Creative Casseroles and One-Dish Dinners

Who says you cannot play with your food? Get creative with your traditional dinner dishes, mix and match ethnic treats and spoon your soup from the bread instead of dipping your bread in the soup.

There is no reason to make the same recipe every time when you can easily create a completely new treat by switching just one or two of the ingredients. Play with your food tonight and see what you can come up with starting with your old stand by recipes.

Barbecue Shepherd's Pie

Add a little kick to Shepherd's pie with a spicy barbecue sauce. Brown a pound of ground beef, add your favorite vegetables to the pot, like green beans, carrots, celery and corn. Pour an entire bottle of spicy barbecue sauce over the meat and veggies. Simmer on medium low temperature for 10 minutes. Pour the meat and vegetable mixture into a medium sized casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chicken Parmesan Ziti

Combine two favorite dishes to make a one pot meal. This is a great dish to use up leftovers. Cut up prepared chicken Parmesan. Boil ziti noodles as directed on the packaging and drain. Add the chicken Parmesan to the ziti. Pour 2 jars of spaghetti sauce over the chicken and noodles. Stir to combine. Pour the ziti and chicken Parmesan into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Soup in a Bread Bowl

Switch up the soup and your bread. Form prepared bread dough into a large circle. Bake as directed on the packaging. Heat soup. Remove the bread dough from the oven and allow it to cool. Cut a circular opening around the top of the bread. Carefully, remove the inside of the bread bowl. Fill the bowl with hot soup. Serve with the inside pieces of the bread bowl.

Taco Lasagna

Put a spin on your average taco. Grease a standard pie dish with cooking spray or butter. Place a small flour tortilla on the bottom of the dish. Spread salsa on the tortilla. Add a layer of browned ground beef. Sprinkle cheese on the meat and top with a tortilla. Continue layering until the pie dish is full. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve with toppings such as sour cream, ranch salad dressing, lettuce, tomatoes and taco sauce.