Susan Jones wins state fair casserole contest

DES MOINES, Iowa (Aug. 19, 2024) — Susan Jones of Winterset won first place in Food Bank of Iowa’s fourth annual “Chopped” casserole competition, sponsored by Nationwide, on the final day of the 2024 Iowa State Fair.

Jones’ “BBQ Meatloaf Mac, Cheese and Corn casserole” (recipe below) took top honors out of 30 entries for its flavor, affordability and creative use of ingredients. She received a $1,200 cash prize provided by Nationwide.

Second prize in the casserole contest ($700) went to Tieysa Wood of Des Moines for her Taco Lasagna Casserole, and third place ($500) was awarded to Holly Houg of Urbandale for her Charming Chicken Penne. (Houg won the contest in 2022.)

Winning recipes will be added to the online Chopped — Hot Dish Edition cookbook soon.

The competition again challenged entrants to create affordable, delicious recipes using ingredients easily obtainable by food pantry guests. Entries had to cost $5 or less per serving, be made in 60 or fewer minutes and include one ingredient from each of six categories: starch, sauce, protein, vegetable, topping and seasoning.

Judges were Nash Roe, baking entrepreneur and Food Network competitor; Raquel Gottsch Koehler, FarmHer Inc. owner and CEO; Dirk Pollitt, Nationwide Agribusiness vice president, who also serves on Food Bank of Iowa’s board of directors; Nicole Tam, KCCI-TV anchor/reporter; and Claudette Taylor and Lana Shope, Iowa State Fair. Food Bank of Iowa CEO Michelle Book and Kirbe Schnoor, host of RFD-TV’s “FarmHer,” hosted the competition.

RECIPE: Susie Jones’ winning “BBQ Meatloaf Mac, Cheese and Corn Casserole”

Meatloaf layer:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce (plus a little extra to drizzle over the top of the casserole)
2 pounds ground beef
30 buttery crackers, crushed
1 packet dry onion soup mix
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ketchup and barbecue sauce in a bowl and set aside. Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl with cracker crumbs, onion soup mix and eggs. Add 1/2 cup of the ketchup/barbecue sauce mixture. Mix all ingredients together until fully combined. Then spread the meatloaf mixture evenly into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with the rest of the ketchup/sauce mixture. Place dish in oven and bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes.

Macaroni layer:
3 cups macaroni noodles
2 cups milk
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups corn

While the meatloaf is in the oven, cook the macaroni according to package directions; drain. Combine the milk, soup and seasonings in a large mixing bowl. Add the macaroni to the bowl and stir until all of the noodles are coated. Add the shredded cheese and corn. Once the meatloaf has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and pour off any grease. Then spread the macaroni mixture on top of the meatloaf layer.

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup crushed French fried onions
1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1 teaspoon paprika

Melt butter in microwave and mix with everything but the paprika. Sprinkle crumb mixture and paprika on top of the casserole and bake uncovered another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with additional barbecue sauce and return to oven for 5 more minutes.

Yield: 8 servings
Cost per serving: $3.34

About Food Bank of Iowa
Established in 1982, Food Bank of Iowa provides nutritious food for Iowa children, families, seniors and veterans to live full and active lives, strengthening their communities. Serving 55 of Iowa’s 99 counties, Food Bank of Iowa delivers more than 25 million pounds of food (21 million meals) to 700 partners annually. Learn more at foodbankiowa.org.

About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; and pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

Media contact:
Annette Hacker, VP strategy and communications, Food Bank of Iowa, 515-867-2885, ahacker@foodbankiowa.org