59 Casserole Recipes for Creamy Comfort With Crispy Edges
Casserole recipes are extremely important for cold weather for quite a few reasons. First, they’re delicious. Second, they’re a great way to cut down on dishes, because they’re usually served in the same dish you cook them in—and who doesn’t love a one-dish dinner? Third, easy casseroles were invented pretty much as busy weeknight dinners when you wanted a lot of flavor but not a lot of fuss. We could keep going, but you get the point.
To clarify, when we say casseroles, we primarily mean the traditional one-pan wonders with crispy things on top (the one you’re picturing in your head right now), but we also mean lasagna, macaroni and cheese and other pasta casseroles, gratins, breakfast casseroles, shepherd’s pies, tater tot casseroles, and more. They’re guaranteed crowd-pleasers and ideal if you’re hosting brunch, attending a potluck, or planning weeknight dinners for the whole family. Casseroles are the epitome of comfort, so we rounded up our favorite easy casserole recipes for you. Behold, the best casserole recipes we’ve got. And a happy casserole season to you and yours!
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Bill Clark1/58Mississippi Corn Casserole
You can think of this corn casserole recipe as a cornbread lover’s hedonist fever dream. This Mississippi-born version from chef Elle Simone Scott calls for adding cheddar cheese to the mixing bowl and topping the dish with crushed butter crackers before baking for a cheesy, crispy holiday-worthy recipe you won’t soon forget.
Photo by Charles Masters, Food Styling by Suzanne Lenzer3/58Our Favorite Lasagna With Sausage, Spinach, and Three Cheeses
This extra-cheesy dinner recipe is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but fancy enough for a special occasion. It's a compilation of all the greatest lasagna recipes in the Epi archives.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich4/58Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Fried Onions
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich6/58Vegan Roasted Garlic–Potato Enchiladas
Double the sauce for this intensely savory vegan take on Mexican enchiladas and you’ll have enough to make a vegan rendition of menudo a few days (or months, if you freeze it) later.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne7/58Our Favorite Mac and Cheese
Creamy homemade macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food; it’s a perfect meatless main for the whole family (what’s more kid-friendly than macaroni and cheese?) and a wildly popular side dish at any cookout.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova8/58Cowboy Breakfast Casserole With Sausage and Spinach
Assemble this easy egg casserole studded with lots of crumbled sausage and cheese the night before you plan to serve it. Then, put it in the oven (straight from the fridge) the next morning for a quick and casual brunch dish.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert9/58Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
This supremely cheesy dish of shredded (frozen!) potatoes and onions might remind you of your favorite roadside eatery. You’ll be very glad to learn that you can put it on your table whenever you want.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne11/58Simple Bread Pudding With Melted Ice Cream Sauce
This straightforward bread pudding recipe gets an even easier sauce, which is made simply by leaving out (or microwaving) a pint of store-bought ice cream. Easy peasy.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell13/58Sheet-Pan Pasta Bake With Chicken and Kale
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne14/58Baked Rigatoni With Red Peppers and Green Olives
The sauce in this baked pasta recipe is bulked up with jarred red peppers and green olives. It’s a vegetarian casserole, but if you wanted to toss in some cooked meatballs, the dish would welcome the addition.
