59 Soothing Casserole Recipes for the Soul
Casserole recipes are our saving grace throughout fall and winter. These filling, hardy meals often boast a creaminess, providing both sustenance and warmth; and the built-in crispy topping offers a textural contrast that keeps us engaged. But, beyond these characteristics, what exactly makes something a casserole? The name comes from the French word for saucepan, but we tend to define casseroles as any recipe baked in…well, a casserole dish (i.e., a glass or ceramic—or sometimes metal—baking dish.)
Sweet or savory, big or small, dinner or breakfast, casseroles rely on the heat from an oven to unite—melt, roast, and caramelize—all the disparate ingredients into a singular whole. These pans of pure comfort are truly the sum of their parts: Think cheesy gratin, gooey lasagna, and comforting shepherd’s pie. Read on for our all-time favorite casserole recipes.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Stying by Spencer Richards1/59Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Think sausage and peppers hero, but transformed into a hearty (easy) egg casserole.
- Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott2/59
Turnip and Kale Gratin
You're going to see a lot of gratins among our best casserole recipes, and that's because pretty much any vegetable—any ingredient, period—is delicious coated in butter, grated cheese, and breadcrumbs.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens3/59
French Toast Casserole
This French toast recipe is the ultimate hands-off entertaining brunch dish. Set this up the night before and all you’ll have to do in the morning is brush it with butter and bake.
- Gentl & Hyers4/59
Confit Chicken Thigh and Andouille Sausage Cassoulet
Is cassoulet a chicken casserole? A bean casserole? A sausage casserole? It's all of the above. This version is pared down, though, and opts for a baking dish instead of a classic round earthenware pot.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Maya Rossi5/59
Yellow Squash Casserole With Easy Cheesy Cream Sauce
Late summer squash has no greater destiny than this baking dish full of creamy cheese sauce and crispy breadcrumbs.
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio6/59
Tater Tot Egg Bake With Bitter Greens Salad
Why go for a baked potato casserole or a hash brown casserole when you can have a tater tot casserole? That is, of course, a rhetorical question. We would all choose this showstopper over anything else.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman7/59
Apple and Honey Rice Kugel
Food—even comfort food—is never just about nourishment. This dish, which celebrates the similarities between the people and cuisines of the Jewish and African diasporas, is a perfect example.
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Pearl Jones8/59
Day-Old-Doughnut Bread Pudding
We can't, in good conscience, call all of the casseroles in this list easy recipes, but this bread pudding is: Ingredients include store-bought doughnuts and jam and the process involves soaking some things (a.k.a. leaving them alone), whisking some things, and baking it all in, of course, a casserole dish.
- Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones9/59
Cabbage Roll Casserole
This super-cozy dinner recipe gives you the flavors of Eastern European stuffed cabbage rolls without the rolling. Instead, stack layers of cabbage leaves with cinnamon-spiced beef ragù and herbed rice, lasagna-style.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman10/59
BA’s Best Mac and Cheese
For the uninitiated, béchamel is a mixture of butter, flour, and milk, and it’s what keeps this sauce creamy. If you know what's good, it should always be a part of your mac and cheese.
- Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng11/59
Chorizo and Calabrian Chile Stuffing
We're aware that some people don't consider stuffing to be a casserole. To them, we say: Does the piece of cookware pictured here look like a casserole dish to you? What's inside, then, can be considered a casserole. (We're feeling feisty.)
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova12/59
Easy Noodle Kugel
Speaking of debates, after an intense one about what a noodle kugel should be—naked or cereal-topped? wide noodles or extra wide noodles? souffléed or custardy? sweet or savory?—this is where we landed.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks13/59
Pastitsio
When you want a ground beef casserole and a pasta casserole in one, turn to the hearty, spicy, creamy, cheesy Greek pastitsio. And trust us: The whole family can get behind this one.
- 14/59
Greek-Style Vegetable Casserole
This one's a green bean–potato-tomato-onion-zucchini casserole. (Throw in some artichoke hearts if you’ve got ’em.) Yes, you get your veggies in—and all you need to make it a meal is a hunk of crusty bread.
- Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marc Williams15/59
BA’s Best Eggplant Parmesan
All your efforts—an oh, there are efforts required—will be rewarded the moment you pull this tangy, crispy, cheesy eggplant dish from the oven. Just make sure it's on a Saturday. (This is not exactly a weeknight dinner!)
- 16/59
Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Gratin
This gratin makes for a crowd-pleasing side dish at a holiday meal, but we'd be more than happy eating it with some bread as a cozy dinner during the week. Also: You'll win the MVP award at your winter potluck if you bring this one.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Cyd McDowell. Prop Styling by Paige Hicks17/59
Spaghetti Squash That Fancies Itself Baked Ziti
Spaghetti squash sheds its reputation for being bland and watery in this baked-ziti-inspired squash casserole. (To be fair, anything tastes amazing when smothered in tomato sauce and blanketed under a layer of melty cheese.)
- Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou18/59
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Enchiladas, enchilada casserole—whatever you call them, they're good. These veggie ones feature a charred tomatillo and green chile salsa, creamy pinto beans, and plenty of cheese.
- Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng19/59
Corn and Hominy Pudding
Pudding might be our favorite excuse to buy corn out of season. In this version, the custard stays Southern classic while other elements gesture Southwest, with hominy, poblano and jalapeño chiles, and crumbly Mexican Cotija cheese.
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene20/59
Sausage and Ricotta Baked Cannelloni
There are a lot of steps to this baked pasta, so here's our compromise: You can use a good store-bought marinara, but don't skip the creamy sauce, or homemade béchamel. There's really no substitute.
- Gentl & Hyers21/59
Beef Bourguignonne Pot Pie
Treat this beef pot pie as a weekend project—it’s not a quick one—and your Sunday supper will be off the charts. Brandy-braised boneless beef chuck and buttery puff pastry? A+.
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Pearl Jones22/59
Carbonara Lasagna
This lasagna version of Italian carbonara includes mild Fontina, pancetta-studded ricotta, and eggs baked right in, toad-in-the-hole style. It’s as equally delicious for breakfast as it is for dinner.
- Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D’mytrek Brown23/59
Coconut Brussels Sprouts Gratin
This creamy vegan gratin has has all the makings of a year-after-year holiday hit—or even just a comforting, cold weather go-to casserole recipe.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova24/59
Greens Gratin With All the Cheese
How much cheddar cheese is “all of the cheese”? In the case of this casserole recipe, it's just six ounces. (Well, and a glug of heavy cream.) Maybe it should be called All of the Greens Gratin instead, because it's got four whole bunches of kale.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones25/59
Piñon
This easy casserole is the ultimate sweet-and-savory mash-up, thanks to layers of ground beef simmered with sofrito, mozzarella cheese, and a row of fried plantains to top it all off.
- Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’mytrek Brown, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime26/59
Mushroom Matzo Kugel
For a creamy, comforting, and super savory shiitake and maitake mushroom kugel, soak matzo in a homemade mushroom stock, then mix it with Swiss chard and crème fraîche.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen27/59
Potatoes au Gratin
You don't see many of these casserole recipes call for a slow cooker because casserole-ing (it's a noun and a verb, says us) is slow-cooking. For this potato gratin, your oven is only at 325°, and those potatoes bathe in cream and cheese for well over an hour.
- 28/59
Chinese Sausage and Clam Rice Casserole
Pickled leeks are the key to balancing the richness of this casserole, which contains Chinese sausage and broccoli, Manila clams, cannellini beans, and rice.
- Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon29/59
BA’s Best Tuna Casserole
We're going to say it: This is not your grandmother's tuna noodle casserole. This one's got crispy potato chips on top and is finished with fresh dill and chives.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Claire Saffitz30/59
Baked Cinnamon Toast With Fruit
When you need a sweet and crowd-pleasing breakfast, this mashup of cinnamon toast, bread pudding, and pie is it. If you're not an ice cream-for-breakfast person, then who are you? Just kidding; if you're not an ice-cream-for-breakfast person, just top the dish with sour cream or yogurt instead.
- Marcus Nilsson31/59
Chilaquiles Casserole
You may have made chilaquiles in a pan on your stovetop, but this recipe serves a crowd by moving the sauced tortilla chips to a baking dish in the oven.
- Marcus Nilsson32/59
Shepherd's Pie
Shepherd’s pie is savory pie without a crust. (So, a casserole.) Made with a lamb ragù base and topped with mashed potatoes, it's, well, do we really need to say anything else?
- Alex Lau33/59
Cheesy Baked Pasta With Cauliflower
If you're a parent and your children give you trouble when it comes to eating their vegetables, try this baked pasta. It's super kid-friendly and it's also got half a head of cauliflower in it. (Wink!)
- Alex Lau34/59
Classic Cassoulet
Cassoulet is actually where the word casserole comes from, so you could say that cassoulet is Mother Casserole. Layers of duck, sausage ragout, and beans make her the comfort meal to end all comfort meals.
- Marcus Nilsson35/59
Chicken Curry Pot Pie
There's nothing wrong with traditional chicken pot pie—chunks of vegetables, creamy chicken, a puff pastry top—but once you try this curry powder–spiced update, you might not go back.
