Pages

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Meatball and Stuffing Bake

A casserole of meatballs, topped with green peas, a cream soup gravy and stuffing.

Meatball and Stuffing Bake

Well now, I'm here to tell you that there ain't a meat-lovin' man in this country that won't eat this up quicker than the blink of an eye. Well, at least that's the way it goes here at my house anyway.

It's a family pleasing meal and I promise that this dish will disappear so quick, you'll barely remember makin' it! It's a super delicious casserole dish and something different to do with those pre-cooked, frozen meatballs everybody loves having on hand. The Cajun absolutely loves this dish - meat and stuffing? What is not to love??

I think that I got the idea for this from one of those Kraft Food & Family magazines awhile back. For my recipe I used the bagged Pepperidge Farm Herbed Seasoned stuffing and added onion, celery and chicken stock, but you could substitute your own homemade stuffing recipe or even a box of good old Stove Top stuffing. Just follow the package directions and omit ingredients appropriately.

I usually do a half pan with only a single 1-pound package of meatballs, but this last time I made the full pan with 2 packages of meatballs and the leftovers were still gone in no time. You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving for stuffing ... though I guess technically since this isn't "stuffed" into anything, I suppose it's really more appropriately called dressing in this recipe. Oh who cares ... stuffing or dressing, or whatever you wanna call it, give this dish a spin and dig in. Truly kid and husband pleasin' ... it is really yummy!
Note: Frozen meatballs make this a breeze to throw together, but if you're wanting some great basic homemade meatballs, try my go-to recipe right here, make extra and put some up in the freezer today!


Recipe: Meatball and Stuffing Bake

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 10 min |Cook time: 1 hour | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 stalk (rib) of celery, chopped
  • 1-1/4 cup of chicken stock or broth
  • 2-1/2 cups of herbed seasoned stuffing (like Pepperidge Farm)
  • 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 2 (one pound) packages of seasoned, frozen, pre-cooked meatballs, thawed
  • 2 cups of frozen peas
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste, only if needed
Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray; set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion and celery until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken stock. Add the stuffing and gently turn until fully coated with broth; set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the soup and milk.

Add the meatballs to the baking dish, top with the frozen peas, and pour the soup mixture all over. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese, and top with the stuffing mixture. Cover tightly and bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until casserole is well heated through and bubbly. If you prefer your stuffing to have a crunchy top, cook uncovered and check dish at about 30 minutes.

Cook's Notes: For best flavor, be sure to use seasoned meatballs and seasoned stuffing mix. May substitute homemade meatballs and/or a boxed stuffing, such as StoveTop and prepare according to package directions.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

Requires Adobe Reader - download it free!
©Deep South Dish
Are you on Facebook? If you haven't already, come and join the party! We have a lot of fun & there's always room for one more at the table.
Check These Recipes Out Too Y'all!

Homemade Basic Meatballs
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Famous Grape Jelly Meatballs

Posted by on June 16, 2009
Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, but please do not repost or republish elsewhere such as other blogs, websites, or forums without explicit prior permission. All rights reserved.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
.