Cheez-It Potato Casserole Recipe

Who doesn’t love a great casserole?  Here in the midwest the answer is “not many.”  Give us rice.  Give us potatoes.  Give us cheese.  Brocolli.  Onions.  Mushrooms.  Who cares.  Bake it all up.  Soon you’ll see a room of smiles and empty Pyrex dishes.  Certainly, someone will insist on trading recipes.  Nobody’s going around wearing t-shirts that say, “Casserole,” though, so I guess the more important question is, “Who doesn’t love Cheez-Its?” because I know I do.

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Using Cheez-Its as a starting point,  I tried to create a “trifecta of flavor.”  You see, cheddar really loves pork and potatoes.  Pork loves cheddar back, but also likes potatoes.  And potatoes?  He’s happy because he loves cheddar and pork just the same.  After a little planning and research, I used some casserole blueprints to find a place where these three could hang out.

You can take this to parties, tailgating, or as an alternative to any cheesy casserole you would normally use.  Enjoy, and be sure to leave your thoughts or let us know how you’ve tweaked the recipe in the comments below.

Note: for those with pork/meat sensitive diets, you can easily substitute the meat with broccoli.  Cheez-Its are kosher.

CHEEZ-IT POTATO CASSEROLE

Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 6

Heat the oven to 350°.  Bring a large pot of water to boil, then add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes (do not salt, the crackers have more than enough).  Coat a large skillet with olive oil and cook pork chops over medium heat until done, dusting each side once with the herbs.

In a 2-quart mixing bowl, add the condensed cream of mushroom and milk and stir together.  Measure out 2 cups of whole Cheez-Its and set aside.  Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside.

Dice the pork chops, then add them along with the 2 cups of Cheez-Its to the mushroom and milk mixture.  Lightly stir until ingredients are coated.  Drain the potatoes and stir as many as possible in to the mixture, leaving a small gap at the top of the bowl.

Pour the contents of the mixing bowl into the coated casserole dish and smooth top.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.  Sauce will rise.

After baking, remove the dish from the oven.  Uncover, and coat the top with as much shredded cheese as desired.  Sprinkle the top with crushed Cheez-It crackers then a few whole ones.  Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes at 350°.

When finished, remove from the oven and allow the cheese to cool before serving.

(Base casserole recipe from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln ‘Food’ site)