I don't "do" canned soup....but this is very easy and quick...
Cook 12 oz of fuzilli pasta.
Cook and drain about a pound of boneless skinless chicken....just put it into a pan with a lid, add a can of chicken broth, a small onion cut up 3 or 4 stalks of celery cut into 1/2 inch pieces and and a couple of carrots cut into buttons.
Simmer about 20 minutes until the chicken is almost dona and the veggies are getting done.
Turn off the fire, cut up the chicken and add to the pasta, mix a family sized can of cream of chicken soup into the stuff ( broth and veggies) in the pan, mix it with the pasta and chicken, add a cup of grated cheese, mix and bake 35 minutes at 350 until done.

Or even simpler....1 1/2 cups cooked chicken or ham or shrimp, 1 can of cream of celery soup, 1 can of chicken broth....mix, add a bag of frozen mixed veggies, sprinkle on some cheese and bake.

Easier yet, brown a pound of ground meat ( beef or pork) cook 1/2 oz pasta, add a can of rotel, regular ( not hot!) anda same sized can of diced tomatoes, add a 2 cup bag of grated cheese and bake.
It's not gourmet....but kids will eat it....and it sure is easy.
Linda C

Anna, you kind person! Here is an easy and flexible yet tasty casserole:

Bobs Casserole

4 oz cream cheese
4 oz sour cream
4 oz cottage cheese
1 egg
Garlic
S&P
Parsley
1 lb ground beef
8 oz noodles
1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
¼ c red wine

Preheat oven to 375

Mix cheeses, egg, seasonings. Boil water for noodles.
Put tomato sauce in pan and heat. Add beef and heat until beef is cooked. Add wine and simmer briefly.

Rinse noodles in cold water and drain. Spread half the noodles over the greased bottom of a deep casserole dish. Add cheese mixture, the rest of noodles, and finally the tomato sauce for a topping.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Freezes well.

Ham and Broccoli Casserole

1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup uncooked regular white rice
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/4 lb ham, (chopped - 4 cups)
3 Tblsps. flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups milk
2 packages broccoli spears, cooked
8 oz sliced Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook rice according to package directions. Spray large rectangular casserole dish with Pam. Melt butter. Mix 3 tablespoons with bread crumbs. Saute chopped onions in remaining butter. Add flour, salt and pepper. Cook until bubbly. Slowly stir in milk. Cook slowly until thickened. Stir in ham. Heat through gently. Layer rice in bottom of dish. Next lay broccoli in single layer. Pour ham mixture over layers. Top with cheese slices. Sprinkle on bread crumbs. Cover. (Can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated. If chilled, set out for about 30 minutes before cooking.) Cook for 45 minutes. Serves 6 - 8.

Notes:
Swiss cheese is best but I have used other strong-ish white cheeses - even a little Parmesan mixed in.
Good leftovers.
Good with either green salad or fruit salad.
If you get the ham from the deli, you can have it sliced kind of thickly and then it is just a few cuts to dice it.
Use only whole milk.

Oh wow! Thank-you lindac, mustangs and bbstx! All three ideas sound great and pretty easy....even for me. Now the dilemma is which one to fix tomorrow night. I may sleep on it and decide tomorrow morning, but I will print out all of the recipes for use at some time or another. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! You all are really fast, too. I truly appreciate your help.

Anna

This recipe from Woodie is very easy and tasty.

Pasta - Baked Ziti - Woodie

1 Lb dry ziti pasta
1 onion chopped
1 Lb ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (like
the sausage and onion & pepper style)
6ounces Provolone cheese sliced
1 1/2 Cup sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese
shredded
2 Tbl grated Parmesan cheese

1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.~
Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8~
minutes; drain.

2 In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over
medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

3 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Butter a 9x13 inch (use larger dish) baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce~
mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining~
sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4 Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until~
cheeses are melted.~

Makes 8 servings

Shepherds Pie is easy and a great comfort food.

