The word “casserole” always made me cringe as a child. It brought to mind some gooey creamy concoction filled with canned tuna, soggy noodles and peas. Actually, it still makes me cringe a little, but I know now that casserole can mean many a different thing. Basically throwing a bunch of stuff into a dish and baking it – and voila – a casserole is born.
I’m not going to pretend that this dish is some sort of well thought out meal that I believed would make an awesome dinner. The reality is I had a really busy few days, the 3 part time jobs I’m working plus some other fun projects left me with little to no time to prepare for MoFo this week. I considered just not posting today, but knew that would just lead to more excuses and an endless cycle of laziness. So to keep the momentum going, I opened up my fridge and literally just grabbed what was available and made this Soyrizo Kelp Noodle Casserole.
My hopes were not high folks, not high at all. As I was putting this together I kept shaking my head knowing in my bones eminent failure was at hand. Even as I pulled it out of the oven and started to take pictures of it I wondered if it was all in vain.
Then I hesitantly grabbed a bowl, sat down, inhaled a deep breath and took a bite. As I chewed my muscles slowly started to relax and a smile spread across my face. This actually tasted good! Oh happy day!!
The kelp noodles add an unexpected texture, the soyrizo gives it a little kick of spice and the celery provides a healthy dose of crunch. Much to my surprise – we have a winner!! And it still falls within my cheap & gluten-free MoFo theme! Now I can go back to stressing on what to make tomorrow 🙂
Price Breakdown:
1 pkg kelp noodles: $3.79
1/2 TBSP olive oil: $.06
1/2 onion: $.30
2 celery stalks: $.30
1/2 pkg soyrizo: $1.75
1/2 can tomato sauce: $.50
1/2 cup Daiya cheese: $1.24
1/4 cup parsley: $.15
Total: $8.09 or $4.05 per serving
What is your favorite unexpected meal success story?