Still trying to clean out the 2 freezers and pantry by instituting a No Buy Month. I have a bunch of ingredients to make things but finding new ways to combine things is getting tougher.
This is another version of a recipe I made about a week ago. I had leftover ham in the freezer that I was trying to use up and wanted to try something different. I took the recipe for Creamy Chicken, Mushroom and Wild Rice Casserole from Womansday.com and changed it to fit the ingredients I had on hand.
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoon(s) olive oil, plus more for the dish
- 1 1/2 cup(s) wild rice blend, such as Lundberg
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 9-12 oz. spinach, thick stems discarded
- 3 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups fat free half and half
- 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese .
- 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
- pepper
- 3-4 cups of ham, cooked, cubed
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 13-in. casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Cook the rice according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender and turning translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-3 minutes for garlic to turn fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the spinach.
- Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the top and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the half and half. Simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, rice, ham, salt and pepper; stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is just smooth.
- Place the rice mixture in the bottom of the pan and cover top of pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven. Uncover. Do not recover pan with aluminum foil.
- After 20 minutes take temperature in center. If done remove from oven.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving to set rice.
Just like the Tilapia and Wild Rice Casserole last week my family liked this one too. My son, a budding food critic – in his mind, wanted a bit more Parmesan cheese on top and black pepper. Other than that it was thumbs up all around!
What's for Dinner Moms? 