Shepherds Pie

4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup diced onion, about 1/2 medium
1 cup diced celery
2 cups diced carrot, about 2 medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp flour
1 cup red wine (optional)
2 1/2 cups beef stock ( I use 1/2 stock one half my brown sauce)
1 sprig rosemary (I usually don't have so I just use dried or omit)
1 sprig thyme (same as for the Rosemary)
Salt and pepper to taste

4 medium cooking potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, smashed
butter
1/4 milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to large pan over medium high heat. Add ground beef.
2. Cook until excess liquid is gone and meat is starting to brown. If required drain of any fat.
3. Remove meat from pan and deglaze with red wine, let reduce slightly.
4. In another large pot, add remaining vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; cook until soft but not browned, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add garlic and add tomato paste. Brown paste slightly then sprinkle in flour. Cook out for a minute or two
6. Add in red wine, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan.
7. Add beef stock, rosemary, thyme. Return browned meat to pot. Simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes.
8. Remove lid and continue cooking for another 10 minutes; liquid will reduce and thicken. Remove rosemary, thyme . Season well with salt and pepper.

Potatoes (Note I usually just do plain mashed potatoes but these are a little bit special)

1. Add quartered potatoes and smashed garlic to medium pot.
2. Boil until potatoes are tender but not overdone, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Strain potatoes; let dry out slightly in colander before returning to pot. Add milk, butter, pepper, Parmesan cheese and more salt if necessary.
4. Mash with a potato masher.

Preheat oven to 400. Spoon filling into the bottom of a 10-inch round casserole dish. Top with potatoes. Grate parmesan cheese on top and dot surface evenly with butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake on middle rack until top is golden and filling is warmed through, about 20-25 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Anna, I notice that you are in Zone 10a. So am I depending on which Zone map you look at!

I've fixed this casserole a couple of times, and it's the easiest thing I've ever made. It's tasty, too! Scroll down to the Swiss Stuffing Chicken recipe. The lady that posted it said it can be assembled raw and frozen too.

Chase, you beat me to the punch with the Shepherd's Pie.

In another vein, you could bake a batch of biscuits and fix a quick pan full of creamed chicken or chicken ala king, then she could ladle the chicken mixture over the biscuits for dinner and have biscuits for breakfast left over.

Annie

This sounds awful, but it really is good! It's sort of like a sheppard's pie, but easier. :-)

Mason City Casserole

1 pound raw ground beef
1 medium onion diced
All Purpose seasoning to taste
1 pound tater tots (frozen)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup

Preheat oven to 350°F. Press raw ground beef into a greased cake pan or small casserole dish. Spread diced onion over beef; sprinkle with seasoning . Cover with frozen Tater Tots. Spread both cans of soup over the top and bake for 90 minutes. Serve with a vegetable or salad.

Here's another good one...

Tamale Pie
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 green pepper -- chopped fine
1 pound ground beef
1 quart tomatoes
1 can corn, whole kernel, canned
1 can ripe olives -- pitted
1 tablespoon tamale seasoning -- or chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup yellow cornmeal

Cooking Directions:

Fry until lightly brown the onion, garlic pepper. Add beef and brown.

Add tomatoes, corn, olives, tamale seasoning and salt. Cook slowly for 15
minutes.

Mix together milk and eggs. Add cornmeal and mix well. Pour over beef
mixture.

Pour into a large baking dish. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

And one more...

Chicken Breast Casserole
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
1 can mushroom soup
1 can celery soup
2/3 cup milk
1 cup rice -- whole grain -- uncooked
2 tablespoons chopped pimentos
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 package Lipton onion soup mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Directions:

In a large baking dish mix soups. Arrange chicken. Add pimentos, milk and rice. Pour soup mix over all. Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Didn't expect to see more yummy recipes! Thanks! I decided to make lindac's first recipe, and it looked great! I hope they enjoyed it tonight. Also made a mixed green salad and a fruit medley for dessert.

Chase, that shepherd's pie recipe sounds wonderful. I haven't had shepherd's pie in years, and it gave me a hankering for it. Will try to fix that soon for myself.

GArdengrl, the tamale pie with the corn meal sounds interesting too. My mother would buy tamales on occassion when growing up and we really liked them. Brought back memories.

Thanks everyone! I have copied all the recipes and now feel well-stocked for any casserole emergencies that may arise. Bon appetit!

Anna