This Michigan weather… LOVE IT!! I am on cloud 9, over the moon, etc. over this weather. Isn’t it the greatest to bundle up when you go outside? This is THE perfect weather. Side note: The only thing that is a downer….. (well now is..) is when I go running, I need to be mindful of my little running buddy and the cool crisp air. Which… don’t get me wrong, is just fine. I just push those runs a bit later in the day; but I know that those days are numbered…

BUUUUUTTTT! Casseroles, comfort foods, desserts, cookies…. it’s the baking season! It’s the, “let’s turn on the oven and heat up that kitchen.”

Whenever I tell someone that we’re having Zamazetti, they always say they same thing…what is that. Well my friends, this is one  of THE best quick, weeknight family meals. It is something that you can make the cream of mushroom soup from scratch (just an added 10 minutes to prep) or do it mega quick with canned.

This recipe comes from my dad’s mother. I believe she may have gotten it from either her camping group or… maybe another family member? Either or, this is a family favorite.

I don’t know how many times we have made this casserole… too many to count/keep track of apparently (Ha!!). But if you want to have a quick and somewhat cheap meal, this is it.

Michigan Ingredients: Meijer Cheese, Meijer Butter, Spartan Tomato Soup, local ground beef

Please, use a block of cheese and shred it. It’s what dreams are made of.  Plus, there is no weird powder that prevents clumping. I actually got rid of a bag of cheese because I thought it was mold. Brand new, only a week old… That’s when I made the switch…

Chop your onion and garlic and set aside.

Let’s start the cream of mushroom soup from scratch. If you want, you can simply use a can of cream of mushroom soup. For the full recipe and amounts, please visit Simply Scratch.  She is amazing and I love love love her site.  Chop another small onion and about 3-4 portabella mushrooms.

Melt some butter in a skillet and saute your onion for a couple minutes, then add your mushrooms. Saute for a few more minutes.

Add some flour. The flour and the butter are going to become friends and act like the thickening agent to the “cream of mushroom soup.”

Whisk in some veggie broth and bring to a bubble.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Try not to eat the entire pan because oh my goodness!!! So good!

Now the start of the Zamazetti (you know… in case you wanted to just use a can of cream of mushroom soup). Start some water in a large pot for your egg noddles. You know, multi-task.

Brown your beef, drain, rinse and set aside and forget to take a picture… lol

Saute your onion and garlic in some olive oil (you know the onion and garlic we chopped earlier and set aside?) until translucent.

Add your meat back to the onions and garlic. Salt and pepper “to taste.”

You know how casseroles have a “sauce” slash….. cream mixture that makes it so the casserole doesn’t dry out… this is that sauce. Combine your cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, and shredded cheese. Sometimes I’ll hold some cheese to put on top before baking, but…. I apparently wasn’t feeling it, and wanted to show that it is still just as beautiful of a dish without a cheese top.

By now, your water has boiled, and your noodles are done. 

Add your noodles and beef mixture to the sauce mixture. Go ahead and take a little nibble…

Place your casserole into a 9×13 pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

Serve this casserole with garlic bread and love.  This is a casserole that even your pickiest of picky eaters will eat. My daughter eats this like crazy. Mind you she didn’t eat the meat, but that’s a different story for a different time.

Zamazetti

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 5-6

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Save Print

 

A casserole dish that is comforting and perfect for any weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 Onion
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1 can Tomato Soup
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (or from scratch*)
• 1 Block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese (2 cups), shredded
• 1 package of No Yolk Egg Noddles

Instructions

1. Start some water for your noodles.
2. While your beef is browning, chop your onion and mince the garlic and set aside. Once the beef is browned, drain and rinse.
3. Saute your onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add your beef back to the pan. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a large bowl, combine your tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup, and shredded cheese.
5. By now, your noodles are either just being added to the water or are done. Add your noodles and beef to the "sauce" mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Serve with garlic bread.

