Slower Cooker: Alfredo Green Bean Casserole

This is another recipe I tested out on my parents over Memorial weekend. My mom was a little skeptical of this dish. She had never tasted Alfredo sauce and when she tried a bit, she wasn't impressed. But I told her to trust me. Alfredo sauce is great for picking up other flavors like garlic or roasted red pepper, which she loves. Well, after sampling this casserole, she said she's never going back to your typical green bean casserole.

This recipes comes from Pillsbury with a few small changes.

Ingredients:
2 pound green beans (fresh, frozen, or canned. I used canned, drained)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers (jarred or homemade), cut in strips*
1 1/4 cups Alfredo sauce (I prefer Bertolli, never Ragu)
1 cup water chestnut, drained and sliced (optional)**
1 cup French fried onions
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Whenever I use the slow cooker, I always spray the inside with cooking spray. It makes cleaning it so much easier. So spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.

Add the beans, water chestnuts, Alfredo sauce, pepper, and roasted red peppers to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours, stirring after an hour and a half. Before serving, stir in the French Fried onions.

*Jarred roasted red peppers are so expensive so I make my own roasted red peppers in the oven. My mom thought I was nuts, making my own roasted red peppers. She even came into the kitchen to watch me make them because she didn't believe it was as easy as I said. I recommend making your own using the link above.

**I am the only person I know who likes water chestnuts. So I left them out of this recipe. However, I would have loved to have them in the casserole.

I can't wait to make this casserole for Eric's family, especially his mom. She loves red pepper just like my mom and this dish has such a prominent, delicious red pepper flavor. Eric does not find red peppers as exciting and tasty as the rest of us so I might had crumbled bacon topping to the top of the casserole just to entice him to try it.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

The Ultimate Comfort Food Casserole

Can't decide what to make for dinner? Chicken casserole? Green bean casserole? Mashed potatoes? Or maybe something cheesy? This casserole has it all--chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and cheddar cheese. In other words, it combines some of the best comfort foods into one dish. It's also great for using up left over chicken or mashed potatoes. I even overheard Eric bragging to his mom on the phone about how amazing this casserole turned out.

This is a variation on a Betty Crocker recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey (leftover chicken/turkey works great; so does shredded rotisserie chicken)
2 (14.5 ounce) can green beans, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom (Don't like mushrooms? Use cream of celery instead)
1/3 cup milk
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups french fried onions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


In a saucepan, combine chicken, beans, cream of mushroom soup, and 1/3 cup milk. Cook over medium heat until hot--approximately 10 minutes--stirring occasionally.

Once the chicken mixture is hot, remove from heat and stir in cheese until it is melted. Pour the mixture in a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spoon potatoes on top of the chicken mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes then sprinkle the top of the potatoes with the french fried onions. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onion topping is warm. Serve.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Check Out More Comfort Food Recipes:
How to Make Boxed Mac and Cheese Taste Homemade 
Baked Potato Soup 
Potless Chicken Pot Pies