Kid-Friendly Casseroles The Whole Family Will Love

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When it comes to dinner it can require a lot of brainpower. Here are some easy kid-friendly casseroles the whole family will love. Sometimes it can take me a long time to think of things to make for dinner. When it comes to casseroles you can feed the whole family a good hearty meal without spending hours making it.

Read: Cheap And Easy Meals Under 5 Dollars

Easy Kid-Friendly Casseroles The Whole Family Will Love

There are many different ways in which you can make casseroles in no time. In this post, we’ve put together easy kid-friendly Casseroles the whole family will love.

Shepard’s Pie

When I was little I used to love eating shepherd’s pie. The combination of the meat with the mashed potatoes was amazing. The main recipe is cooked with lamb mince, however you can add beef mince and create a cottage pie if you prefer.

Fun Facts: Did you know in England and Australia this dish made with beef is called a “cottage pie and with lamb mince is called a ” shepherds pie”.

Sometimes instead of mashed potatoes, I like to cut the potatoes into flat circles like potato chips and spread them across the meat. This is called a “Hot Pot’.

Shepard’s pie for a family of four

Shepard’s pie is an easy way to feed a family of four of course if your family is smaller you need to half the ingredients and cooking times.

Ingredient needed:

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 lbs lamb mince
1/2 cup lamb or meat broth
1-2 cups vegetables—diced carrots, corn, peas
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1/2 to 2 pounds potatoes (about 3 large potatoes), peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Now that you have your ingredients at hand it’s time to get cooking. Follow the simple instructions listed below:

Easy Cooking Instructions:

Peel and quarter your potatoes, add them into a pot and bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and then cook until tender. (This should take around 20 minutes.)
While cooking your potatoes, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until tender, approx 6 to 10 minutes. For vegetables, add them in towards the last 2 minutes of cooking the onion.
Brown the ground beef/lamb with the onions and vegetables. Season as desired. Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth if necessary to keep the meat from drying out.
When the potatoes are done cooking (a fork can easily pierce), remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl with the remaining 4 Tbsp of butter. Mash with a fork or potato masher, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the beef, onions, and vegetables (if using) in an even layer in a large baking dish around 8×13 casserole. Then spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat about an inch thick. Rough up the surface of the mashed potatoes with a fork so there are peaks that will get well browned. You can even use a fork to make creative designs in the mashed potatoes.
Place in a 400°F oven and cook until browned and bubbling for about 30 minutes. If necessary, broil for the last few minutes to help the surface of the mashed potatoes brown.

( Shepard’s pie recipe source Simple Recipes )

Simple Pizza Casserole

I’m yet to come across a child or adult that doesn’t like or love pizza. This combines your favorite take-out dish and creates an easy casserole that can be whipped up in no time. This recipe combines your favorite pizza topping with spiral pasta or noodles. Check it out below.

Ingredients for a simple pizza casserole:

Penne Pasta
Pizza Sauce or tomato sauce
Diced Tomatoes
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Your favorite pizza toppings

Now that you have your ingredients at hand it’s time to get cooking. Follow the simple instructions listed below:

Easy Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling water cook penne pasta until al dente.
While pasta cooks brown Italian sausage in a skillet. Cook fully and drain grease.
Drain the pasta and pour it into a large bowl.
Add 2 cups mozzarella, pizza sauce, diced tomatoes, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cooked Italian sausage. Toss until fully combined.
Grease a 13×9 inch casserole dish and pour mixture into it.
Top with your favorite pizza toppings such as cheese, pepperonis, black olives and Parmesan cheese.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.

(Simple Pizza casserole recipe Source Home Make Interest)

Tasty Chicken Noddle Casserole

Chicken noodle soup is a favorite in our household. Not only is it a hearty meal its loved by kids all over. With many of the same ingredients needed this chicken noodle casserole will also be loved by adults.

