About
If you have acquired hostess duties for the Kentucky Derby® this year, you must include all the fun traditions to add to your celebration! From colorful, big hats to cool mint juleps, your guests are in for a real treat. To keep the traditional trend going, add this Hot-to-Trot Casserole to your menu! A nod to the Kentucky classic Hot Brown, this open-face sandwich topped with warm turkey, crispy bacon, and juicy tomatoes is covered in a creamy cheese sauce and is sure to please. Hot-to-Trot Casserole will bring the giddy-up to your horse race shebang! Traditions have never tasted so good!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 cup extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 slices thick sandwich bread, of your choice, toasted
- 2 pounds deli turkey, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and halved crosswise
- cherry tomatoes, to taste, halved
- fresh parsley, to taste, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to the broil setting.
Step 2 -Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 3 -In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Step 4 -Whisk the flour into the melted butter and cook, about 1 minute.
Step 5 -Gradually whisk the milk into the flour-butter mixture.
Step 6 -Cook the sauce mixture, whisking constantly, until it has thickened, about 6 minutes.
Step 7 -Transfer the saucepan from the heat and whisk 1 cup of the Swiss, the cheddar, the salt, and the pepper into the sauce until the cheeses have melted.
Step 8 -Place the toasted bread slices in the prepared baking dish, overlapping them as needed to fit.
Step 9 -Top the bread slices with the turkey slices, the cheese sauce, the remaining Swiss, and the paprika.
Step 10 -Broil the casserole until the Swiss has melted and is golden-brown, about 4 minutes.
Step 11 -Top the casserole with the bacon slices and the tomatoes.
Step 12 -Serve the casserole garnished with the parsley.
