As a child I didn't like vegetables very much. My Mom would try to disguise them any way she could so I would eat them. But, as I got older and because of Mom taking the time to make veggies delicious, I became a huge fan of any kind of veggie. The one thing she would always say to me, is just try one, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat them. Fast forward to me becoming a Mom. Like my Mom, I would say the same thing to my kids. Amazingly enough, my kids also became big fans of any kind of veggie.
The one veggie she made that I really didn't like was asparagus. We always had asparagus in a can. If you have ever had them out of can, you know what I mean. They were very mushy. Once again when I started cooking I purchased raw asparagus and cooked them in a microwave. My husband loves veggies, but would rather eat them raw instead of cooked. I also had to use my Mom's saying when cooking new veggies for him...I would say the same thing...just eat one, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat them. He had never had asparagus growing up and once he tasted mine he loved them. Now we have asparagus all the time. I cook it to crisp tender and the microwave makes them perfect.
Now back to Mom's carrot casserole. I wouldn't say that carrots are my favorite, but with this recipe they are absolutely delicious. My Mom has been gone for many years and all I had for the recipe was ingredients with no measurements, no baking time, no nothing. So I recreated her recipe the best that I could, however I added onion and celery. When you add onion and celery to anything, it gives the veggies more flavor. Actually, if you think about it, carrots, celery and onion are natural teammates. The French call this combination Mirepoix. When making soups, like chicken noodle, I always use carrots, onions and celery.
- 3 cups carrots (cooked) - I used baby carrots, but sliced works well also
- 3-5 slices of bacon (diced and fried crisp)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1 stalk celery (diced)
- 1 can tomato soup
- 2 T. water
- 4 T. vinegar
- 1 T. sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Let's Make Mom's Carrot Casserole...
First you will need to cook the carrots. It usually takes about 10 minutes after they boil to soften them up.
Next combine the tomato soup, cooked bacon, cooked green pepper, cooked onion, cooked celery, water, vinegar and sugar and mix well.
Once mixed place the mixture in a casserole dish and cover. Bake in a 350° preheated oven for 40 minutes.
And here is Mom's Carrot Casserole... If you have picky veggie people in your family, I think this casserole will change their minds about carrots.
We just had Mom's carrot casserole the other night with meat loaf and augratin potatoes. It is a great comfort food dinner. This would also be a great side dish for Thanksgiving.
Mom's Carrot Casserole Recipe...
- 3 cups carrots (cooked) - I used baby carrots, but sliced works well also
- 3-5 slices of bacon (diced and fried crisp)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1 stalk celery (diced)
- 1 can tomato soup
- 2 T. water
- 4 T. vinegar
- 1 T. sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cook carrots in boiling water until tender.
- Chop bacon and fry until crisp. Remove from pan.
- Next fry green pepper, onion, and celery until tender
- Place bacon, green pepper, onion and celery in a casserole dish and add can of tomato soup, 2 T. water, 4 T. cider vinegar, 1 T. sugar, and the cooked carrots. Mix well
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Bake at 350° for 40 minutes (covered)
One Final Thought...
That's it for today...I do hope you try this recipe especially for those picky veggie eaters. Remember to say to them, just try one, if you don't like it you don't have to eat it...a great saying to change minds on eating their veggies...But, I have a feeling they will love them!
Always remember...Life is short, eat dessert first!"...Words to live by!
