Easy to follow, step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for making this Veg-All Casserole. You’ll love the combination of flavors. Printable recipe included.
So many possibilities with this dish. You’ll love the combination of flavors.
Years ago, my wife and I attended the annual Dinner Theater at our church. We were fairly new members at the time, and excited for what the evening might hold. We were not disappointed.
Our church has been doing Dinner Theaters for over 30 years (as of 2018) and they are almost always to sell out crowds. The program runs on the weekends for about 8-10 weeks. Its very popular.
They offer a buffet with lots of great foods cooked right at the church. The show itself is filled with comedy, great music, and always a spiritual and uplifting message as the overall theme. The actors are members of the church for the most part and it’s a highly anticipated event each fall.
The music director is also the cook/chef for the event. He’s super talented in both departments.
This was where I first tried this Veg-All Casserole, and it was certainly love at first bite.
At our place at the table, was a small program of the evenings entertainment, along with several of the most requested recipes that were being served at the buffet. I was excited to see the inclusion of the Veg-All Casserole, because I wanted to try it at home.
This is one recipe that I’ve wanted to post here on Taste of Southern for a long time, and now I’m happy to be able to share it with you. It’s one I know you’ll love should you try it.
Try the basic recipe I’ve listed here first, then you’ll start thinking of ways you can make it your own. Change the Cream of Chicken Soup to either Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Celery for a nice flavor change. Add some cooked chicken or beef and make it a complete meal in one dish. Lots of possibilities.
So, let the show begin.
If you’re ready to give it a try, then let’s head out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking.
Veg-All Casserole Recipe – You’ll need these ingredients.
We need to do a little bit of prep work before we start. Slice the celery into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. I like to slice my stalk of celery the long way first to divide it into 1 to 3 long slices. Then bunch those pieces together and slice away.
Next, dice the onion.
And in my case, I needed to grate the cheese. You could use the already grated packaged cheese, but I don’t care for that powdery substance that is on it to keep it from sticking together.
I do use it sometimes, but much prefer a good block of cheese and grating it my self.
You know the saying: Make America GRATE Again. Smile.
Drain the liquid off of the cans of vegetables. Just discard the liquid when finished.
Then drain the water from the Water Chestnuts. Discard that liquid also.
Chop the water chestnuts just a bit so you don’t have such large pieces in the casserole.
Grab a large bowl and add the Chicken Soup, Mayonnaise, and the grated Cheese.
Use a large spoon or spatula to fold everything together.
Then, add the vegetables, celery, onions, and water chestnuts to the bowl.
Stir this mixture until everything is fully combined.
We don’t need them just yet, but go ahead and crumble up the saltine crackers.
I just used my hand to mash them up in the sleeve. Watch the ends though, they might come open on you and cause you to make a big mess. Please don’t ask me how I might know this. Smile.
Lightly coat the bottom and inside walls of a 9″x13″ casserole dish.
Spread the mixture in the casserole dish and smooth down the top.
Carefully spread the crumbled up crackers evenly over the top.
Now, If you prefer, you could melt a little butter and mix it with the crackers before you do this. This particular recipe doesn’t call for that, but it will moisten up the crackers and help them to brown more evenly. Keep it in mind as an option.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F degrees.
Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the dish is bubbling hot and slightly browned on top.
When it’s done, remove the dish from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool a bit.
Enjoy!
Serve the casserole while warm. It does seem to cool quickly so keep that in mind as you prepare your meal.
Once you’ve tried this basic recipe, experiment with it and make it your own. You could do this with Cream of Mushroom Soup or Cream of Celery Soup instead of the Chicken Soup for a change of flavor.
Or, how about adding some cooked and shredded chicken and make it a complete meal in one dish. Lots of possibilities when you start thinking about it.
