Casseroles hooray!

June 7, 2008 2:42 PM

Casseroles hooray! Give me your favorite recipes! (Important details within.)

In my successful quest to pretty much stop eating out ever, I've been experimenting recently with last-us-all-week casseroles. I've made a couple of pretty tasty ones I found over at allrecipes.com, but everyone knows that there's little at that site that's truly amazing.

Here are those important details:

• the healthier the better, and
• I'm not a vegetarian, but she is. So veg recipes are strongly preferred, but meaty recipes are welcome as well.

As are casserole-ish dishes such as lasagnas.

posted by 2or3whiskeysodas to food & drink (19 answers total)

Make pastitsio. It's delish. This is the recipe I use, except I use more than one pound of ground lamb and I add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste as well.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:55 PM on June 7, 2008

Alton Brown's Good Eats casserole episode (transcript).
posted by stavrogin at 3:01 PM on June 7, 2008

I love Shepherd's Pie.
posted by reebear at 3:04 PM on June 7, 2008

Here are seven pages worth you can try!

And then this vegetarian cassoulet looks fab.

Chilaquiles rock.

Also things I want to try:
Chard, tomato and cheese casserole
Butternut squash and red pepper casserole
Vegetable Casserole with Tofu Topping


Yum. Can you tell I'm a midwestern girl at heart?
posted by Stewriffic at 3:04 PM on June 7, 2008

My semi-Shepherd's-pie casserole.

In a 9x12 dish, layer he following:
Chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (Can be pre-cooked to lessen baking time. Can be eliminated for vegetarians.)
A generous amount of corn (frozen corn works fine)
Broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, cut up
Seasonings (A premix seasoning salt works great)
Grated cheese (I use a mix of mozzarella, parmesan, and cheddar)
Layer the top with mashed potatoes, and add another light layer of cheese

Bake at 375 until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and mashed potatoes are are starting to brown.

Whenever I make this for guests or parties it gets great reaction, and it reheats very well. In fact, I kind of like it better reheated in the oven, as the potatoes get crispier.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 3:14 PM on June 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

I make these two a lot, both are yummy.

Taco Casserole

* 1 can black beans
* 1 can mexicali corn
* 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning
* 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
* 2 cups monterey jack cheese, divided (or mixed cheddar, jack etc.)
* 1 cup salsa
* 2 green onions, chopped
* 1 can sliced black olives
* 1 tomato, chopped
* 2 cups torilla chips, coarsely crushed or broken up

Put tortilla chips on bottom of a casserole dish, and layer the rest however you like, leaving some olives and grated cheese to sprinkle on top. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is sufficiently melted. Take out and sprinkle with the chopped tomatoes.


Baked Ziti with Broccoli Rabe

* 1 bunch broccoli rabe
* 1 lb ziti
* 1 cup mozzerella
* 1 cup romano
* 2 cups sauce of your liking

Chop up the broccoli rabe. Add ziti to boiling water, stir, and after 5 minutes, add broccoli rabe. When ziti is done to your liking, drain and mix with cheeses and sauce, and anything else you'd like to add, such as fresh basil, garlic, salt, pepper, etc. Bake at 350 for half an hour in a buttered baking dish.
posted by iconomy at 3:47 PM on June 7, 2008

I don't know what to call this, burrito casserole I guess. It's somewhere between lasagna and burritos.

Brown about half a kilo of beef mince (a pound of ground beef for USians) with onion and garlic and fresh chilli. I use jalapenos but whatever. Add dried oregano, cumin, paprika (I like to use a mix of hot and spanish smoked paprika) and a couple of big dollops of tomato paste. Set aside once cooked.

In the same pan, saute some more chopped onion and garlic, then add about half a cup of sour cream and about three tablespoons of flour. Stir together over reduced heat. Add one and a half cups of chicken stock and some chilli sauce to taste- I like a fairly hot sauce for this. Stir until it's thickened up into a something like a white sauce.

In the casserole dish, spread a little of the white sauce on the bottom then cover with tortillas. Throw some shredded cheddar or jack cheese, then a layer of meat. Repeat 'til it's about three layers deep, ensuring that the top is tortillas and cheese. Spread a bit of salsa on top too if you want.

