This is one of my favorite chicken casserole recipes.  It’s one I’ve adapted to suit my family’s tastes over the past couple of years, and it just seems to be getting better.  If you’re a garlic lover, feel free to add a couple more teaspoons.

Garlic Chicken Mozzarella Bake

• 2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, do not drain
• 4 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, more or less to taste
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 dried bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni, drain in a colander, and place back in pot.  In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic in 2 tbsp. of olive oil until softened, and beginning to brown. Add chicken to skillet, and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add onion, garlic, and chicken mixture to macaroni and stir.  Then stir in mozzarella, undrained tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking pan, or casserole dish.

Topping:  With a fork, blend together 2 tbsp. olive oil, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and a pinch of salt.  Sprinkle over casserole.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until bubbly on the edges, and golden brown on top.

Covered casserole dishes are always convenient for this recipe.  When the meal is over, just pop the lid over the leftovers, and place in the fridge.  The casserole dishes above are available at World Market.

With the economy in crunch, many of us are looking for ways to save on food expenses.  One of the best ways to save a buck on meals without sacrificing quality is to dig out all your favorite casserole recipes, or find some new ones.

If you think casseroles are limited to boring tuna/vegetable concoctions like your mom used to make, you should do a quick search for casserole recipes.  It’s easy to find low-fat versions of old favorites, and ideas for satisfying even the most sophisticated tastes. Here’s a vegetarian casserole from Cooking.Com that I’m going to try this week:

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach

• 1 pound of rigatoni
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach thawed
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 5 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Cook pasta until almost done, and drain.  Pour pasta into a large (9X13) casserole dish, and toss with 1 tbsp. of oil.

Next, squeeze all excess water from spinach, and place in a food processor with ricotta cheese, 3 tbsp of the Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  Puree.  Then, stir in half of the fontina cheese.

Stir the pureed mixture into the pasta. Top with remaining fontina cheese, Parmesan cheese, and oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until top is brown and bubbly.

The casserole dish shown above is the Emeril adobe clay covered casserole dish available at Holiday Decorations Direct. Com.