Although the title of this post is for a Southwest Casserole Freezer Meal, in our household the dish is lovingly known as “Cassie’s Casserole”. When we lost our son, Laughton, our dear friend Cassie brought over an arm load of freezer meals. In fact, a lot of folks brought us some very tasty freezer meals. This experience is why we turn to providing freezer meals for those in need. They were extremely helpful during a really difficult time.
Cassie’s Casserole (and another dish we nicknamed “Cassie’s Tots”) have become freezer meals we continuously stock in our freezer. As soon as we use the last of this southwest casserole freezer meal, I immediately make up another huge batch to freeze.
Although we have adjusted Cassie’s original recipe a bit (we like spice and zero olives in this house), we always think of our good friends and smile with a warmed heart each time we pull one out of the freezer.
If you’ve read my post on making freezer meals for two, you know how much I favor the 2.25lb foil freezer pans. This recipe will fill NINE of those pans, however the amounts for the ingredients in the recipe are easily halved if you would like to make a smaller batch. But, trust me, you are going to want all nine of those pans in your freezer! Or extras to give to loved ones. The 2.25lb sized pans are perfect for someone who may live alone and has a hard time cooking for themselves. Think of your grandparents or a couple who just became first time parents!
Southwest Casserole Freezer Meal Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz pkg elbow macaroni
- 4 lbs ground beef
- 2 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- (4) 14 ½ cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- (2) 6 oz can tomato paste
- (2) 4 oz can chopped green chilies, drained
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp pepper
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 jalapeno peppers sliced
Instructions
- Cook macaroni. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Drain.
- Stir in tomatoes (mixed with tomato paste first to make it easier to incorporate paste into mixture), beans, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Stir macaroni into beef mixture.
- Transfer to greased pans (either for freezing or baking fresh).
- Top with cheese and jalapenos.
Notes
To Cook From Fresh: Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 min. Uncover and bake 10 min longer or until bubbly and heated through.
To Cook From Frozen: Thaw in fridge for 8 hours. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 min or until heated through.
In using a 2.25 lb freezer pan (great for 1-2 people), a total of 9 pans were filled for the freezer. I used these pans here - http://amzn.to/1V9mJaw
For larger portion sizes, approximately four 2 qt. baking (freezer) pans can be used.
As you can see, the ingredients noted in this recipe will result in A LOT of casserole. The recipe can easily be cut in half.
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