Lordy, Lordy what a whirlwind these past two weeks has been. November 28th, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my and my husband’s families; November 30th, my niece decided to make a surprise appearance (mom and baby are happy and healthy!); and December 4th, I got hit with sickness that seems to visit me the first week of December every year. This year, bronchitis has decided to visit—lucky me! December 7th, marked my first Christmas Coffee for my garden club and I had to make a Balinese-inspired Christmas decoration, and December 8th, my sorority’s alumnae group had their big holiday tea (I sadly missed as I was coughing up a lung). Revisiting all of these things just makes me want to lie down and take a big nap. Needless to say, the past two weeks haven’t lent themselves to cooking, baking, or recipe development. But a girl’s gotta eat (and feed her husband too!) so I have been sticking to the basics in order to get the job done. Preferably things that I can make ahead when I have time, freeze, and then bake when I need it (thank you, my dear, sausage casserole). This recipe has seen the inside of mine, my grandmother’s, mother’s, and sister’s kitchens—I think that makes it a tried and true classic, in addition to being a real crowd-pleaser. Bonus points because it only requires about 15 minutes of real, hands on work!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork sausage (can use “hot” if you want an extra kick

• 3 stalks of celery, cut into quarters

• 1 white onion, quartered

• 2 green bell peppers, quartered

• 1 can of cream mushroom soup (10.75 oz size)

• 1 can chicken noodle soup (10.75 oz size)

• 1 cup of white rice (not instant)

• 1 cup of water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a food processor, combine quartered green bell pepper, onion, and celery. Pulse until broken down into paste-like consistency. Picture below for reference.

3. In a skillet on medium-high heat, brown sausage until it is no longer pink.

4. Add in pulsed vegetable mixture, and cook until water has evaporated, and it is heated through. About 5 minutes. Take off heat.

5. In a large baking dish (this recipe used a 9x13), add in sausage and vegetable mixture. Then add soups, rice, and water.

6. Mix together until evenly distributed.

7. Cover with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until bubbling.

8. Take foil off and let brown for 15 minutes, or until casserole develops a crust.

   Family serving secret: every single man in my family eats this topped with a healthy serving with Newman’s Thousand Island Dressing

Click through the pictures below to see the recipe in action!