Love green bean casserole? Then you should have the same feelings for my cheesy okra casserole to your holiday dinner table.

When you think of Thanksgiving (or other winter holiday) side dishes, I bet green bean casserole is the first that comes to mind for many people. Besides my general aversion to green food as a child, I also disliked the mushy consistency due to used canned beans. That stuck with me even after I started eating green vegetables in college.

But then I tried making them myself with fresh green beans, such as in green bean artichoke casserole, and it was a total game changer.

When I decided to add okra instead of green beans, to fit my themed Thanksgiving menu (thus far with sweet tea sangria, poblano bacon gravy, smoked mac & cheese, and smoked turkey), it should come as no surprise that I did not use canned.

That being said however, okra is a pretty tough guy and I bet using a can wouldn’t be nearly as offensively mushy. I just wasn’t willing to take that risk. But in case you cannot readily find fresh okra, frozen will work as well.

Don’t forget to check out the other awesome Holiday Side Dishes posted today:

• Balsamic Mustard Brussels Sprouts from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Broccoli Cheese Casserole from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Cheddar Green Bean Casserole from Kate’s Recipe Box
• Easy Southern Succatash from Blogghetti
• Herbed Hasselback Potatoes from Family Around the Table
• Honey Roasted Carrots with Thyme from Sweet Beginnings
• Hot Honey Skillet Corn from Our Good Life
• Okra Casserole from The Spiffy Cookie
• Par-Baked Dinner Rolls from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Pepper Bacon Mac N Cheese from Simply Inspired Meals
• Roasted Garlic and Herb Mushrooms from Cook with Renu
• Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Sauteed Chayote Squash with Onions and Bacon from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese from Palatable Pastime

Two years ago: Dark Chocolate Cookies and Cream Bars

Three years ago: Weekly Meal Plan #36

Four years ago: White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookie Bars

Five years ago: Chocolate Candy Corn & Creme Cookies

Six years ago: Halloween 7-Layer Bars

Seven years ago: Pumpkin Oreo Truffles

CHEESY OKRA CASSEROLE

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk

1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1 lb. fresh (or frozen) okra, steamed and chopped

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 (2.8 oz.) can French fried onions, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a medium baking dish ans set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and soup. Stir in the okra, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and 1/2 the can of fried onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Top with remaining cheese and fried onions, and bake 5 more minutes, or until melted and toasted.

Source: Adapted slightly from Allrecipes.

Why serve your burger with a glass of root beer when you can pour it on top? This burger is anything but basic with blue cheese, crispy onions, and a root beer reduction.

Other than it being my birthday month, wanna know why I love May? Because it’s burger month!! And once again our trusty leader Kita (Girl Carnivore) has lined up an epic month long event full of burger goodness. Week one has already finished and I am here to help bring in week #2.

Picking out a burger worthy of this occasion comes with a bit of pressure because it can’t be and old burger. While yes I do love a good classic, this is the time to experiment and get crazy with your burger. My idea came from my recent obsession with reducing root beer into a syrup to then be mixed into baked goods such as cookies. So what if I put it on top of a burger instead? After all, it makes for a great liquid to cook meat in the slow cooker. And I happen to have a lot of hard root beer in my possession at the moment.

Let’s take that regular beef patty seasoned with a bit of steak seasoning, top it with crumbly blue cheese, crispy onions and root beer reduction, and serve it on a tasted bun. Talk about a dream come true for this root beer lover (up there with the peanut butter bacon burger). Because why should you limit yourself to serving your burger with just a glass of root beer on the side when you can have it ON your burger?

Take a look a other creations I’ve made for #BurgerMonth including: The Pepper Burger (2021), Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Turkey Burgers (2020), Chimichurri Burgers (2019), Sushi Burger (2018), Patacon Burgers (2017), and Spicy Mustard & Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers (2014).

Where this epic burger creation is my own for #BurgerMonth 2016, I would love to thank Certified Angus Beef, Cowboy Charcoal, Char-broil, Dreamfarm, Cabot Cheese, Grill Master Club, American Lamb Board, and CuttingBoard.com for the kick butt grill prize packages! Make sure you check out the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post!

