Casseroles for a Cause
Normally I’m not too crazy about casseroles made with “cream of something soup”, but when I needed to figure out how to make a lot of casseroles in the most efficient manner possible, I begin to see cream of mushroom soup in a whole new light.
My women’s mission group just sponsored a Freezer Fair where we sold frozen casseroles to raise money for a local women’s shelter. We took pre-orders for four different types of casseroles, and then gathered on Saturday morning to cook, assemble, label, and freeze over 200 orders for pick-up the next day.
I was in charge of Chicken Tetrazzini and since there was no time to make a creamy white sauce, we opened up a case of canned cream of mushroom soup and got to work. In about 3 hours, two of us had made 60 casseroles! We did pre-cook the pasta and buy packages of chopped cooked chicken, which helped speed up the process.
If you’re looking for a fun way to raise a lot of money, there seems to be a big demand for pre-cooked casseroles. Or, if you’re just looking for a quick meal for your family, this one is sure to please.
Recipe for Easy Chicken Tetrazzini
Combine 3 cups chopped cooked chicken, 12 ounces spaghetti, cooked (about 6 cups), 1(8-ounce) can mushrooms, drained, 1 stick of melted butter, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups sour cream, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir well, and spoon into a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish or 2 (8-inch) casserole dishes. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 10-12 servings.
To freeze, assemble as directed and cover with foil. Bake frozen casserole, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, then bake uncovered an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly.
What a great idea for a fund raiser! Would you mind sharing the recipes for the other casseroles? Our church is always looking for different ideas to raise money for our mission trips.
Thanks.
Debbie
I second Debbie’s request! I think this is a GREAT idea and I would like to see if we can use it as a fundraiser at our church.
I am glad that others think this is a great idea because it really is a fun project and a great way to raise money for missions. I will get the other recipes and post them this week.
Here are the casserole recipes that we made: Cherry Salad (frozen version)
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521145
Broccoli and Cheese Casserole: Cook 3 (10-ounce) package of frozen broccoli. Combine with 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup mayo, 1 egg, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Place in a 13 x 9 casserole dish or 2 smaller baking dishes, and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Chicken and Rice Bake: 3 cups chopped cooked chicken, 2 cups cooked rice, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mayo, 1 can cr of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of celery soup, 1 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 stick butter, melted, 1 sleeve Ritz crackers.
Mix together all ingredients but butter and crackers, and put into a 13 x 9 casserole dish or 2 smaller dishes. Add melted butter and crumble crackers over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 10-12.
Where in the world did you find space to freeze 200 casseroles? How much did you charge per casserole if you don’t mind me asking. This sounds like a great fund raiser. Did you just take pre-orders?
More details on our project: We made the casseroles in the kitchen at our church, where there is a walk-in freezer. We made them on Saturday and had the pick-up on Sunday morning, so we didn’t take up all the space for too long. We sold the entree casseroles for $12 each, and the side dish casseroles for $6. We did have members of our group donating some of the ingredients, so we did not have to subtract out ALL of the food costs.