Jen’s Greek Cassarole Bake

Full of flavor, healthy and easy ro make, this dinner hits the spot for full tummies.  Filled with Ground turkey, Couscous, black olives, 2 kinds of sqaush, cheeses, and greek seasoning ant topped with lemon slices.  It’s perfect for a family meal, potluck dinner, and a good choice for lots of dietary needs.  So good I bet no one will even suspect it’s good for them…

Ingredients

1 Near East Couscous 5.9oz box

3 lbs ground turkey

16 oz sliced Pepper jack cheese

1 2.2 oz can sliced blak olives

1 8oz  spinach artichoke cheese dip

1/4 cup grated Parmesean Cheese

1 medium onion diced

2 tbls minced garlic

2 lemon sliced

2 Tbls Greek Seasoning

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

10 oz fresh grape tomatoes sliced in half

Directions

  1. Prepare a 9 x 13 glass baking dish             
  2. Prepare couscous as directed on packaging and set aside
  3. Chop zucchini and yellow squash into 1/2 pieces
  4. Brown Ground turkey with onion and minced garlic
  5. Drain, mix with spinach artichoke cheese dip,  set aside.
  6. In prepared dish spread browned turkey, couscous, vegetables and black olives in 3 layers. 
  7. Top bottom layers with Monterrey Jack cheese. 
  8. Sprinkle Paresean cheese and greek seasoning over top of cassarole.
  9. Top entire dish with lemon slices
  10. Bake @ 350° for 40 minutes until vegetables are cooked. 
  11. Top with grape tomatoes halves

Serve warm and Enjoy

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NATIONAL STUFFING DAY

November 21st is an ideal day for National Stuffing Day with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Since we are already thinking about the delicious turkey stuffing that is a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinner.

Some cooks choose to stuff the bird with crusts of bread, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Others prefer to prepare a similar dish alongside the turkey using the drippings to moisten the dish. Either way, each preparation is a personal preference or family tradition. The difference is the first is called a stuffing, but the latter is referred to as a dressing.  

The usual turkey stuffing consists of bread cubes or crumbs combined with onions, celery, salt, and pepper. Further spices and herbs such as summer savory, sage, or poultry seasoning add flavor and variety.  Other recipes include adding sausage, hamburger, tofu, oysters, egg, rice, apple, raisins, or other dried fruits.

The first known documented stuffing recipes appeared in the Roman cookbook, Apicius “De Re Coquinaria.”  Most of the stuffing recipes in this cookbook included vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts, and spelt (an old cereal). Some recipes also included chopped liver and other organ meat. 

In addition to stuffing the body cavity of poultry and fish, various cuts of meat are often stuffed once deboned and having a pouch or slit cut in them.  A few examples of other meats frequently stuffed include pork chops, meatloaf, meatballs, chicken breast, lamb chops, and beef tenderloin.

Stuffing isn’t limited to the butcher block. Vegetables are excellent containers for stuffing. Peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and cabbage are just a few of the shapely veggies that make stuffing a fabulous part of your meal. 

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalStuffingDay

Who makes the best stuffing in your family? Some families debate this question and never settle the question. That’s why they end up with multiple versions on the table at the big meal. No one complains, though! How do you like your stuffing? Challenge yourself to try a new recipe. See if you can get the family to agree to breaking with tradition. Better get in the kitchen and test those stuffing recipes before the big day.  Use #NationalStuffingDay to post on social media.