I’m a huge fan of any kind 
of casserole, after all, what’s not to like? They’re easy to put together, I usually have the ingredients on-hand in my pantry or fridge, and most of them use only one pot or pan (ok…two if you have to cook pasta or rice). So, unless you or someone in your family is one of those people who hate their food mixed together, or (yikes!) someone who hates the foods on their plate to touch each other, casseroles are just plain easy, delicious, and a busy cooks best friend! (No offense intended to the mixed-food-hating, no-food-on-the-plate touching people, you can’t help how you feel…I just don’t get it)
One of the things I love most about casseroles is that I can make them with whatever I have on-hand in the fridge and pantry, mixing and matching ingredients to build a casserole around my basic ”formula” that I adapted from a recipe I found in my mother’s recipe box. I do this so often, that over the years I’ve come up with a chart of sorts that helps me mix-n-match my ingredients based on what my family likes best.
The following chart gives you an idea of how you can mix-n-match pretty much whatever you have on-hand to create your own fabulous casserole. The rules are simple: make your base, choose 1 item each from the sauce, meat, veggie, and starch choices, combine with base, add anything you want from the optional add-ins, top with your choice from the toppings selctions, and bake! That’s it…one pot, no hassles, and you don’t even have to cook the rice or pasta first. How easy is that? You can mix-n-match your own fabulous and delicious casserole tonight! Click on this Mix-n-Match Chart to get started (you can print it!).
Note: You can “plan” these casseroles ahead by cooking extra meat and freezing or refrigerating it for later use. I often do that with ground beef or chicken, by cooking extra portions than freezing it in one lb. or one cup portions so I can grab-n-go!
Some of you might remember 
Beyond having a good amount of 30 minute meals on-hand, like the ones you’ll find here at Half Hour Meals, the key to getting dinner done in a flash is preparation. Once you have a few prepped ingredients in your aresenal, your meals will go from time-consuming to ready-in-no-time.
Does your busy lifestyle make it a real challenge to get dinner on the table? Do you find yourself relying more and more on take-out, delivery or the same old handful of recipes? Do you wish there was a way to put a delicious home-cooked meal on the table without spending hours in the kitchen and blowing you budget on dozens of exotic ingredients? If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place! Half Hour Meals was created with people like you in mind!