More freezer food

My freezer is looking kind of empty, so I'm replenishing it with more frozen casseroles. This weekend: baked spaghetti and enchiladas.

Baked Spaghetti
Tomato sauce (I made some with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, some spicy chili seasoning, vegetable flakes, Italian seasoning, and Italian sausage)
1 box spaghetti or other pasta, cooked
Mozzarella cheese

Mix the sauce, pasta, and a handful of cheese together in a 9x13 or 2-9x9 pans. Top with generous amount of more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-60 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and it's heated through. One of the easiest recipes ever.

Enchiladas
12 flour or corn tortillas
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup corn
2 cups white rice, cooked with 1 packet taco seasoning added while cooking
1 large jar salsa
1 bag Mexican-blend cheese

Mix together the beans, corn, and seasoned rice. Spread a layer of tortillas on the bottom of a 9x13 or 2-9x9 baking dishes. Spread 1/4 the bean mixture on top, followed by a layer of salsa and cheese. Repeat, then top with a final layer of tortillas, salsa, and cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-60 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and it's heated through. Another very easy recipe.

Mexican night

Tonight I hosted craft night with a Mexican food theme: flan, chicken flautas and chili con queso blanco sauce, reheated black bean and corn empanadas, fresh homemade salsa, and chili brownies.This is the same flan I made awhile back.

Chicken Flautas
25 small flour tortillas
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
2-3 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 lbs chicken, cooked and chopped (I food processored it)
2-3 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
Mexican/mixed/cheddar cheese

Heat the tortillas one at a time in a large, heavy frying pan over high heat, for 30 seconds on each side. Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the cumin and chili powder and cook for another minute or so. Add in the chicken and cook until heated through. Mix in the coriander and remove from heat. Place a large spoonful of filling and a pinch of cheese on each tortilla, then roll up. Line up in a 9" x 13" greased baking dish. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes or until crispy. Serve with chili con queso blanco sauce for dipping.

Chili con Queso Blanco Sauce
1 can Ro-tel
1/2 loaf queso blanco Velveeta

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until melted.

Salsa
4-5 ripe tomatoes
2-3 cloves garlic
4-6 jalapeno peppers
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 onion, chopped
salt
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until slightly chunky. Let sit overnight.

Chili brownies - just a hint of the chilis combines really well with the chocolate. Sweet but not overly sweet.

Baked ratatouille with pasta

I've never had ratatouille before, so I'm not sure if this tastes like it should, but it's yummy and that's what matters.

Baked Ratatouille with Pasta
1 small eggplant
1 yellow squash and 1 zucchini, thickly sliced
15 oz chicken, cubed
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
2/3 c chicken stock
3 tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and quartered
1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs
8 oz pasta
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

1. Wash the eggplant and cut into 1 in cubes. Put into a colander with the squash, sprinkle with salt, and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
2. Mix the cubed chicken with the soy sauce, garlic, and sesame seeds. Let marinate for half an hour. Saute in a pan with the marinade.
3. Put the pepper, onion, and garlic into a saucepan with the stock. Bring to a boil, cover,a nd cook for 5 minutes until tender. Remove the lid and boil until all the stock has evaporated. Add the tomatoes and herbs and cook for another 3 minutes, then add the rest of the veggies and cook until tender. Season to taste.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente, then drain. Toss the pasta with the veggies and chicken. Transfer to a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 350 until lightly toasted.

Black bean and corn empanadas

A coworker gave me a ton of corn, so I decided to make some black bean and corn salsa. I had tons of it, so I made some empanadas. I made different dough than I usually do and it was really crumbly, so rather than keep trying to roll it out, I made open-faced empanadas. Warmed up with more cheese on them, they were delicious!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2 c cooked corn

1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-15 oz can ro-tel

chopped cilantro

1 jalepeno, finely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

several squirts lime juice

2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Chili

I posted this on Jax's blog back in February, but I thought I'd move it over here in an attempt to consolidate recipes.

Yummy Chili
1 lb hamburger
1 lb spicy sausage (we used venison sausage made by one of my coworkers)
1 onion, chopped
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 small can tomato paste
1 can tomato soup
1 can ro*tel (any variety)
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 bay leaves
chili powder
basil
fresh ground black pepper

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, brown the meat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Pour in all the cans. Add the bay leaves and 10-15 shakes of the spices. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 filling servings.