Creamy Chicken-Cheesy Casserole

The recipe and Directions are given down below.

I often make this casserole (or something similar to it), cover and refrigerate it in its baking dish overnight, cut it into "blocks" and then put those "blocks" into individual food containers like this...

I snap a cover on them and stick 'em into the freezer for at least a few hours.  After they are frozen enough to keep their shape, I vacuum seal and label  each "frozen block" for a very quick individual meal for one,... or a few.  (There's probably enough in each container to serve two.)  Up front, this might sound like a bunch of work, but... "meal blocks" like this can taste SO good when thawed, and reheated!  And,... they are SO convenient!  

This especially works well for when a casserole is large, but the family is small.  It beats eating the same  meal over and over until it's gone--  or, even worse, seeing it go to waste in the refrigerator.

If you want to see how I do this, check along the right side of this blog and look under "Labels".  I have a heading called "GADGETS I LIKE" and I show how I do this with my vacuum sealer.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. dry medium egg noodles, prepared according to package directions (the same amount of cooked macaroni noodles also work for this.)
• 1/2 cup (4 tablespoons) butter.
• 6 long stalks celery, very finely chopped (include leaves).
• 1 cup (1 medium) onion, chopped.
• 1 pound cooked chicken, chopped into chunks (rotisserie chicken works great).
• 2 cans of 10 oz. cream of chicken soup, not diluted.
• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk (NOT condensed milk).
• 2 cups grated (8 ounces) cheddar cheese of your choice.
• 1 cup (or 1 small package) of frozen green beans OR peas OR mixed vegetables OR ???.
• 2/3 cup crushed potato chips, optional.  (I usually do not add these, because I seldom have any here.)

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook the noodles. Drain.
• While the noodles are cooking, combine the butter, celery and onion in a rather large pan and saute until just tender (about five minutes?).
• Add the cooked/drained noodles.
• Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
• Add the following:  Chicken meat, cream of chicken soup that's first  been smoothly blended together with the evaporated milk, grated cheese, and frozen vegetables of your choice.  Stir until everything is well mixed/blended together.  Pour into greased/sprayed 9x13-inch baking dish.  

                              

• Top with crushed potato chips (optional).  If you don't use potato chips, you can sprinkle a little bit of extra cheese over the top during the last five minutes of baking.
• Bake uncovered at 350-degrees for about 35 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown.  "Kinda sorta" like this...

Below:  I think we had three separate rain 

showers yesterday-- with sunshine in between!  

This makes for plenty of "mow the lawn" work.