Author Notes: The original concept came from a recipe my grandmother used to make. She never wrote anything down but I was able to find a similar printed recipe Creamy Celery Casserole from AllRecipes.com. I made a few changes from the printed version to mimic NaNa’s version better. Depending on how many people NaNa had to feed that day determined how much pasta she added. She also had to cook on a tight budget so this is another reason she enjoyed making this dish. Sometimes we had mushrooms in the casserole and sometimes we didn’t but it always tasted wonderful. I remember her making different versions of this recipe depending on what she had just picked from the garden. Some days we would have summer squash, tomato, zucchini or onion added to the mixture. Again, everything depended on what she had on hand or what was on sale at the grocery store. I try to do the same in my kitchen today. —AlabamaNaNa
Serves: 8
Ingredients
-
2
cups macaroni pasta
-
4
tablespoons butter
-
4
cups sliced celery
-
3
tablespoons all purpose flour
-
1
teaspoon salt
-
1
cup milk
-
1
small carton sliced mushrooms
-
2
tablespoons chopped bell pepper
-
2
tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
-
2
cups shredded cheddar cheese
-
1
cup bread crumbs
-
2
tablespoons butter melted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until al dente; drain.
- Saute celery, mushrooms and bell pepper in 4 tbls butter until tender. Add salt, flour and milk to mixture and cook down until creamy.
- Add pasta and shredded cheese to mixture. If mixture is too thick can add additional milk to recipe. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour mixture into buttered casserole dish. Top with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
