Garden Baked Potato Casserole

This recipe is a personal creation, with some of the ideas borrowed from a recipe card I was once gifted at a White Elephant party. (Random, I know.) It's fairly easy to make and works great as a side dish, though I actually enjoy it as an entree myself. The secret is in the ranch dressing - it gives the dish a little tangy kick.

GARDEN BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

• 4 potatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 8 oz frozen chopped broccoli
• 8 oz frozen green peas
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup light ranch salad dressing
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or use 2 tsp dried parsley flakes)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 °F.
2. Microwave pierced potatoes on HIGH for 12 minutes, then bake for 30-40 minutes or until done.
3. While potatoes are baking, cook broccoli and peas according to package instructions.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add onion and mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
5. When potatoes are done, scoop them into a large bowl.
6. Add salad dressing to the potatoes. Mash potatoes using a potato masher or a hand mixer.
7. Add onion, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, salt, pepper, and parsley to the potato mixture. Mix well.
8. Scoop potato mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in oven until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

The finished product.

Serves: 6-8 as a side dish, 4-5 as a main course

One of my favorite gadgets to use for chopping veggies is my Chop Wizard. I saw it on one of those <~embarrassing admission alert~> infomercials, and had R. get it for me for my birthday one year. Or was it Christmas? Anyway, it is a fantastic gadget to have, especially for chopping onions. No more tears!! And clean up is easy, just throw it into the dishwasher.

Chop wizard in action.


It has a built in measuring cup, too! Just stand the chop wizard upright.