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Recipes from The Casserole Queens Make-a-Meal Cookbook

Try Zucchini Lasagna or New England Pot Pie for a Delicious Weeknight Meal

Need to pull together dinner in a flash? Check! Need to plan an elegant meal for the in-laws? Check! Need to cook and successfully transport a dish to a party? Check!

Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock are shaking things up. The sassy duo—also known as the Casserole Queens—creates one-dish wonders that solve dinnertime conundrums everywhere. Now these ladies are breaking out of the 9 x 13-inch mold with fresh sides and salads that will round out weeknight meals. In The Casserole Queens Make-a-Meal Cookbook, you will find 100 recipes that you can mix and match as you please, with plenty of make-ahead tips so that you can always be prepared.

Try some of these tasty recipes as a sneak peak into this amazing cookbook! Enjoy.

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Citizens of Casseroleville, bow in the presence of the king of all baked dishes! This recipe gets two thumbs-up not only for being gluten-free, but also for allowing you to keep your blood sugar in check. By replacing lasagna noodles with thin layers of sliced zucchini, the carbs stay low, but the flavor is still full and zesty. We suggest using a mandoline for even slices and quick prep. Just be careful—those things are sharp!

Serves 8

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound ground turkey
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons salt
2 medium zucchini
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. In a large straight-sided skillet set over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up any large pieces with the back of a spoon, until brown throughout, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until it thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the oregano and salt. Let cool.

3. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin strips (about 1/8 inch thick). Put 5 or 6 zucchini slices, overlapping slightly, in the bottom of an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Top with 1 cup of the sauce. Dot with 1/4 cup of the ricotta. Repeat the layers twice, alternating the direction of the zucchini. Top with the remaining zucchini and brush the top with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon oil. Dot with the remaining 1/4 cup ricotta and season with the black pepper. Top with the Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the lasagna is bubbling and the top is brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

NEW ENGLAND POT PIE

Hearty, creamy, and with a flaky crust, this potpie is straight-up comfort food. Growing up in the North Georgia mountains, Crystal mainly experienced seafood from a deep fryer. On rare occasions, her uncle Bob would travel to a fish market and bring back huge bags of fresh shrimp, which quickly lent itself to a family shrimp-eating contest. (Boy, howdy! Could Uncle Bob, her brother, Kenny, and her daddy eat some shrimp!) But it wasn’t until she went to Boston for college that she really started to appreciate and love all the flavors of the sea. It didn’t take long before she started experimenting with the many varieties of fresh seafood and all the ways to prepare it. One of her favorite dishes is this amazing potpie.

Serves 8

Cooking spray
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons salt
6 slices bacon
2 small shallots, chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 cup fresh shrimp (31/35), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
8 ounces fresh lump crabmeat
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. Fill a large saucepan with 1 quart of water and set it over high heat. Add the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes.

3. In a separate saucepan set over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. When cool, crumble the bacon.

4. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the shallots to the bacon drippings and cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Using a wire whisk, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly stir in the clam juice, white wine, cream, onion powder, garlic powder, the remaining teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and bubbly, 5 minutes.

5. Add the cooked potatoes, bacon, peas and carrots, corn, thyme, and parsley and stir well. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is hot. Stir in the shrimp and crabmeat. Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

6. On lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry. Roll it into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Put the pastry over the hot seafood mixture and press the pastry along the edges of the casserole dish to seal.

7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown and puffed in the center. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.