Snowpocalypse Casserole

What is it about casseroles that's so comforting? Growing up, we'd only really have them at Thanksgiving, and that was because my grandma used to make this amazing concoction of sour cream, cream of mushroom, and zucchinis. In my recent quest to try and eliminate processed and packaged foods from my life, it's been a little hard to throw together a casserole with a can of good ol' cream of mushroom. 

I saw something similar on the Kitchn blog (which you should check out if you haven't already) and figured I could turn it into a one pot meal kind of thing. After shoveling for hours and surviving the great Chicago Blizzard of 2011, it was time for some comforting food.

This dish is pretty fantastic because it omits the can of soup, and adds shallots. You should eat more shallots. They are somewhere between garlic and onion, but milder and really flavorful. Feel free to substitute stuff, add different veggies, or make it meatless.

Turkey and Chickpea Casserole with yogurt and shallots

1 pkg ground turkey

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 slices bread (whatever you have around)

2 cups plain yogurt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 - 4 small shallots, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch parsley, minced

2 Tsp. rosemary (fresh or dried)

Zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp bouillon (or that "better than bouillon stuff")

1 cup grated parmesan 

salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheat oven to 375

Brown the turkey meat in a pan and toss in a large bowl with chickpeas

Next, add garlic, shallots, parsley, eggs, yogurt, herbs, zest and juice. 

 Stir really well, and add half of the parmesan

Next, pulse the bread in a food processor until you get small breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can double toast the bread and crumble it with your hands. Toss together with black pepper and the remaining parmesan. 

Pour the turkey and chickpea mixture into a casserole pan and top with breadcrumbs and cheese

*note, i used gruyere which was ok but a little too stinky for this recipe. Parm would definitely be the way to go

Bake for an hour and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.