Chicken Tortilla Bake

(Ugh, casserole photos are the bane of my existence. It's so hard to get it to look as appetizing as it tastes!)

I have to have Mexican at least once a week, and this Chicken Tortilla Bake looked like it would fit the bill perfectly, as a new addition to the rotation. It was a great weeknight meal...easy prep, just a few ingredients.

There's one thing I would do differently (and I came *this close* to doing it last night). The recipe has you cover the casserole to bake it, but there's a layer of tortilla bites on top, and I think it you cooked it uncovered, they would crisp up a little bit and add some crunch/texture.

A testament to the success...a scuffle broke out among my three work "food husbands" (as they call themselves) when one of them felt he didn't get enough. :)

Printable recipe

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel
1 package 6-inch flour tortillas (10 count), cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


Mix soup and Rotel in a bowl. In a greased 3-quart dish, spread 1/3 of tortilla bites evenly along bottom of pan. Top with half of chicken and half of soup mixture. Repeat layers, ending with final 1/3 of tortilla bites. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil, add cheese, and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

When I saw this recipe for No Peek Chicken, I was interested (especially by how quick and easy it looked)...but a little skeptical. Chicken tenders in the oven for more than 2 hours...at 350 degrees??!!

Well, it was quick. And, it was easy. The chicken didn't dry out like I feared it would...but it also didn't have any flavor. The rice, on the other hand, stole the flavor show. It was moist and creamy and just all-around delicious. Like, "push the chicken aside and keep eating the rice" delicious.

I might make this again and season the chicken first. But, I will definitely make this again, without the chicken, as a fantastic rice side dish.

Printable recipe

1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice (original recipe)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 soup cans of water
1 package chicken tenders

Mix together first four ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Add chicken tenders, pressing down to completely submerge. Cover with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 2-1/2 hours.

Pizza Pie

Well, I pretty much had the "kitchen closed" sign hung in my kitchen for the month of May. Softball games, recitals, end-of-year programs, a sick (but now better) father...I did a lot of eating away from home.

But, now I'm back to the (fun) task of cooking what I pin. I keep finding so many great recipes out there...starting with this Lasagna Pie from The Not So Desperate Chef Wife. I renamed it since it doesn't have noodles and tasted more like pizza. I get the reference, though, since it has ricotta.

Warning...it's going to fill your pie plate to the brim, and you're going to be thinking that it's going to overflow, but rest assured. It doesn't. 

I'm a huge fan of crescent roll dough, and it added a nice sweetness to this dish. Meaty, cheesy, creamy...and the house smelled heavenly. It cut into slices nicely and heated up well the next day. Win.

 Printable recipe

1 12-ounce can large crescent roll dough
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup marinara sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning


Grease a pie plate and line bottom with crescent rolls. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven and top with meat and 1 cup of cheese. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes, enough to just melt the cheese. Remove from oven and spread ricotta over pie evenly. Pour marinara sauce over the top, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, add last cup of cheese, and sprinkle remaining Italian seasoning. Bake for another 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.