Not Your Grandma’s Casserole: 29 Modern Casserole Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why does Anna always make chicken casserole? ›

Rich, comforting, and creamy, Anna's casserole dish starts out as an easy weeknight dinner that helps her get through the day after the death of her daughter, Elizabeth, and her divorce from her husband, Douglas.

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

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.

Make-ahead meals (especially baked casseroles) are terrific because you can completely assemble them in advance and bake them just before serving. They're the ultimate comfort food as they come bubbling hot and delicious straight from the oven to the table to the delight of family and friends.

Five casseroles are cooked over the series' three and a half hours, all in identical casserole dishes, creating a sort of Groundhog's Day repetition. Yet, while Anna's casserole making is undoubtedly part of the parody, the casseroles also serve as a clue to deeper things going on in The Woman in the House…

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.

Casseroles were used as a means to stretch a leftover meal, which was especially important during the Great Depression and World War II. The term “hot dish” first appeared in a cookbook in 1930 by a Mankato, Minnesota church group called Grace Lutheran Ladies Aid.

Main dish casseroles include hotdish, a Midwestern staple. Side-dish casseroles may include green bean casserole, mac and cheese, kugels, and gratins. Breakfast casseroles include strata, baked French toast, and bread pudding.

Why do casseroles have to sit overnight? ›

Casseroles are at their best when the ingredients are able to meld, which is why they often taste even better the second day.

The hot water helps keep the temperature surrounding the food more consistent. This is particularly useful for recipes containing eggs, which can be quite temperamental in unmoderated temperatures. Delicate bakes using a custard or something similar (like cheesecake) will benefit greatly from the use of a water bath.

Try different herbs for added flavour: sage or lemon thyme work wonderfully well. For a meatier casserole, add chopped sausage or pancetta when cooking the chicken. Stir wholegrain mustard through the casserole at the end of cooking (to taste); this is especially good if you have sausage in the casserole.

Always Cook Meat Before Adding

DeLeeuw says this is important for food safety because it makes sure the protein is fully cooked—especially key when making a chicken casserole.

Casseroles should be baked in a moderately hot oven

But too hot, and it won't cook evenly without some parts of it scorching first, according to KitchenSeer. A great rule of thumb, the site states, is to bake a casserole above 300 degrees F and below 400 degrees F: 350 degrees F is a great sweet spot.

Casseroles and "Southern Hospitality" Go Hand-in-Hand

Growing up in the South, casseroles were a staple around my family's supper table. They are warm dishes rich with flavor, texture, and soul. Casseroles are a simple way to feed a big group and are great for leftovers the next day."

History. Baked dishes have existed for thousands of years. Early casserole recipes consisted of rice that was pounded, pressed, and filled with a savoury mixture of meats such as chicken or sweetbread. Sometime around the 1870s the casserole seems to have taken on its current definition.

This chicken casserole was inspired by its ubiquitous presence in the Netflix show, The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window. It's an easy, simple casserole reminiscent of a ground chicken meatloaf and topped with crispy buttered bread crumbs!

Rise of the All-American Casserole

With the advent of convenience foods, such as Campbell's soup, in the late 19th century, home cooks began to craft dishes made entirely of easy-to-combine ingredients added directly to the glass casserole dish in which they were baked.