I don’t make casseroles but maybe twice a year – I didn’t grow up eating them and have never really known what to put in them.  When it comes to making them, for some reason, I am not very creative, am unsure of myself and must strictly adhere to a recipe (which is completely unlike me).  My husband enjoys casseroles somewhat, but despises cream of mushroom soup.  I think most of the recipes I have ever seen call for that ingredient, so, being the uncreative casserole cook that I am, I am always at a loss.  However, the yesterday I put together a casserole last minute without a recipe and a couple of sick and screaming children, hoping it would taste somewhat good.  Guess what?  It did!  In fact, my husband LOVED it and wants it on the permanent rotation of family recipes.  My toddler ate the green beans without even knowing she was eating them – they didn’t even taste like green beans!  I thought I would share this VERY simple casserole with our readers.

Chicken & Rice Casserole

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (cooked, cubed and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper)
2 cups of cooked rice
16 ounce can of cream of celery soup
2.5 cups of frozen green beans or broccoli (steamed)
6 ounces of sour cream
1.5 cups of chicken broth
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Topping: 
1/2 cup butter
1 package of saltine crackers (about 40 crackers)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. In a bowl, mix the spices, broth, sour cream and soup until fairly uniform (a few lumps is fine).
  3. In a 9/13 casserole dish, mix together the rice, chicken and green beans.
  4. Add in the liquids from the bowl, and stir well.
  5. In a sauce pan, melt the butter on low heat.
  6. Crush the crackers in a large ziplock bag, and add to the pan of melted butter.  Mix well.
  7. Add topping to the top of the casserole dish.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes and enjoy!

 

Valerie is a God-fearing coach’s wife and stay at home mom of five bright-eyed little ones.   She is the original founder of A Nation of Moms, a “one-stop shop” blog-azine of resources and advice for all moms who, like Valerie, just needed a little help.