Carrot Ring
Time to prepare: 2-3 hours (1hr prep, 1 to 1.5 cook time)
We traditionally have this dish as a side dish along with a typical turkey dinner at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The original recipe is called “carrot ring” because it is meant to be prepared in a Bundt/wreath-shaped pan, and served with cooked peas piled in the center. We typically do not do this, so it’s ends up being a sort of casserole.
Ingredients
- 2lb carrots, washed and peeled (consider using baby carrots that are already washed and peeled)
- 1 cup soda crackers, crushed
- Alternatively breadcrumbs, panko, ritz crackers, or even crushed corn flakes would work
- 1 cup milk
- 1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- The cheap stuff works best here. I have tried with fancy cheeses, and it never works quite right. The cheapest block of orange cheese will work best
- Avoid using pre-shredded cheese, as it contains potato starch that will change the taste of the final dish
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup onion, minced finely
- 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper
- 2 eggs
I usually finish this in a foil loaf pan, as I usually cook this dish to take to someone else’s home, and a foil pan is more convenient for this. Do not use foil pans that have plastic lids, the lids will melt.
Steps
- Peel and boil carrots until soft. You should be able to easily crush with a fork.
- Mash carrots, so that there are still small some small chunks. Set aside for now.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit
- Prepare the rest of the ingredients, if you have not already
- Crush crackers into crumbs
- Mince onions
- Shred/Grate cheese
- Melt butter
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed carrots, crumbs, milk, cheese, butter, onions, salt, and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, mix well.
- In a separate dish, crack and beat eggs well (as though you were making scrambled eggs)
- Fold egg mixture into carrot mixture with a wooden spoon, until well combined
- Transfer mixture to an oven-safe baking dish and bake until the top edges are slightly crisp and golden - about 60-80 minutes