15 Comforting Casserole Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the key to making a good casserole? ›

If your casserole depends on a browned top, just crank up the temperature for the first few minutes and place your casserole on the top rack close to the burner, then after 5-10 minutes, reduce the temperature to the recipe temp and cover with foil. And of course, you can always add more liquid!

In general, you'll want to bake a casserole covered with aluminum foil for most of the cooking time. Covering the casserole helps lock in moisture and prevents it from drying out. If you don't cover the casserole or uncover it too soon, the casserole will dry out.

To investigate, Anna makes a casserole as a show of friendliness and takes it with her to speak with Hilary, Meredith's sister, under the guise that she and Meredith used to attend a pottery class together. "There's so many layers to casseroles, just like there's so many layers to a person," Anna says in a voiceover.

Casseroles can really shine when they achieve a harmonious balance of flavors. Sweet, salty, spicy, and acidic elements should blend well and complement each other. Add ingredients like caramelized onions, olives, or lemon zest to give your casserole a depth of flavor.

Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

The short answer is both. Covering a casserole traps heat and steam and gets the casserole cooking. However, you also have to take the cover off to get a crunchy, browned top.

A shallower casserole can take a higher temp and shorter baking time; but if your casserole is a deep one or contains raw vegetables and protein, aim for a slightly longer time and lower temp cook. When in doubt, 350 degrees F is your best friend.

Baking in metal means you can bake a dessert until the center is done, remove it from the oven, and not have to worry about the pan continuing to bake the edges. Glass, however, will retain the heat, and continue to bake what's inside, resulting in either an underbaked center or an overbaked edge—or often both.

What rack should you bake a casserole on? ›

The middle zone is a go-to for many of your baking needs, and is typically a safe bet for casseroles and baked goods. The bottom zone of the oven is often good for roasting and baking crusty bread or pizza, while the top is ideal for broiling and toasting.

There are 3 main parts that make up a casserole: the starchy base, the filling, and the sauce. The base: The starchy base is the foundation of the casserole. It isn't going to be the most flavorful part of the dish, but it is what will make the casserole filling and satisfying.

Macaroni and cheese is the oldest written casserole recipe found in 1250.

Two options really, either it is really a poor cut of beef, or more likely it hasn't been cooked for long enough. Usually 3 hours in the oven in a casserole dish at 180C/350F should make any cut of beef tender.

Preparing a casserole is easy – all you need to do is brown the meat on the stovetop, combine all the ingredients in the casserole dish then cover and pop it in the oven. There's no stirring required either, so you have more time to relax.

According to food blog High Heeled Homemaker, your basic casserole requires five ingredients: a protein, starch, vegetable, sauce, and cheese. If you have those five ingredients in your casserole dish, congratulations; you just made a casserole, whether it's a beloved recipe or a concoction of your own creation.

Slow Cook

Another of the newer settings on electric ovens, this is characterised by a pot or casserole pot symbol. This symbol is designed to run on low consumption for low heat and very long cooking times. This is perfect for stews, casseroles and even some large meat BBQ like ribs and steaks.