Here’s a fantastic recipe that will turn everyday, leftover meat and vegetables into powerful comfort food: Tasty Noodle Casserole.
Tasty Noodle Casserole
6
servings1
hour30
minutesIngredients
3 Tbs butter, plus more for baking dish
1 bag (12 oz.) medium egg noodles
3/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cups chopped fresh vegetables, chopped (see notes)
4 cups leftover vegetables, chopped (see notes)
3 cups cubed cooked meat or poultry (see notes)
1 tsp chicken stock reduction (see notes)
2 (10.5 oz.) cans condensed cream of bacon soup
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp salt (optional, but recommended)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 oz. shredded cheddar
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
Directions
- Butter a 9.5 x 13.5 x 2-in. (3 Qt.) glass baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles until barely al dente, two minutes less than the miminum recommended time according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, and return the noodles to pot.
- Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 Tbs butter in a 10-12-in., deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Add cumin and red pepper; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in fresh vegetables; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the veg from the skillet to the noodle pot and stir. Stir in leftover vegetables and meat. Combine the stock reduction with the reserved liquid. Combine that mixture with the condensed soup, yogurt, (salt), and pepper. Stir the soup mixture into the noodle pot. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
- Bake until browned and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes.
Notes
- Substitutions: homemade bacon bechamel for the cream of bacon, or use another flavor, such as asparagus or chicken. Sour cream for the yogurt, another stock flavor for the chicken.
- Fresh vegetable recommendations: red onion, celery, red bell pepper, mushrooms. Maybe carrots. Some fresh vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, may need a longer sauté time than what I’ve recommended.
- Leftover cooked (especially roasted) vegetables recommendations: carrots, onion, green beans, Brussles sprouts, tomatoes.
- You can substitute frozen vegetables for either the fresh or leftover: some may need to be thawed in the microwave before being chopped and added to the sauté, but others (like peas and corn) can go into the casserole along with the leftovers, straight from the freezer without having been thawed.
- Meat or poultry: leftover pork roast is excellent. So is chicken, and so would be turkey.
- If the stock reduction is salty, you may not need the optional teaspoon of salt.
This may be the mother of all of comfort foods. Well … maybe mac and cheese is the mother. This may be the mother-in-law of all comfort foods.
The Backstory
This casserole is all about leftovers. I wanted to call it “Leftovers Casserole,” but I just don’t think that’s an appetizing enough name for that is the very definition of homemade deliciousness. It will bring back warm, fuzzy memories of meals your mom used to make, except that it’s probably a couple of notches better than that. (No need to tell your mom about that part, though.)
And I’m telling you, it really is so good that I sometimes don’t wait around to have leftovers to make it: I’ll go out to the store and get the “leftovers.” Get them from the hot bar, for instance. Get a bunch, eat what you will, et voila, you have leftovers.
Social Learning
Really interesting vegetables will really make this casserole great: roasted carrots, roasted broccoli, roasted anything. (See the “notes” section of the recipe card for a complete list.) Ordinary veg – frozen peas and carrots, for instance – will give it a vibe that’s like a noodle version of a store-bought, national-brand pot pie – which is still OK in my book.
Reheats nicely in the microwave, and if you use panko for the crumbs, they’ll maintain some crunch in the leftovers.
Condensed Soup
The cream of bacon soup does not give this casserole a pronounced bacon flavor. I know: that’s odd. Even if you add chopped, crispy bacon it still won’t seem obviously bacony – which is even odder.
Yes, this is a casserole that uses a canned, condensed soup as its base. (Did you miss the part where I’m a Midwesterner?) And so yes, it’s just a couple tater tots away from being a “hot dish,” I guess. (Chicago isn’t quite close enough to Minnesota for hot dish to be a thing here, but we know of it. And we like what we know.)
Anyway, if you’d rather make the soup from scratch, I’ve put a link in the “notes” section of the recipe card.
Tasty Noodle Casserole
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je ne connais pas, mais c’est bien appétissant!
bonne semaine
Thanks, Josette!
Bravissimo, un ottimo piatto di recupero molto invitante!!!
Oh, I hadn’t thought of it as “recovery.” I love it! Thank you!
I love how you described this casserole as powerful comfort food. That perfectly describes this extravagant dinner dish loaded with protein, veggies and oh so much amazing flavor!
Thank you, Heidi!
