| I'm a fan of casseroles - meat, vegetables, and | | | | 1 ½ cup water |
| carbohydrates all in one dish. But when you really | | | | 1 cup celery, chopped |
| take a look, you realize as you're cooking that | | | | 2 cloves minced garlic |
| casseroles are truly NOT a one dish meal. You have a | | | | 1 onion, chopped |
| pot to cook the noodles, a strainer to drain them, a | | | | 16 oz frozen vegetables |
| pan to brown the meat, a pot to heat the cream | | | | 8 oz cream cheese or sour cream |
| base and combine everything in, and a baking dish to | | | | ½ tsp black pepper |
| bake it in. That doesn't seem like one dish; it seems | | | | 1 tsp each season salt and dry mustard |
| more like five. | | | | 4-5 cups noodles (any strong kind such as penne, ziti, |
| Then I realized there's absolutely no reason why you | | | | egg noodles, macaroni) |
| couldn't make casseroles a one dish meal by making | | | | Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Brown meat and |
| them in your crock pot. Yet, to be fair, it's not one | | | | drain. If using cream cheese, melt with meat over |
| dish. You do have to brown the meat before adding | | | | medium heat. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining |
| it to your crock pot, so you use two dishes. Still, two | | | | ingredients except noodles, mix well. Layer noodles |
| is better than five when it comes to dishwashing. | | | | on top. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 |
| Following is a recipe reference - merely suggestions in | | | | hours, until noodles are tender. |
| how to put together a crock pot casserole. Add or | | | | Side notes: |
| delete meats, vegetables, experiment with | | | | 1)Depending on the noodle, you may need to mix |
| seasonings, and create your own quintessential one | | | | throughout cooking time. If this is not possible, layer |
| dish meal. | | | | the noodles between the meat mixture. |
| Crock Pot Casseroles | | | | 2)If you are using sour cream, add during the last |
| 1 pound ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey) | | | | 30-45 minutes of cooking. |
| 1 can cream based soup | | | | 3)Get brave, experiment and enjoy your creation! |