Casseroles: One-Dish Wonders With Five Family-Favorite Recipes

A casserole is a one-dish baked meal that combines a protein, a starch, a vegetable, and a sauce or binder, baked together in a single dish. The format goes back centuries in many cuisines (French casserolle, Italian pasta al forno, Greek pastitsio), but the American casserole boom of the 1950s, riding on convenience foods like cream of mushroom soup, Tater Tots, and canned vegetables, is what defines the modern dish in this country.

What Are Casseroles?

Why Should You Make a Casserole?

Three reasons. First, casseroles feed a crowd from a single dish, which means one pan to wash. Second, they make excellent leftovers and reheat well. Third, they assemble the day before, which makes them ideal for busy nights, potlucks, sick relatives, new parents, and freezer stocking. A casserole is the original meal-prep dinner.

When Were Casserole Recipes Invented?

The basic format goes back to medieval European cooking, when peasants baked grains, vegetables, and scraps of meat together in a covered pot. Casseroles entered the American kitchen in earnest in the 1950s, when mass-market women’s magazines (Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal) ran weekly casserole columns built around convenience foods. The form has barely changed since.

Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

The Minnesota-Wisconsin classic. Crispy Tater Tot topping over ground beef and cream of mushroom.

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bag (32 oz) frozen Tater Tots

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet, 8 minutes. Drain.
3. Stir in both soups, milk, vegetables, salt, and pepper.
4. Spread in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
5. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the top. Arrange Tater Tots in rows on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese.
6. Bake 35-45 minutes until Tots are golden and casserole bubbles at the edges.

Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Assemble the night before, bake in the morning. A holiday or weekend brunch staple.

Ingredients (serves 8-10):

• 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
• 8 cups cubed day-old bread
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 10 large eggs
• 2½ cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

1. Brown sausage in a skillet, 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Spread bread cubes in a greased 9×13 dish. Top with sausage and cheese.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour over the bread layer.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake covered 30 minutes, uncovered 15 more, until set in the center.

Chicken & Biscuit Casserole Recipe

Pull-apart biscuit topping over a chicken pot pie filling.

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can (16 oz) refrigerated biscuit dough

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine chicken, soup, broth, vegetables, thyme, salt, and pepper in a 9×13 dish.
3. Cut biscuits in quarters. Scatter over the top.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes until biscuits are golden and filling bubbles.

Hamburger Casserole Recipes

Johnny Marzetti Casserole Recipe

An Italian-American Midwestern classic from Columbus, Ohio. Ground beef, pasta, tomato sauce, cheese, baked.

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 ounces elbow macaroni or rotini, cooked al dente
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• ½ cup grated parmesan

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Brown beef with onion, pepper, and garlic in a large skillet, 10 minutes.
3. Stir in marinara, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes.
4. Fold in cooked pasta.
5. Transfer to a greased 9×13 dish. Top with mozzarella and parmesan.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Cook by the Best Days Calendar

The Farmers’ Almanac Best Days calendar marks the most favorable days for canning, pickling, preserving, and baking, drawn from the moon’s signs and 200 years of almanac tradition.

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Casserole FAQ

Can I assemble a casserole ahead? Most casseroles can be assembled and refrigerated for 24 hours before baking. Add 10-15 minutes to baking time when starting from cold.

Can I freeze a casserole? Yes. Most casseroles freeze well either unbaked or baked. Wrap tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking, or bake from frozen and add 25-30 minutes to the time.

What is the best dish for casseroles? A 9×13 glass or ceramic baking dish is the standard size. Holds enough for 8-10 servings. Cast iron also works.

Can I reduce the cream-of-mushroom-soup shortcut? Yes. Substitute a homemade béchamel sauce (3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour, 1½ cups warm milk, salt). The result tastes fresher and less salty.

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Amy Grisak

Amy Grisak is a freelance writer, blogger, and photographer specializing in gardening, local food, and stories about her home state of Montana. She enjoys sharing her experiences with self-reliant living and outdoor recreation. Her article on the "hugelkultur" gardening technique appears in the 2021 Farmers' Almanac. You can follow her topics on her site, AmyGrisak.com.

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