Ruth Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

 Wow-this is incredible! My favorite sweet potato casserole ever! Thanks, Girl who Ate Everything!

Ingredients

  

Crust:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Sweet Potato Mixture:

• 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, (see Note)
• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, (1 stick)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a medium-size casserole dish (around 2 quarts - I use a 7x11 baking dish) with nonstick spray.
• For the crust: Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Chill in the fridge until ready to use. This helps the crumble maintain its form and not melt into the sweet potatoes.
• Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed. Beat thoroughly with a hand mixer for about 3-4 minutes to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture.
• Pour mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. At this point, dish can be covered and refrigerated for a couple of days if making ahead of time.
• *If you refrigerated ahead of time make sure to reheat the potatoes again before adding the crust - around 10-20 minutes.
• Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10-20 minutes or until crumble is browned. Makes 10 servings. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving.

Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup

 This is such a good dinner for these chilly nights and especially when you're busy and need to have a crockpot meal! Full of goodness and veggies-I substituted the celery with broccoli because it's what I had. This would be a great way to throw in leftovers! Thanks, Life in the Lofthouse for this recipe!

Ingredients

4 small russet potatoes peeled and diced

1 small white or yellow onion chopped

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

3 cups chicken broth

1 pound lean ground beef (I used ground sausage to add more flavor)

3 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk I use 2%

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 package (16 ounces) Velveeta processed cheese, cubed OR 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Place potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, dried basil and parsley in a large crock pot. Pour chicken broth over vegetables. Cover with lid. Cook on low heat 6 to 8 hours OR on high heat 4 to 5 hours or until potatoes are tender.

About 45 minutes before serving, cook and crumble ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain any grease. Pour cooked ground beef into crock pot. Carefully wipe out hot skillet with a paper towel then add butter. When butter is melted whisk in flour and cook until golden brown and bubbly (about 1 minute.) Whisk in the milk, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into the crock pot and stir to combine everything.

Add the cubed velveeta cheese or shredded cheese to crock pot. Stir again. Cover with lid and cook another 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes: Cook Time: 6 to 8 hours (because all crock pots heat differently)

Panera's Potato Soup

I found this recipe on food.com and had to try it! I had a ton of potatoes to eat up and we suddenly are having cold weather, so it sounded perfect. I gotta be honest though; I did change a lot of this recipe, so click the link for the original or follow my version below. You'll be happy, I promise! 

8 cups chicken broth

10 cups peeled, cubed potatoes

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

8 oz. cream cheese

Cheddar Cheese, optional

Cooked bacon, crumbled, optional

Sour cream, optional

Green onions, diced, optional

Directions:

Combine broth, potatoes, and spices in a pot. 

Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening.

Reduce to low heat and add cream cheese. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.

We topped ours with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon. You could also add green onions. Serve with salad and French bread and you've got yourself the perfect winter meal!

How to Bake a Potato

This comes from Simply Recipes. How do YOU bake a potato? Do you wrap it in foil? Crockpot? Oven? Here's the technique I have found I use and love the most. 

Use potatoes of any size for this recipe, but make sure they are russets, which bake up nice and fluffy and starchy. Potatoes weighing 6 to 8 ounce will take 35 to 45 minutes, while potatoes between 14 and 16 ounces can take an hour or longer.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 or more russet potatoes
• Vegetable oil, olive oil, or bacon grease, as needed
• Salt

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 400°F.

2 Wash and dry the potatoes: Wash the potatoes and dry them with a kitchen towel. If they have big eyes or tiny sprouts, dig those out (the tip of a potato peeler is the best tool for the job).

3 Poke steam holes: Poke each potato all over 10-12 times with a dinner fork. Don’t be afraid to really get in there; drive the tines about an inch into the potato.

4 Grease and season the potatoes: Rub the potatoes with the oil or bacon grease. You can eyeball this amount, but 1/4 teaspoon per potato should do it. They should be a little slick, but not dripping with grease.

Rub as much salt as you like on the skins. A lot of it will fall off, but it makes the potatoes sparkle!

5 Bake the potatoes: Set the potatoes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or, if your oven racks are clean, directly on the rack). The rack helps air circulate for even baking. If you are baking a lot of potatoes, don’t crowd them on the baking sheet; they’ll steam if crowded.

