This time of year, I am often asked for larger casseroles that will feed a crowd.   Now, “You have a larger size and can eat it too!” Here’s how.

Just yesterday, Jeff and I had a spur of the moment invitation to a dinner party where I needed to take a dish.  It was late afternoon and no time to go to the grocery. Never fear cause lucky for me,  I always have a back up of No Time 2 Cook in my home freezer.  When something comes up like this, I usually take Crab and Mushroom Penne or Chicken and Dumplings because they are microwaveable or heated on a stove top.  I can heat these from frozen, transfer to a casserole and I’m ready to go out the door.  Not so yesterday, as I had only 1 Dumpling and 1 Penne.  I did, however, have 2 Chicken Pies.  Time to restock the freezer!

I wanted to take a large dish in one of my pretty casseroles for the table and two Chicken Pies side by side in a casserole that need to be baked from frozen presented a problem.

So, I had an idea.  I placed the above casserole in a warm oven (170 degrees).  In an hour, the pies were slightly thawed but still icy.  I could then break them apart with a spoon to fill up the empty cavities of the casserole dish.  Then, I took a knife and spread the thawed topping across the entire casserole.  Wa lah!!  You’d never know I started with 2 pies.

All I had to do then was bake and garnish with a little parsley.

Beautiful, delicious, and tastes just like homemade!  That’s because the ingredients are the same as the recipe that came out of my little recipe box when I made my first Chicken Pies for The Belhaven Farmer’s Market in Jackson, MS.   Wow!  I wonder how many Chicken Pies I have made since that market 10 years ago.

So here’s my No Time 2 Cook tip of the day– Always! Always! Always!  Keep several No Time 2 Cook entrees in your freezer for emergencies.  Preferably, at least 2 of one kind when you need a large casserole to take to church, a party, a sick friend, a new mama, or as a bereavement dish.  Your friends will think you spent half a day in the kitchen.  You can keep the secret, but I would love for you to tell them it’s from No Time 2 Cook.

Of course, our regular size casseroles are perfect to share and to have for supper when you have no time to cook.  They’ll give you easy, quick, wholesome meals and feed a family of 4 when served with several side dishes.

Enjoy and let me know how your’s turn out!!

Karen

Send me a picture of one of your large No Time 2 Cook casseroles at karen@notime2cook and I’ll post on our Facebook page.