Cooking with Chef Jo: Bacon Cheese Casserole

See it wasn't an April Fools' joke!

As promised, this week's recipe is my Momma's Bacon Cheese Casserole recipe. A funny story...my dad's favorite things in the world to eat are tomatoes, bacon, and cheese. So Momma thought she'd won the jackpot with this recipe. I have no idea where she originally got the recipe, but it is old. The very first time she made it, my Dad came home, packed his sea bag, and went with his unit because Russia decided to put missiles in Cuba (1962). He said it smelled good as he went out  the door. After the fifth attempt and him heading out the door for some emergency or other, she gave up trying to make it for him, but she made it for us several times when he was deployed.  In fact, he never tasted it before I made it in 1997 though many times Momma made it.

It's one of my favorite budget friendly meals that feeds a crowd. It freezes well too. When I was making this to freeze, I used the 3 for $1, 4x3 foil pans from Dollar Tree for the two of us. I simply make it in the pot and before I bake it off, I'll cover the pans with lids that came with the pans and put the extras in the freezer. This one recipe will make four meals for us.

Momma's Bacon Cheese Casserole
Serves 8

What you'll need

1 lb bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz whole tomatoes
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 lb medium egg noodles
2 slices bread, torn into bite sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Putting it all together

• Cook noodles per package directions minus 2 minutes cooking time. The noodles will be al dente.
• Cook bacon until crisp in a pot.
• Remove bacon and place on paper towel to drain.
• Pour out all but 1 TBS of bacon fat. (save it for seasoning)
• Return pot to medium heat, add the onion and garlic. Saute until tender.
• Pour liquid from the tomatoes into the pot to scrap all the yummy bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Squeeze the tomatoes until it breaks off into bite sized pieces into the pot.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Add the bacon back to the pot. Stir well.
• Add the bread pieces to the pot. Stir well.
• Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Stir well.
• Check for needed salt and pepper. Add if needed. (Both the bacon and Parmesan cheese are salty)
• Add the cooked egg noodles. Stir well and pour mixture into a 9x13 pan.
• Sprinkle top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese browns.

Serving suggestions- Serve with a tossed green or spinach salad, and some crusty rolls.

Don't let the ease of making this dish fool you. It only takes about 40 minutes to make, but it's oh so delicious! For these tough times, I used my canned tomatoes, canned bacon, home dehydrated onions, home dehydrated garlic, I made my egg noodles, and used two of the crusty rolls I made instead of the bread slices. I also raided my stores building for the Parmesan cheese for a total from food stores meal. Enjoy!

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo