The art of casserole creation is a blend of inspiration and what’s on hand. The word casserole is used to refer both to an ovenproof baking dish as well as the baked, savory food item baked in it.

In North America, the Campbell’s Soup Company started publishing casserole recipes in the 1940’s as a way to promote sales for their cream soups. Casserole cooking goes back to slow-cooking dishes in earthenware containers. The ingredients are usually bound with some kind of sauce and often they are leftovers from a previous meal. It can be layered or all ingredients might be mixed together.

The height of the casserole era was during the 1950’s & 1960’s. This style of cooking was popular because it didn’t require a lot of constant watching and was hailed as the way forward for busy, efficient homemakers. By the 1970’s, quiche came to look down on the humble casserole.

Nevertheless, Brion and I really enjoy a casserole and this one ticks all the boxes for us.

Shrimp, Mushroom & Artichoke Casseroles

Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Filipino

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup water, salted
1/2 cup Arborio rice, uncooked
1 Tbsp butter,
200 gm fresh mushrooms, sliced
284 ml cream of mushroom soup
205 ml Lite Alfredo sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained & halved Reserve 2 Tbsp marinate for sauce
300 gm WILD jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined & rinsed
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup bread crumbs, buttered

Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Filipino

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup water, salted
1/2 cup Arborio rice, uncooked
1 Tbsp butter,
200 gm fresh mushrooms, sliced
284 ml cream of mushroom soup
205 ml Lite Alfredo sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained & halved Reserve 2 Tbsp marinate for sauce
300 gm WILD jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined & rinsed
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup bread crumbs, buttered

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup salted water with 1/2 cup rice; cover & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer gently for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed & rice is tender. Fluff with fork & remove to a dish; set aside. Add 1 Tbsp butter to saucepan & saute sliced mushrooms.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter either 2-3 individual casserole dishes or a 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Set aside. Drain marinated artichoke hearts (reserving 2 Tbsp) & halve each piece. In a large bowl, whisk together soup, Alfredo sauce, Worcestershire, artichoke marinade, salt & pepper until combined. Gently stir in cooked rice, mushrooms, artichokes, shrimp (cut each in thirds) & parsley.
Spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Combine Parmesan with buttered crumbs & sprinkle over casseroles. Bake until shrimp are cooked through, approximately 25 minutes.

Over centuries the unique cooking technique combing rice with other ingredients was developed resulting in the classic Italian dish known as ‘risotto’. The key ingredient for authentic risotto is Arborio rice.

Arborio rice is named after a town in Italy called Arborio, located in the Po Valley where the rice is grown. Its characteristics and cooking properties allow it to absorb the flavors and retain a certain firmness through the unique risotto cooking procedure.

In this recipe, I used a chicken sausage made with Asiago cheese and roasted red peppers. One of the grocery stores in our area makes the sausage in store so you can purchase them fresh in the quantity you need. The flavor of this meal is amazing. The tomatoes totally disintegrated and the rice took on a great smoky flavor from the bacon. The mushrooms added earthiness and the sausage gave the risotto a tiny kick of heat.

Brion and I found this meal sooo— good!!

Chicken & Shrimp Risotto

Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

American, European, French, Spanish

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup Arborio rice, uncooked
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 sweet white onion, diced
3 slices bacon, thick, cut into strips crosswise
250 grams (2 links) Asiago roasted red pepper chicken sausage
300 grams WILD, jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
454 grams mushrooms, sliced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced

Course

Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine

American, European, French, Spanish

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup Arborio rice, uncooked
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 sweet white onion, diced
3 slices bacon, thick, cut into strips crosswise
250 grams (2 links) Asiago roasted red pepper chicken sausage
300 grams WILD, jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
454 grams mushrooms, sliced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced

Instructions

In a skillet, brown sausage & set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, slice crosswise & set aside. In skillet, saute onion & sliced mushrooms; stir in rice & toast for 20 seconds. Add the diced tomato & start ladling in the broth 1 ladle at a time. Once that broth is absorbed, continue adding another ladle of broth & so on. The rice should take about 30 minutes to cook over a medium low heat. About half the way through, add bacon. When there is about 10 minutes left add sausage & shrimp so the sausage warms & the shrimp cooks ONLY until done. Do Not overcook shrimp. Garnish with parsley or basil if you wish.

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