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June 19, 2008

Casseroles for a Cause

By Anne Cain

100_0495 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.


Posted at 07:49 AM in Recipes |
Comments

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.

Posted by:Anne Cain | July 03, 2008 at 10:32 AM

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?

Posted by:Lee | June 30, 2008 at 06:39 PM

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.

Posted by:anne cain | June 25, 2008 at 09:10 AM

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.

Posted by:Anne Cain | June 23, 2008 at 03:24 PM

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.

Posted by:Martha | June 23, 2008 at 07:48 AM

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

Posted by:Debbie | June 20, 2008 at 10:38 PM

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