Bake until you can easily slide a fork or skewer into the center of the potato, 30 to 60 minutes. The baking time will depend on the size of your potatoes. They’re done when the skins are slouchy and wrinkled. You may even hear a slight hissing sound, or see tiny bubbles coming from one of the poke holes. If you squeeze one, it should yield to the pressure of your fingers easily, and quite likely crack open a little. If the potato is still hard, keep baking it until it’s done.

6 Serve: To serve, prick the center of a potato with a fork and pry it open to expose its crumbly and fluffy flesh. Season and top as you like, and dig in!

Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free)

I am pretty positive I like this version over the regular one! My whole family devoured this on a cool evening! Make this asap-you won't regret it! Recipe and photo from 40Aprons. (I do not make my own sausage, by the way. Just used store-bought. Keepin it real, folks! )

 Prep Time 5 minutes
 Cook Time 45 minutes
 Total Time 50 minutes
 Servings 6
 Calories 394 kcal

Ingredients for soup (not the sausage):

4 slices Whole30-compliant bacon cut into about 1/2" pieces
1 pound Italian sausage made from below recipe or storebought
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 medium yellow potatoes about 1 pound 3 ounces, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 medium white or yellow onion diced
2 tablespoons garlic minced, about 4 cloves
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 bunch kale stems removed and leaves chopped, 4 cups
1 can coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade Whole30 Italian Sausage:

1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed (optional)
pinch dried oregano
pinch dried thyme

Instructions:
If making Italian sausage: combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Alternately, combine all ingredients in the saucepan and stir well when browning.

In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat, add Italian sausage and sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over. Use a spoon to break up the pieces. When browned and cooked through, drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon pieces in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the crisp bacon and set aside - don't get rid of the bacon fat! Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the onions and garlic, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 10-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the coconut milk and the cooked sausage; heat through. Add the bacon and the kale into the soup just before serving and cook 'til the kale is bright green and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Loaded Totchos

This is obvi a top favorite for my kids, but I love it probably just as much! Recipe and picture from About a Mom.

Ingredients

• 32 oz. Tater Tots Potatoes, enough to fill an 11x17 baking sheet
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 cup Classic Ranch Dressing
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup (or more) Shredded Cheese (I prefer Cheddar but use whichever kind of cheese you like.)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled

Instructions

HEAT oven to 425ºF. Place TATER TOTS in an even layer on an 11x17 baking sheet. Bake TATER TOTS according to package directions, until golden brown and crispy.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix sour cream and dressing.

Spread sour cream mixture over cooked TATER TOTS. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon and parsley. Return to the oven for just a couple of minutes, until cheese has begun to melt. Serve immediately.

Mashed Potato Casserole

No surprise here that this is one of my husband's new favorites! I actually have adapted this for my kids as an easy meal too, using instant potatoes and chicken nuggets with cheese on top...you get the idea! Recipe and picture from The Cozy Cook!

Ingredients

5 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup cheddar cheese freshly grated

6 Tyson Chicken Strips

.87 oz. packet Brown Gravy Mix

Instructions

*Make mashed potatoes as you normally would...homemade or boxed is fine. Then prepare casserole.

Preparing the Casserole:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Take out your chicken strips and let them sit at room temp for about 5 minutes if you prefer to slice them first. 

Spread the potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish. (Mine was 13.25 x 9 but variations are fine.) 

Note: If your mashed potatoes are cold, warm them first. 

Top with corn and cheese. 

Carefully slice the chicken strips into pieces of desired size and top the casserole dish with them. 

Bake for 20 minutes, until the chicken is crisp. 

Prepare the gravy on the stove top according to package instructions while the casserole finishes baking. 

Drizzle your desired amount of gravy over the casserole dish and serve!

Cheeseburger Soup

This is one of our new favorites! Thanks to The Recipe Critic for this recipe! (I tweaked it just a little by omitting the onions)!

Ingredients

• ½ pound ground beef (use 1 pound)
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed (I used 16 ounce) or- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

20 Minute Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I adapted this recipe from Spend With Pennies. I liked the addition of red potatoes to bulk up the soup and feed my big family. It was really yummy and perfect for this snowy day!

