Getting kids to help in the kitchen is easier today than ever before. Take advantage of precooked ingredients readily available in most grocery stores and supermarkets, add just 2 simple ingredients, and viola, dinner is served! And, the kids did it themselves. Here are some great 3-ingredient casseroles to get your kids cooking tonight.
Precooked Chicken
Precooked chicken is available in precut strips, cubes or even shredded, and also sold in cans. Add any of the following 2 ingredient combinations, and you’ve got dinner in a flash.
Strips
- Add a bag of diced onions and peppers, and heat in a medium skillet (or microwave until hot.) Serve on tortillas warmed in the microwave for fajitas in a flash.
- Heat chicken in a skillet or the microwave with 1 can of Chinese mixed Chop Suey vegetables. Serve over crisp fried noodles, or rice.
- Add a jar of barbecue sauce, and heat until warm. Serve on buns, for quick BBQ chicken sandwiches.
Cubed
- Add a can of cream of mushroom or chicken soup, and a can of peas. Heat until warm for Quick Chicken Ala King.
- Add a jar or can of chicken gravy, and a bag of precooked egg noodles for quick Chicken and Noodles.
- Add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables for stew, and a can of chicken noodle soup for quick Chicken Stew.
Canned
- Press precooked mashed potatoes into the bottom and up the sides of a round cake pan. Top with canned chicken and more mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until potatoes begin to brown, for a quick Shepherds pie.
- Line a baking pan with one can of refrigerator biscuits, pressed down to form a crust. Scoop canned chicken on top of biscuits, and add one can or bag of frozen, mixed vegetables. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes, or until biscuits are done.
Precooked Meatballs
A great dinner starter for kids, pre-cooked meatballs plus 2 simple ingredients make dinner easy, quick and delicious.
- Heat meatballs in a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Serve over pasta.
- Heat meatballs in a jar of beef gravy. Serve over egg noodles for Swedish meatballs in a flash.
- For a quick meatball stew slice meatballs in half and place flat side down in a microwave safe dish. Add a bag of (thawed) frozen vegetables for stew, and a can of mushroom gravy.
- Line bottom and sides of baking dish with precooked mashed potatoes. Add frozen meatballs and beef gravy. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until done.
Canned Seafood
Canned seafood is a great way to get kids started in the kitchen. Add a few simple ingredients to canned shrimp, tuna or crab meat, and presto- a dinner kids can really enjoy.
Tuna
- Add one can of cream of mushroom soup, and one can of peas, to a can of tuna. Bake in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes, or microwave until hot.
- Add a bag of precooked noodles and a can of cream of celery soup to a can of tuna. Heat and eat.
Shrimp or crab
- Crumble tortilla chips into a microwave safe baking dish. Top with one can of shrimp or crab, and shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, and microwave for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted, for a quick seafood nacho casserole.
- Add a can of shrimp to a can of mixed Chinese vegetables. Serve hot over rice.
- Line a pie pan with refrigerator biscuits, pressed flat. Add one can of crab or shrimp. Top with one can of cheddar cheese soup. Bake in a 350 oven until biscuits are done, and casserole is hot.
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