Casserole Recipe Contest Winners: Top 3 Recipes

In 2025, the Farmers’ Almanac annual recipe contest called for original casseroles containing five ingredients or less. Cooks from across the country sent in their best one-dish suppers, and our judges narrowed the field to three. Here are the top three prize-winning recipes, each one written out the way the cook submitted it, so you can put any of them on the table this week. Psst … do not miss this year’s competition!

The casserole has long been the workhorse of the American kitchen, the dish you carry to a potluck, a new neighbor, or a family weathering hard news. It bakes in one pan, stretches a few ingredients into a full supper, and reheats the next day without complaint. The casserole earned its place in the long history of one-dish cooking precisely because it is forgiving, and the five-ingredient rule of our 2025 contest proves the point: you do not need a long shopping list to put something good on the table.

3 Winning Casserole Recipes

The following three casserole recipes were the Farmers’ Almanac judges’ top picks. Each one keeps to the five-ingredient limit, and each one comes straight from the cook who submitted it.

1st Place: Polish Delight Casserole Recipe

Submitted by Jamie Parchman of Harlingen, Texas. This first-place dish leans on the comfort of cheddar perogies and kielbasa, a nod to Polish kitchen tradition done the easy weeknight way.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of 12 frozen cheddar perogies, thawed
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pound kielbasa, thinly sliced
• 1 1⁄2 cup French fried onions, divided
• 1 jar mushrooms, drained

Directions:

1. Line bottom of 2-quart casserole dish with thawed perogies. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together mushroom soup, kielbasa, 3⁄4 cup French fried onions, mushrooms, 3⁄4 cup of water, and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
3. Once mixed, pour over perogies in dish. Sprinkle remaining onions evenly over the top of casserole.
4. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Check halfway through baking. If onions are getting too dark, loosely cover with aluminum foil to prevent burning.

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2nd Place: Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Submitted by Chasity Duhaney of Hiram, Georgia. This second-place casserole pairs roasted sweet potatoes with seasoned chicken and a bright squeeze of lime, then finishes under a blanket of melted cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie, grilled, or store-bought fried tenders), chopped
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed (1⁄2-inch pieces)
• 1⁄2 cup garlic parmesan sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Colby Jack cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss cubed sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp of oil. Spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crispy on the edges.
3. ln a large bowl, combine chopped chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, garlic parmesan sauce, and fresh-squeezed lime juice. Toss gently to coat.
4. Assemble casserole. Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

3rd Place: Chicken Bacon Alfredo Casserole Recipe (with Biscuit Topping)

Submitted by Timothy Dehollander of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This third-place casserole tucks chicken, bacon, and peas under refrigerated biscuits, so the topping bakes up golden right along with the filling.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
• 1 1⁄2 cups crispy cooked bacon, chopped
• 1 (15-16 oz) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 1⁄2 cups frozen sweet peas (no need to thaw)
• 1 can (8 biscuits) refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook the bacon until crispy, then chop it into small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, bacon, Alfredo sauce, and frozen peas. Mix until well combined.
4. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish. Top with the biscuits, spacing them evenly on top.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown.
6. Cool for 10-12 minutes before serving.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

One of the quiet virtues of a casserole is that it keeps. Each of these three dishes can be assembled a day ahead, covered, and held in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake, which makes them friendly for a busy week or a gathering you are cooking ahead for. If you want to stash one for later, casseroles freeze well too. The University of Georgia’s National Center for Home Food Preservation has clear, tested guidance on freezing casseroles, including how to wrap them and how long they hold their quality. As a general rule, refrigerate leftovers within two hours of baking, store them in a covered dish, and use them within three to four days.

A few of these recipes use precooked shortcuts like rotisserie chicken or store-bought biscuits, which is part of the charm of the five-ingredient rule. When you reheat, warm the casserole through until it is hot and bubbling in the center, and look at our Best Days calendar if you like to time your baking by the Moon. For another round of one-dish ideas, our collection of casserole recipes is a good place to wander next.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to the The Green Ladle student chefs who prepared the recipes for judging, and to the Lewiston Regional Technical Center students who photographed our winning dishes!

Up Next? Strawberry Recipe Contest

This year’s recipe contest’s featured ingredient is … drum roll … strawberry! Enter our Strawberry Recipe Contest today.

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Previous Recipe Contest Winners

• 2024 Bean Recipes
• 2023 Blueberry Recipes
• 2022 Honey Recipes
• 2021 Sweet Potato Recipes
• 2020 Banana Recipes
• 2019 Quinoa Recipes
• 2018 Garlic Recipes
• 2017 Spinach Recipes
• 2016 Lemon Recipes
• 2015 Unusual Muffin Recipes

Curious about ingredients winning recipes dating back before 2015? Ask us in the comments and we will share more!

Casserole Recipe Contest: Frequently Asked Questions

Join the Discussion

Which one of these recipes makes you hungry?

Please join us in celebrating our winners, and follow along with the next contest on the Farmers’ Almanac recipe contest page and on the Farmers’ Almanac Facebook page.

What is one of your favorite ingredients to cook with?

Farmers' Almanac Staff

This article was published by the Staff at FarmersAlmanac.com. Any questions? Contact us at questions@farmersalmananac.com.

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