Bake at 180C (350F) for 45 minutes or so.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 4:36 PM on June 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Not Yo Mama's Tuna Casserole:

1 vidalia onion
3 or 4 cloves garlic
2 small or one medium zucchini
3 stems celery
4 or so carrots
1 box mushrooms
2 cans tuna; I use water pack; drain it but don't get obsessive; it's better if it's still a little watery.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
roughly 2 cups grated cheese, the more various the better, I mostly use cheddar & parmesan & monterey jack unless I have leftover other kinds - anything works. Feta is always good.
basil, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, a little worcestershire sauce & a little lime juice
1 box tricolored rotini pasta or wacky mac type mixed up pasta

You can add any other veggies you have lying around, although peppers can give it a kind of weird taste - steer clear. I have added broccoli & green beans & cauliflower & corn and they've all been great.

Boil water and cook the pasta until just al dente. While it's cooking, chop up all the veggies. Saute the onion and garlic and carrot and celery in some olive oil. When the onion starts to look done, add the zucchini and mushroom and the spices - probably like 1/2 teaspoon each? I don't measure, just go by feel. More oregano & thyme than basil. Just a squirt or two from half a lime. Saute for about 3 minutes more until the mushrooms & zucchini are pretty much limp. Put that all in a large casserole bowl. Add the cheese, the drained tuna, the cream of mushroom soup and the cooked pasta. Mix like crazy. Maybe add a little milk or sour cream if it looks dry. If you feel fancy you can put bread crumbs or something on top. Bake at 375 for half an hour or until you're really hungry, whichever comes first. It's even better the next day. This is a staple at my house and my daughter even requests it on occasion and has her whole life.
posted by mygothlaundry at 6:57 PM on June 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

Enchiladas are my favorite casserole. To make 6 servings in a 9 x 13-inch pan or two 8 x 8-inch pans you need:
2 to 2-1/2 cups of filling
12 corn tortillas (or flour ones - not authentic, but fine)
2 cups sauce

Favorite fillings are beans and spinach cooked with a lot of garlic and some chili powder; roasted corn and cream cheese; grilled portobellos, zucchini, red bell pepper and smoked cheese; and spinach and mushrooms.

Good sauces are salsa verde; a sauce made from caramelized onions, garlic and rehydrated ancho peppers; and a sauce made from pureed, oven-roasted fresh peppers. The Hatch sauce from a can is decent, too. You bake at 350 F until just bubbly.

I like to make multiple pans and bake one, freeze the rest.
posted by found dog one eye at 7:00 PM on June 7, 2008

It is so not casserole weather where I am (it's Margaritas on the patio weather) so I forgot about moussaka. I got this one out of one of those $3 remaindered cookbooks that have no author. Since I'm a vegetarian, I subbed burger crumbles for the orignal lamb:

Moussaka

2 eggplants (about 2 pounds)
olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes (fire roasted are good), drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 12-ounce package Morning Star Farms burger crumbles (or similar)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375. Slice eggplants into 1/4 inch thick slices, and brush both sides with olive oil. Place in a single layer in a baking pan and bake until tender, turning over once. (This will take about 20 minutes.)

In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven and saute onion until tender. Add remaining ingredients (through salt and pepper), stir, and simmer on low for about 10 minutes or longer.

Layer eggplant slices and tomato sauce in a couple of small, oiled casserole dishes.

Make sauce: Melt butter over low heat, and stir in flour. Cook for a minute. Remove from heat and add milk. Stir well. Add back to burner and increase heat to medium. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add nutmeg and Parmesan and allow Parmesan to melt. Spoon over the tops of the casseroles.

Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden.
posted by found dog one eye at 7:29 PM on June 7, 2008

Baked Shells with Winter Squash This is yummy, easy, and vegetarian. Feel free to use dried rosemary if you don't have fresh on hand and ordinary bread crumbs if you don't want to deal with the baguette business.
posted by craichead at 7:32 PM on June 7, 2008

This Hot Chicken Salad is so freakin' good. And it is a casserole, despite its misleading name. It certainly did not originate as a Paula Deen recipe, but I tried her version and it works well. It is not super-healthy, but I tried it with low-fat mayo and it was still pretty good. And my sister pointed out that, minus the potato chip topping (which I personally think gives it its zing and I would never omit), it is extremely low-carb. You could certainly put fewer potato chips and still get the same feeling. Trust me, this is a good recipe, as odd as it sounds.

...also, this sounds even weirder, but I find that the leftovers taste wonderful on a kaiser roll, like a sandwich, and it is an easy way to take it to work. You could even add lettuce! Mmmm! I could go for some of this right now!
posted by foxinthesnow at 8:00 PM on June 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

This Polenta and Black Bean casserole from epicurious.com is fabulous, rich, easy, and vegetarian.
posted by purenitrous at 8:25 PM on June 7, 2008

Something I saw once and have been wanting to try ever since:

Basically, it's lasagna. BUT -- instead of layering the noodles with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and ricotta and/or meat, you first cook up and puree butternut squash, chop up and cook up a bunch of mushrooms, and mix ricotta with cooked spinach, and layer the noodles with the squash, mushrooms, and spinach ricotta. Then you cook that like you cook regular lasagna.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:30 PM on June 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Lentil-Rice Casserole. Vegetarian if you use veggie broth instead of chicken broth.
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:47 PM on June 7, 2008

Try Heidi Swanson's Baked Pasta Casserole. Her recipes are all vegetarian, and most of them are super healthy (this particular one, maybe not so much... but relatively healthy for something mostly consisting of pasta and cheese).

Here's a broccoli, rice, and cheese casserole that I've had pretty good luck with. The Whole Foods website also has a pinto bean casserole recipe that sounds good, although I haven't tried it.
posted by arianell at 12:46 AM on June 8, 2008

You must get Cooking Illustrated's Cover & Bake!

They have recipes for pretty much every classic casserole I've ever heard of, and they're all consistently delicious. We pretty much trust that any of their recipes will turn out good.
posted by GardenGal at 8:33 PM on June 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

The Vegetarian Resource Group covered casseroles in an issue last year. Go to this page, and click on Issue One under 2007.

Or click here [direct link to PDF file].
posted by invisible ink at 11:27 PM on June 8, 2008

This week I'll be making a pesto-spinach lasagne, that I'd originally gotten out of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook, but have changed a bit so it reads sort of like this:

Make about 1/2 cup or so pesto, mix it with a tub or so ricotta.
Cook up a whole bunch of spinach (dried, about 2-3 handfuls) by wilting it with garlic.
Grate a bunch of mozzarella.

Put down a first layer of olive oil, then a layer of lasagne noodles, then the ricotta stuff, then top it with a layer of the spinach. Repeat till out of stuffing.

Bake it for about forty five minutes at, I'm thinking 400, and enjoy :)

Other vegetarian casserole sorts of things I make include tamale pie, which is basically vegetarian chili, topped with cornbread batter, then baked till the cornbread's done.

For the chili:
about 2 onions, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp oregano
2 Tbs chili powder (or to taste)
1 package instant onion soup mix
2 cans pinto beans (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes (one of the bigger cans)

Fry the onions till golden, then add the garlic and fry till fragrant. Add the cumin, oregano and chili powder, and fry till everything gets pretty dry (about 5 min). Add a bit of boiling water (about 1 cup and a half or thereabouts), and add the onion soup mix (this makes it have a better base - we've also used beer). Bring back to a boil, and add the beans and tomatoes. Let stew for about half an hour, till it's nice and thick. You can then add about 1/2 cup cheddar cheese to the chili if you'd like.

Then make some kind of a cornbread top (whatever you prefer) and cover the top of the chili (oh, this should be in a dutch oven or some deep pot you can stick in the oven) with the cornbread batter. Bake it in the oven at the directions for the cornbread.

I think I've got others, but those are the things I'm making this week. The lasagna should go great in the summer time I think - especially with all that basil I've been growing :)
posted by Herman Hermanson at 5:39 PM on June 9, 2008