One year ago: Baked French Toast Boats

Two years ago: Breakfast Casserole Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers

Three years ago: Strawberry Lemonade Rice Krispies Treats

Four years ago: Malted Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

HARD ROOT BEER BURGERS WITH BLUE CHEESE AND CRISPY ONIONS

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) bottle hard root beer (regular also works)

1-1/2 lb. ground beef

1 Tbsp steak seasoning

8 oz. crumbled blue cheese

1 cup French fried onions

4 hamburger buns, toasted

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring the root beer to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 2-3 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat gill or place a large non stick pan on the stove top.
3. In a large bowl, combine ground beef and seasoning together and form into 4 patties. Grill or pan fry about 4-5 minutes per side or until desired doneness.
4. Place burger on bottom half of burger bun, top with blue cheese, fried onions, and a drizzle of root beer glaze. Sandwich with top half of burger bun and dig in!

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Dreamfarm Big Vebo ($37.95)
• American Lamb
• Cabot cheesebox
• Cert Angus Beef
• Charbroil Grill
• Cowboy Charcoal Samplers
• Cuttingboard.com cutting board
• GrillMasters Club Box

No holiday table is complete without cheesy potatoes and it doesn’t get any better than this cheesy tater tot casserole topped with French fried onions, bacon, and more cheese.

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With every major holiday comes a gathering involving food. But with Easter you have even more options as it can be in the form of a brunch or dinner. Personally I prefer the brunch, especially when my friend would host it while in Memphis and we’d have fried chicken and waffles. Complete with mimosas of course.

But no matter which meal of the day you choose to celebrate with, cheesy potatoes are always welcome. I have made this recipe before but changed it up a bit using tater tots instead of cubed hash browns, and bacon and French fried onions on top instead of corn flakes. Those small changes made a huge difference and this is now my go-to cheesy potato casserole. No leftovers to be seen!

Tasty Tot Recipes

• Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Sausage and Tot Brunch Bites from That Recipe
• Tater Tot Enchilada Bake from Making Miracles
• Tator Tot Totchos from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Vegan Baked Masala Veggie Tots from Magical Ingredients

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

One year ago: Single Serving Bread Pudding

Four years ago: Strawberry Nutella Bread Pudding

CHEESY TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Print

Yield: 8-10 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 (2 lb.) pkg. frozen tater tots, thawed
• 1 cup crushed French fried onions
• 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the cheese, yogurt, soup, butter, and seasonings until blended. Fold in the tater tots until evenly distributed and spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with onions, bacon, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and the top is golden.

Source: Adapted from my Cheesy Potato Casserole.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

What is Scooter’s spaghetti? It is similar to lasagna but is instead made with spaghetti and cream cheese and then topped with crispy fried onions.

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The end of October is upon us folks. As much as I am disturbed by that fact, The Secret Recipe Club is here to save the day. This month I was assigned to Colie’s Kitchen.

At first I really wanted to be a kid in the kitchen and make her Mall Style Pretzel Dogs, but I then found myself torn between the Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato and Wine Sauce and Scooter’s Spaghetti. I hope your powers of observation figured out which one won the battle.

I mean come on, it has cream cheese in it which is like peanut butter in a dessert to me = weakness.

While making this I had the pasta boiling, the beef browning, and the vegetables cooking in the microwave all at the same time. They all had about 5 minutes of time to get going, so I prepared as much as I could in advance and then threw it all together at once to cut down on time in the kitchen.

I think everyone can appreciate a little less time spent cooking and more time enjoying your efforts afterwards.

Not to my surprise, the cream cheese mixture was my favorite part. It added such a creamy deliciousness that I could not stop eating it. Which also made me think about making lasagna with cream cheese instead of ricotta.

The original recipe said it serves 10 but there’s no way that was happening for me. To be fair, if you served it with a side salad or veggies I think it could feed at least 12. Or maybe I just have the appetite of a 16 year old boy.

SCOOTER'S SPAGHETTI

Print

Yield: 8-12 Servings Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large jar (26.5 oz.) favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green peppers
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp milk
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
• 1 small can (3 oz.) French fried onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. While the pasta cooks, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Drain excess grease.  Reduce heat to low, add spaghetti sauce and cover while you prepare the rest.
4. While the beef cooks, combine onions, peppers, and butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave 3-4 minutes on high until soft. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir until combined.
5. Evenly spread half of the sauce mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with spaghetti, cream cheese mixture, remainder of the spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Top with French Fried onion and continue baking 5 more minutes.

Source: Adapted slightly from Colie’s Kitchen.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

Post updated 1/22/2023, photos above and below are the originals.