I had a lot of tasty success with this chicken-filled casserole not long ago. Since I recently found myself with some leftover pork roast slices and some broccoli in need of using, I decided to modify the recipe and see how I could do with some pork instead.
One thing I learned when doing that chicken dish, is that it would have probably worked better if I had mixed the creamy sauce stuff together and then mixed it into the meats and veggies so that everything had the same awesome coating. That is something I kept in mind this time around.
Also, because I was not enamored of all that pre-labor I put into making the chicken dish even before it was able to oven-bake; I was looking at short-cuts: like not cooking the broccoli before-hand. I think it worked out!
See? Adventures are learning experiences. I learn and grow my culinary “expertise”!
First, I started with my layout of ingredients. The leftover roast, the broccoli (separated into tiny florets, chunks of stem and larger florets for my Adam D who loves to dip them raw into ranch dressing), the Cream of ____ soup (could be any of the “Cream of”s really).
The spread of ingredients
I cut the roast into cubes and added it to the big bowl with the small broccoli floret pieces. I cut those pieces small in the hopes they would cook up quickly.
Add those pork cubes!
I actually HAD rice ready this time so I was able to just dump a cup of that in with the pork and broccoli. That was a boon. I need to just do a big batch of rice on Sunday evening or something to have it for the week.
Add that pre-cooked rice!
Then you glop that Cream of Soup into the mix. If you’re looking for something less can-shaped; I’ve found that sour-cream and half-n-half along with herbs and maybe some mushrooms will do nicely too.
Cream of "whatever" blob
Then when you mix it all up, it begins to look like it might, at some point, be appetizing enough to eat!
Hmmm....looks good enough to consider cooking...and then eating
It was kinda messy though. I need a bigger freaking mixing bowl! Anyway, next I lay it all into a pan that I’ve sprayed with olive oil spray. I sprinkle season salt and pepper and garlic powder on the top.
Lay it all out
Because I love cheese, and it goes well in such dishes as a topping, I added a bunch of what was dubbed “Pizza Cheese” on top. It has Mozzarella and Cheddar in there.
Add that shredded cheese!
Now that part I always freaking forget (and did again here) is to add a cover of tin foil on top for the first part of baking. This makes sure the juices stay IN and the cheese doesn’t get all burnt before everything is done cooking (like that broccoli!). So be sure to cover the dish before it goes in the oven!!
After about 30-40 minutes (when it is all bubbly and the broccoli is no longer crunchy) you should take off the foil and let the cheese brown up for a bit, being sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
When done you’ll have something similar to this; though with hopefully that delectable version of a cheesy crust, not a burnt-on hard layer like I got.
Bits of burning cheese but hey, a bit of charcoal is helpful in the diet, right? O.o
Served up, the insides look pretty awesome and it all tasted pretty fab. I think if the pork had been raw I would have cut it a bit smaller so it would cook up faster; or maybe I could have been patient and waited for larger chunks to bake… nah.
The end product was pork and broccoli and rice all glued together with creamy cheesey mushroom soup. Not bad!
Recipe
- Leftover pork, cubed (OR, some raw pork, smaller cubes)
- little broccoli florets (small for easy baking)
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 big can Cream of Mushroom (or Cream of “something”) soup (OR sour cream, half-n-half and herbs. Add mushrooms too because: yum!)
- Shredded cheese for top
- Set oven to 350 degrees
- Mix up your pork cubes, broccoli, rice, and creamy stuff
- Layer it into your sprayed dish
- Top with cheese
- PUT ON TIN FOIL. *ahem*
- Put on a cookie sheet (layer this with foil too if you want an easy clean-up afterwards)
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes until all bubbly
- Remove foil and let cheese brown up a bit.
- Serve. Eat. Relax.
Remember that living is an adventure. So, too, should be your forays into eating on occasion! 🙂
I AM in shape. ROUND is a shape. 
My mouth is watering!
Om nom, this looks delicious! That browned cheese is making me drool.
I take lunches to work, so on Sunday I cook everything up along with a big pot of rice. (I usually make brown rice so it takes nearly an hour to cook– I can’t do that everyday!) So that way I have rice all week and I can nuke it or make other things with it.
Ha ha. So old school. I remember friends’ moms making that kind of stuff when I was growing up in suburban Detroit in the 1970s. Looks tasty. Maybe I should try making a casserole (other than lasagna) some time.
Dee: yeah I never really got into casseroles until I realized that it is basically like 4 ingredients: protein, veg, starch, creamy something. Mix and bake. Makes it a good way to use up leftovers in a new way 🙂
Cream of whatever soups almost always have wheat flour in them. Since I can’t eat wheat flour I saute some minced onions (and maybe celery and mushrooms) in about a quarter cup of olive oil, blend in two tablespoons of gluten-free flour (usually rice) and then slowly mix in a cup of milk. It works just as well to bind everything together. If you add twice as much broth as uncooked rice, you don’t even have to bother with cooking the rice first. Easy! Your casserole looks scrumptious.
shaunta thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely keep that last one in mind for days I don’t have rice pre-made!
Make sure you use regular white rice. I tried this with brown rice today and it didn’t cook. At all. 😦
shaunta that is really good to know! I’m sorry the brown rice didn’t work out 😦 Maybe that one needs to be pre-cooked? I think it usually takes longer to cook up, right?
Hum, looks yummy OM NOM NOM. But I wonder, what kind of rice do you use, when you cook a dish like that? Basmati? Parboiled? Jasmine? Long grain? Converted? Minute??
Thanks 🙂
I used Basmati this time but I’ve made similar dishes before using long grain and minute rice. Pretty much whatever I have on hand! 🙂