' out of my mind. Each year, the cooks are challenged to create a "winning" dish within a certain category (past competitions: wings, chili, lasagna). 

I'm pretty sure we have a top contender, but...it is Wednesday and we don't really have plans for dinner. So...what do I do? Get inspired (on Pinterest)! 

Key search word: CASSEROLE. Yep, I found a plethora of ideas...but one stuck. And not necessarily for our entry in the competition, but because I knew I had ALL of the ingredients at home. YAY- dinner plans = done!

Recipe adapted from: THIS SITE

Skinny (kinda) Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into about 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large can of Dei Fratelli tomato sauce

1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

1 to 2 bags of croutons (I used Garlic & Cheese and Salt & Pepper flavors)

Fresh basil (and/or dried basil)

Oregano

Crushed red pepper

Garlic powder (or fresh garlic)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350f.

2. Crush croutons into smaller pieces (I used a rolling pin) in the bag they come in.

3. Place cut chicken, olive oil, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper (EXTRA), and garlic into casserole dish and mix.

4. Top with sauce and bake for 30 minutes (uncovered).

5. Top with: parmesan cheese, half of the mozzarella, crushed croutons, and again, the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

6. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and the crouton bits are golden. (I added crushed red pepper, again, during this step)

This was so good!

Broccoli Casserole

Grandmama's Broccoli Casserole

Prep:

Refrigerated, covered, overnight:

Final Product: (Picture coming soon).