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 5 red potatoes, diced (unpeeled)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3 cups fresh broccoli
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon each thyme and garlic powder
• salt & pepper to taste (I added 1tsp of each)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1½ cups light cream
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• ⅓ cup fresh parmesan cheese

1. In a large saucepan, cook butter, onion and carrots over medium heat until onion softens (about 3 minutes). Add chicken broth, potatoes, broccoli and seasonings. Simmer until broccoli is softened, about 8 minutes.
2. Remove 1 cup of soup and set aside. Using an immersion blender, blend remaining vegetables and broth.
3. Place flour in a small bowl. Add in cream a little at a time stirring until smooth. Bring blended vegetable mixture to a boil and whisk in cream mixture. Continue whisking until thick and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, stir in cheeses & reserved soup and serve immediately. You could also crumble some bacon over the top, too. :)

Funeral Potatoes

These are freezer-friendly and quite delicious! One of my favorites sides to any meal!

12 large potatoes or 1 (32-ounce) bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 (10-3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/3 c. chopped onion
2 c. crushed corn flakes
2 T. butter, melted

*Peel potatoes and boil for 30 minutes, until just tender. Cool and grate into a greased 9x13 baking dish. (Or put hash browns into dish). Combine soup, sour cream, cheese, the 1/2 c. melted butter, and onions. Gently blend into potatoes. Combine crushed corn flakes and the 2 T. melted butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

***If you are freezing this, finish baking, then cool and put in the freezer. When ready to serve, thaw and reheat in the oven.

Twice Baked Potatoes (Freezer)

These were brought to our freezer exchange and I cannot wait to try them! From Mom on a Mission. (Pictures and directions are hers).

I begin by slicing about 1/2″ off the top off each potato. Since these are small potatoes, they didn’t need to cool long to handle. I allowed mine to cool about 5-10 minutes and then I prepared two piles of potatoes, hollowed and the tops for cheesy potato skins. I use a melon baller for this because it’s got a somewhat sharper edge than a kitchen spoon. However, a small kitchen spoon will work. Hollow each potato leaving about 1/4″ inside.
 
Place the potato flesh inside a large mixing bowl and proceed to add hot milk (microwave for a minute), sour cream, butter, cheese, salt and pepper.  Mash with a mixer on low-speed for a minute and proceed to mix on high for about 2 minutes.

Place potato mixture back into skins using a cookie scoop.  I put all of mine into an aluminum tray for flash freezing (freezing for about 2 hours).

Once they’re frozen, I place them in labeled quart size bags (gallon works too) and add this side dish to my freezer inventory.

Don’t forget to save those skins. Allow them to fully cool and put them in quart size bags and freeze. These will make great potato cheese skins on another night. Just don’t throw them away.

Printable Twice Baked Potatoes recipe and Cheesy potato Skins
I call these toddler spuds. They’re just the right size a side dish.  However, you could dress these potatoes up with cubed ham, convenience chicken, or frozen broccoli. I suggest bigger spuds for more ingredients. Send these to a neighbor or friend in an aluminum pan labeled with the thawing and cooking instructions along with a bag salad.

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole

Thanks to Doughmesstic for this amazing recipe! We had it for our Easter morning breakfast and it was perfect!

• 1 pound Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage, cooked
• 1 yellow onion, chopped, sauteed in sausage grease
• 7 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 20 ounce bag frozen Ore-Ida Diced Hash Browns
• 8 ounce brick of Mild Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray medium casserole dish (we used 9 x 13) with non-stick spray.  Set aside.
2. Prepare sausage and onions.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, including sausage and onions.  Pour into prepared casserole dish.  Reserve roughly one cup of the cheese for topping.
4. Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with reserved cheese.  Return to oven for 8 minutes.
5. Allow casserole to rest for 15-20 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham (Crockpot Freezer Meal)

Thanks, 6 Cents for this recipe! Amazing, easy to assemble, and you can stockpile your freezer foods in no time!

12 new potatoes and cut into ¼ inch round slices or a large bag of frozen potatoes

2 cans of cream of your choice—I used potato

2 cans of water

2 ham steaks, cubed--we used turkey ham

8 oz cheddar cheese

4 cups of broccoli

salt and pepper

Directions:  Divide everything evenly into two containers.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

*EDIT* People have mentioed the potatoes turing black if frozen.  Mine didn't do that, but just to be safe, either use frozen potatoes or add potatoes the day of cooking.