Notes

Note: You can make your cream of mushroom from scratch like in the blog post. Please go to Simply Scratch for said recipe

3.5.3208

Is it me, or are casseroles not a photogenic food? Please bear with me as I was making this later and the day and I was chasing light like no ones business. BUT this is too good of a recipe not to share.

This is a recipe of my grandmother’s and I remember the first time I had it and thinking…. where has this been all my life. Like I had said in a previous post, I am a comfort food cook. I absolutely love it, and casseroles are where it’s at. Before we know it, Fall will be here and the summer produce will be slowly coming to an end here in Michigan. But that’s ok!! Join me in making casseroles in the late summer with summer produce.

Michigan Ingredients: Zucchini and farm fresh eggs

Look at that monster of a Zucchini. When it comes to that size of Zucchini (large), I usually use it more for baking as opposed to cooking because sometimes when a Zucchini gets too big, it can become bitter. If you carve out the seedy section of the Zucchini (the middle), the bitterness goes away. SOOOOOO……

Note that I was looking at the Zucchini after I took the above picture and realized that it just seemed like it would be bitter. So imagine that I took the “after”photo of the rounds with a hole in the middle.

Chop your onion while your beef is browning. Set them aside for after you drain (and rinse) your browned beef. Saute your onions until translucent and add your beef back into the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now of course, you will want to have rice that is already cooked. I usually cook the rice earlier in the day because juggling cooking the rice, chopping veggies, steaming veggies, browning meat can become a bit much.  So word of advice, cook your rice earlier in the day.

Funny story… I was going to try and make this “quick” meal (and it’s fairly quick);  however, when you look in the cupboard and do not have cream of chicken soup like you thought (and you have lots of cream of celery soup for the other version of Zucchini casserole)… you improvise and make cream of chicken soup from scratch. Most households (or maybe just mine because I am a prepper a good pantry stocker) have the items necessary to make cream of chicken soup from scratch.  Milk, flour, chicken broth, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.  I did not take the photos for this portion because I was panicking quickly thinking on my feet as to what to do about a missing ingredient. Thank goodness for Google.

Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and add your Zucchini. Steam/boil the Zucchini for 5-7 minutes and drain. Note that the middles are missing….   I did chop the Zucchini into smaller pieces because the rings are HUGE and should be more “bite” size.

Combine beef/onion mixture, rice, cream of chicken soup, eggs, zucchini, and sour cream. (Yes… I snuck that in there. As I stated earlier, I was doing this as a rush because it was last minute and wanted you lovely people to have this AMAZING recipe. You’re welcome). Pour contents into a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Top the casserole with cheese. I would recommend using either sharp or extra sharp cheese. I know, I know, this recipe keeps getting better.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

There you have it! A casserole that is healthy and satisfying. Serve this amazing dish with muffins or Zucchini bread.

Zucchini Casserole with Beef

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Casserole

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Save Print

 

A delicious and healthy casserole that has all the goodness of summer; yet will help you transition to fall.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of Zucchini
• 1 Medium Onion diced
• 1 pound of Ground Beef
• 2 Eggs
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup*
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• 2 cups cooked Rice**
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese (Sharp or Extra Sharp)
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. Chop your zucchini into rounds (about ¼ inch thickness). Dice your onion, set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook Zucchini for 5 minutes and drain. Set aside.
3. Brown your ground beef, drain and rinse the fat. Saute your onion until onion is translucent and add your beef back to the pan. Salt and pepper beef and onion mixture.
4. Combine your cooked rice, cream of chicken soup, beef and onion, eggs, and zucchini in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
5. Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray). Top with 1 cup of cheese.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minute until cheese melts and mixture starts to bubble around the edges.

Notes

*Make your rice ahead of time to assist in making this a quicker meal. Usually it is ¾ of a cup of Brown Rice and 1½ cups of water.
** Recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup I used

3.5.3208