Mushroom Casserole - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

What is the key to making a good casserole? ›

How do you make Green Bean Casserole from scratch without using any canned soup or cream-of mushroom? Use a simple bechamel sauce, maybe a bit thinner than you otherwise would. If you're so inclined, slice some of your favorite mushrooms in it.

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

There was not time to wait, I had to replenish, so here I am dedicating my whole day to a full freezer of tasty mushrooms. Green leafy vegetables like spinach are perfect to prepare that way as well and freeze-up for later. It's a great way to cook those vegetables only once and enjoy them for the months to come.

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

Adding extra cream can thicken a creamy or blended soup like this wild mushroom-soup, but stirring in a spoonful of thick yogurt can be more effective. Be careful not to boil the soup once you've added the cream or yogurt or it may split.

Milk + cornstarch

To replace one cup of heavy cream, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch into 1 cup milk, whisking well to break up any clumps. Cornstarch requires heat to thicken, so add the slurry to soups and sauces and simmer for at least 1 minute to activate the cornstarch.

There is little difference between a casserole and a stew. A purist would say that a casserole goes in the oven, heating the dish from all directions, while a stew goes on the stovetop and is heated from the bottom. Another point of difference is a casserole is the name of the pot used for cooking.

Why put foil on casserole dish? ›

It protects your food from drying out or burning and helps keep in the heat and moisture, ensuring a perfectly cooked meal. Loosely covering your dish with foil can prevent uneven browning while baking. However, tightly sealing your bakeware with foil is the way to go for more steam.

Macaroni and cheese is the oldest written casserole recipe found in 1250.

According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), you can freeze eggs for up to one year. When you're ready to use frozen eggs, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or under running cold water. Use egg yolks or whole eggs as soon as they're thawed.

You absolutely can freeze potatoes, and you should if you have an excess of spuds. But there's one important thing to remember: You should really only freeze cooked or partially cooked potatoes, as raw potatoes contain a lot of water. This water freezes and, when thawed, makes the potatoes mushy and grainy.

Freezing carrots is such a great way to avoid waste. It will also make cooking them a little quicker from frozen. Like most vegetables, if frozen raw, the texture, taste, colour and nutritional value of carrots deteriorates. Make sure you blanch the veg to preserve these elements.

Many casseroles seem to improve in flavour if kept overnight (cool them quickly and keep them in a refrigerator, by the way, once they're cold). This means it's quite possible to make two casseroles while the oven is in full swing, and keep one for the next day.

Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.

To prevent a soggy top and a firm or crunchy bottom, it's important to use a shallow baking dish, to cook the casserole at the correct oven temperature and for the appropriate amount of time, and to be mindful of the amount of liquid used in the recipe.