Ingredients for a Tasty chicken noodle casserole:

4 cups chopped cooked chicken
12 ounces egg noodles uncooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 10 ounce cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups frozen peas and carrots or frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
cooking spray

Now that you have your ingredients at hand it’s time to get cooking. Follow the simple instructions listed below:

Easy Cooking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray.
Cook the egg noodles according to package directions.
In a large bowl, combine the noodles, chicken, soup, milk, cheese, peas and carrots, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.
Place the noodle mixture in the prepared dish and cover with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

(Tasty chicken noodle recipe casserole source Dinner At The Zoo)

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

This type of casserole may be new to the family but will be loved by all. I first tried this recipe on a holiday to texas and fell in love. Originating from texas King Ranch Source can now be found in a number of grocery stores. The Tex-Mex flair in this casserole will be loved by the whole family.

This casserole is a simple recipe that rewires very little brain work. There are many ingredients you may want to try with your little ones before adding to the casserole such as bell peppers if they are not fans.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole for a family of five

This recipe is a great no brainer. Not only is it simple to create and an array of new flavors for your little ones to try it feeds a family of five. Once again if you have a small family you can add fewer ingredients. you may want to follow the recipe below and have the rest for the following day.

Ingredient needed:

3 12-inch flour Tortillas cut into bite-size pieces
1.5 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
0.25 cup Bell Peppers any color, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
0.25 cup Onion chopped
7.25 ounces Diced Tomatoes and Chilies undrained
1 cups Chicken Breast cooked and chopped
5.38 ounces Condensed cream of mushroom
5.38 ounces Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

Now that you have your ingredients at hand it’s time to get cooking. Follow the simple instructions listed below:

Easy Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add peppers and onions and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to soften.
Add Cream of Mushroom soup, Cream of Chicken soup, diced tomatoes & chilies, and chicken to the peppers and onions and mix together.
Spray a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
Add 1/3 of tortilla strips to the bottom of the dish, followed by 1/3 of the chicken and soup mixture, and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat this two more times, ending in cheese.
Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Allow around 15 minutes to cool before serving.

( King ranch casserole recipe source Home Made Interest )

Kid-Friendly Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole is one which many kids love to be introduced to. There are not many kids that like to eat a lot of produce from the sea. I’ve come across some kids that like fish sticks or fish fingers but that’s it. By introducing this casserole as the chicken of the sea your bound to get your kids to at least try it out.

Ingredients for a kid -friendly Tuna casserole:

16 ounces pasta (any type)
1 (3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
12 -18 ounces canned tuna (drained, 2-3 cans)
1 ¹⁄₂ cups chunked Cheese

Now that you have your ingredients at hand it’s time to get cooking. Follow the simple instructions listed below:

Easy Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Boil and drain pasta.
Combine all ingredients in 13×9 in pan
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and stir. Continue to bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is entirely melted.
Stir and serve.

( Kid-friendly tuna casserole recipe source Food. com)

Tater Tot Chili Dog Casserole

Many kids love hot dogs. There are many things that go well with hot dogs but tater tots are my favorite. Not only does this recipe combine two of many kids favorite ingredients. but the chili will keep you warm on a winter’s night.

Tater Tot Chili Dog Casserole for a family of Eight

This receipt is great for larger families. However, why not make the whole recipe and save the rest for the next day.

Ingredient needed:

1 25 Ounce Can Chili
10 Hot Dogs Sliced
1 15 Ounce Can Chili
A Packet of Frozen Tater Tots
1 ½ Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Now that you have your ingredients at hand it’s time to get cooking. Follow the simple instructions listed below:

Easy Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl mix together the sliced hot dogs, one cup of the cheese, and both cans of chili.
Pour the chili mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Top the mixture with an even layer of tater tots.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Top with remaining cheese and bake for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Top Tip: Why not use leftover chili you may have from a previous meal you’ll need 4-5 cups in total.

( Tater Tot Chili Dog Casserole recipe source The Salty Marshmallow)