Italian Chicken Bake

This is one of the best chicken dishes I've made. And the best part? It's loved by ALL FIVE members of my family! That's pretty rare nowadays! It's super easy, affordable, and very tasty--I think you'd better try it soon! I love that this is a meal in itself, so you don't also have to make sides or veggies. Just pair this with some crusty French bread and you're good to go! (I found this on Pinterest, but couldn't find the original link, just a picture with the recipe underneath, otherwise I would give credit where credit is due!)

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
Veggies of your choice (green beans are our favorite, but I've also tried carrots and really liked them)
Potatoes, diced
4-6 chicken breasts, thawed
1 packet of Italian seasoning

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken down middle of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer potatoes and veggies around the sides of chicken. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, then drizzle with butter.
*Cover with foil and bake for one hour. Enjoy!

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

I've seen this recipe floating around the Internet and finally gave it a try...definitely worth it!

*Wash potatoes; dry. Poke several holes in each side. Wrap each potato in foil and place in crock pot. Cook on high 4-5 hours until soft. Enjoy!

Pizza Fries

Okay my kids seriously went NuTs over these! So good!

1 bag (2 lb) frozen french fries
2 cups traditional spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup pepperoni, cut in half (I used turkey pepperoni)

*Prepare french fries as directed on package. Pull out of oven and drizzle with sauce. Add cheese and pepperoni and place in oven for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

"Mock" Garlic Mashed Potatoes

These tasted great to me--I could barely tell the difference! Give them a try!

1 medium head cauliflower
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon straight chicken base or bullion (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon salt)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives, for garnish
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

*Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.

*Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.

*In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, chicken base, and pepper until almost smooth. Don't blend too much or it will be like baby food :) Garnish with chives, and serve hot with pats of butter.

Western Omelet Potato Skins

This recipe is from Gina's Skinny Recipes, one of my new favorite sites, and it was delicious! About 300 calories for two!

2 medium russet potatoes (I actually used red potatoes)
olive oil spray (or Pam)
2 large eggs
3 egg whites
2 tbsp fat free milk
2 thin slices lean ham, chopped (I used chicken, finely chopped)
2 tbsp chopped onion
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
4 tbsp cheddar cheese

*Pierce potato with a fork a few times all around. Place in microwave and cook about 5 minutes per potato. When finished, allow to cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out potatoes leaving about 1/4 inch thick wall.

*In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add onion, pepper and ham/chicken and mix well. Spray a medium nonstick skillet with olive oil spray and cook the eggs, mixing often.

*Heat oven to 450°. Lightly spray potato skins on both sides with oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Fill with eggs and top each one with 1 tbsp cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Funeral Potatoes

I have had SO MANY variations of these, but this recipe is my fav! It makes a ton, so next time I'm going to cut the recipe in half for our family of four.

1 (2-lb.) bag of frozen cubed hashbrowns

2 c. sour cream

2-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/4 c. green onions, sliced

2 c. cornflakes, lightly crushed

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sour cream, 2 cups of cheese, cream of chicken soup and green onions in a large bowl. Add hashbrowns and mix well.

*Bake potatoes for 35-40 minutes or until soft. While baking, mix 1/2 cup cheese with cornflakes. After potatoes are done baking, top with cornflake mixture and bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly. Enjoy!!

Meatloaf Dinner

Okay first of all, by no means is this a pretty dish...it's not. It is however, very tasty. I was so embarrassed last time I made it because my husband's friend dropped by. My husband invited him to eat with us and I winced as I dished it up. To my surprise, he LOVED it. Men don't care what it looks like, I've come to accept that and sometimes love that. So enjoy making this for your men!

1-1/2 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 slice of bread, diced
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. water
1-1/4 oz. package onion soup mix (I leave this out--try it and see which way you like better)
shredded cheese
mashed potatoes, homemade or instant (you'll want about 3 cups)

*Combine all ingredients except cheese and potatoes. In a large glass pie dish, for mixture into a ring around the outside. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for 9 minutes; drain grease.
*Spread mashed potatoes into ring and over the top of the meat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook in microwave until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.