I love recipes like this one that use up leftovers in such a creative way. I’ll have to look for cream of bacon soup, I’ve never bought it, but I can imagine it makes the difference. I’m sure you were sorry when all of this was gone.
Well you know what? I was kind of sorry when it was gone, so I went out and got all the stuff I needed to make a second batch. I divided that one up, and took half to a neighbor – it doesn’t get more midwestern than that. The weather’s turning the corner where I live, toward spring, which means more salads, but I’ll be thinking fondly of this casserole.
When I was a kid, my mother used to serve egg noodles pretty often. I forget what we had them with. Maybe beef stew. I like egg noodles a lot, and haven’t had them in ages. I’ll try to remember to rectify that.
Oh you should. They’re the best. My grandmother used to put them in chicken soup. And she used to make them from scratch!
un bon plat de pâtes parfait pour nos ados!!
bonne journée
Oh yes, I’m sure your teens will gobble this up!
Me ha encantado esta receta que prometo hacer, la has explicado minuciosamente y me apetece un montón probarla, ¡Hasta pronto!, un abrazo
Thanks for the hug! I could eat this casserole once a week and love it, so I do hope you like it.
Condensed cream of bacon soup!? Why have I not heard of this before now?? Jeff, you’ve been holding out on me. In related news, this entire recipe is calling my name. I love a good pasta dish, and this one is comfort food at its best!
Well, we’ve eaten it all now, or I’d tell you to stop by! And I know! I was just saying, where has cream of bacon been all my life?
As a native of Illinois, I know of the can of soup casserole! Classic comfort food. Melted cheese and crispy breadcrumbs cannot be resisted.
When you know, you know!
In Spain, they sell ready-made béchamel sauce in tetrapacks! It’s so easy to make so I usually make my own but I can certainly see the convenience of ready-made or cream of mushroom soup. This dish looks like something I would cobble together from leftovers; JT says I can always make something of nothing! I love these types of recipes, comfort food at its best.
Thanks, Eva! I was very tempted to make my own bechamel – and I would’ve, had I not noticed the cream of bacon in the soup aisle. I don’t know if that’s new, or if I’ve just never seen it before, and I was really curious to try it. I think I could do better from scratch, and next time, I’ll give that a whirl. I envy your ability to make something from nothing!
This is the kind of recipe I need. THeHub does not like to eat leftovers, so I have to have some reformation movement to serve them again. Thanks!
Ugh! I live on leftovers, and my husband would starve if he didn’t eat them! Well, this is a fantastic way to make something out of them!
Quelle belle assiette gourmande.
Bizzz.
Thank you!
Leftover casserole makes me think of kitchen sink soup!!! But it’s a great recipe. And healthy!
Kitchen Sink Soup! That’s why I didn’t call it Leftover Casserole! Haha!
Jeff, your “leftover” noodle casserole is delightful. I often at the end of the week, check out what’s left in my refrigerator and make a fried rice of sorts. I am kind of digging this noodle casserole idea. I did read you were from the midwest, and condensed soups are definitely part of the leftover plan.
This is a great idea. Appreciate the inspiration.
Oh, you’re welcome! I love fried rice – that is another fantastic way to use up leftovers!
This is comfort food at best! It’s almost lunch time and this is making me hungry! Have a great day!, ~Nessa
Ça a l air délicieux 😋
Bonne journée ..
Une belle idée pour utliser les restes, ce gratin doit être délicieux !
Tu as l’art d’accommoder les restes !
Je garde en tête cette idée délicieuse pour mes prochains restes !
Bonne journée
Good kitchen management means making the most of everything.
These noodles are delicious. The touch of cumin is fantastic.
Have a great weekend.
This is, indeed, a beautiful casserole — one I would love, especially using a bacon béchamel instead of a can of soup. So many great flavors and textures here, Jeff! Thanks for the creative response to tuna noodle casserole!
We’ve gone to roasting almost all our veggies! Nice to add them to this yummy casserole….we all need comfort food these days!!!
Haha! I have a recipe called layered leftovers casserole, but it’s nothing like yours! Great way to use them up! Never throw away good food!
Now I do kind of like the way that rolls off the tongue: layered leftovers. Thanks!
Now that sounds like the ultimate comfort food! It’s got all the flavors of a classic casserole with the bonus of using up leftovers in a delicious way. Yum
Thank you, Raymund!