It’s a Hotdish

After my track workout yesterday and 45 minutes of weight lifting at the gym last night, I was definitely feeling some soreness in my legs this morning.

I took it easy with a nice 8 mile run this morning. I love picking routes through neighborhoods and down quiet roads rather than along busy, well-traveled roads. There’s something very calming about the quietness and serenity of the morning, which just one reason I love it so much! 🙂

Distance: 8 miles

Time: 68 minutes

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I grew up in Minnesota where we refer to a mixture of pasta + meat + cheese + a few vegetables as a hotdish—not a casserole.

I am not sure why we called them hotdishes (instead of casseroles), but they were definitely a staple for me growing up. It was easy for my mom to combine all the ingredients in one dish, pop it in the oven, and then come back 30-45 minutes to a hot meal.

Normally, I don’t make a lot of hotdishes for Craig and myself, but this one from Kristin’s blog caught my eye a while back.

Chicken and Artichoke Hotdish

(My recipe was inspired by Kristin’s recipe, which she originally got from here.)

Ingredients

8 oz. elbow macaroni

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

2/3 cup onion, chopped

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups milk

seasonings to simulate Italian seasoning: basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme

2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

1 – 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1 – 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a colby/jack mixture.)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided

2/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Heat oil in pan and saute onions for 5 minutes. Set off to the side.

3. In a bowl combine the eggs, milk, seasonings, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.

4. Stir in the chicken, artichoke hearts, spinach, 2 cups cheese, half of the Parmesan cheese, onions, and pasta.

5. Pour into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish.

(I actually stopped at this step, covered the dish, and put it in the fridge overnight before baking it the next evening. It worked out marvelously –> is that a word!)

6. Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs, remaining Parmesan cheese, and paprika in a small bowl.

8. Spread breadcrumb mixture on top and bake for additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Both Craig and I really liked the dish. It had a great combination of flavors, and I especially liked the bread crumb mixture on the top. 🙂

I actually made this Sunday and stuck it in the fridge overnight. It was so convenient to be able to pull this out of the fridge Monday night, stick it in the oven, and have dinner ready in 30 minutes!

The main reason I don’t make many hotdishes is because they often lack in the vegetable department, so next time I would cut down on the amount of pasta and maybe even add more spinach.

To make up for the lack of vegetables, I roasted some broccoli on the side. I seasoned this broccoli with rosemary, which is my new favorite spice for roasted broccoli.

Question

What is your favorite hotdish/casserole?