- Gentl & Hyers36/59
Mushroom and Burrata Lasagnette
This dish is indulgent—it makes a bit more than two responsible adults should finish in one sitting—but, for crying out loud, live a little.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens37/59
Greens Eggs and Ham
Two pounds of greens—spinach, kale, Swiss chard, or mustard greens—is a lot of greens, yes, but this dish needed to live up to its name (and the greens cook down substantially).
- Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani38/59
Butternut Squash Baked Pasta
The assignment: a satisfying, creamy, crave-worthy baked pasta that would still be delicious without (most of) the cheese. You, after making this dish: an honors student.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon39/59
Manicotti
This manicotti recipe is made with thin crepes (crespelle in Italian) instead of tubular dried pasta. The result is a lightness that you just don’t get from baked pasta.
- Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott40/59
Broccolini-Cheddar Gratin With Rye Breadcrumbs
This gratin decidedly does not involve heavy cream. In fact, the ingredient list is unusually and pleasantly short: breadcrumbs, broccolini, and Parmesan and cheddar cheeses.
- Alex Lau41/59
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
Making your own breadcrumbs from sourdough bread will give you all-star status, but using store-bought is perfectly fine. Either way, this recipe is "magical," wrote one commenter.
- Alex Lau42/59
Tamale Pie With Mint Yogurt
Remember shepherd's pie, which is lamb ragù with a thick layer of mashed potatoes on top? Tamale pie is beef chili with a sheet of cornbread on top. We love both equally.
- Alex Lau43/59
Fennel Gratin With Walnut-Thyme Breadcrumbs
We told you there would be gratins. A doubly crunchy topping made with breadcrumbs and walnuts marks a breakthrough moment for this one.
- 44/59
Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie
Lentils and fresh and dried mushrooms give this vegetarian casserole its meaty character. Bonus: You can prepare most of it in advance and bake it just before serving.
- Alex Lau45/59
Spanish Breakfast Casserole With Eggs and Bacon
Eggs make this casserole read “brunch,” but we would happily eat this mixture of bread, roasted red peppers, bacon, onions, cream, and, yes, eggs for dinner.
- Marcus Nilsson46/59
Cornmeal Jalapeño Biscuits With Mushroom Gravy
This has the nostalgia of cream of mushroom soup casserole, but it's modernized with the fresh ingredients we prefer: crimini and maitake mushrooms, kale, and collard greens.
- Photo by Alex Lau47/59
Plantain and Lamb Casserole
Have you ever eaten lamb simmered with onions, bell peppers, garlic, lots of spices, olives, raisins, and crushed tomatoes, and then topped it with fried plantains and cheddar cheese? Do it.
- Photo by Laura Murray. Food styling by Judy Mancini49/59
Cheesy Egg Bake With Sausage
With winter squash and Italian sausage, this is the perfect cold-weather brunch dish. As long as you have eggs, though, you can pretty much work with whatever you’ve got in the fridge.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman50/59
BA’s Best Baked Ziti
Ricotta cheese is traditional, but it has a tendency to dry out in the oven. Our update to baked ziti uses Parmesan béchamel and tangy tomato sauce, which provide flavor and moisture. When it comes to the pasta, ziti, penne, or rigatoni all work well.
- Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski51/59
Cheesy Cabbage Gratin
Cabbage cooked in heavy cream, butter, Gruyère, and Parmesan cheese sounds like a whole lot—"extra," as the kids say—but just you watch: You'll be having seconds.
- Alex Lau52/59
BA’s Best Green Bean Casserole
No Thanksgiving is complete without green bean casserole, and no green bean casserole is complete without fried shallots. You can make your own, but you can also find them at pretty much any grocery store.
- Photo by David Malosh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Cindy Diprima53/59
Spicy Baked Pasta With Cheddar and Broccoli Rabe
When you want your carbs and your cheese and your veggies, turn to this baked pasta, which is like macaroni and cheese—plus greens. Breadcrumbs are extremely not optional.
- Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht54/59
BA’s Best Lasagna
If you see "BA's Best," you know the recipe been tested and tested (and tested) until it becomes the most perfect version of itself. Ergo, this lasagna is perfect, and it's also versatile: Make the bechamel and the ragù in advance, or even make it all in advance and freeze it.
- Photo by Heidi's Bridge, styling by Molly Baz55/59
Baked Pasta With Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Baked pasta doesn’t need to take every pot in your kitchen or lots of different steps to make. This weeknight-friendly version uses one skillet, one pot, and plenty of cheese.
- Gentl & Hyers56/59
Fish Pie With Potatoes, Leeks, Zucchini, and Tomatoes
Shepherd’s pie, but make it fish. This is the kind of meal we want to eat in crisp fall air, wrapped up in sweaters and looking out onto some peaceful body of water. (But, you know, we'll settle for our living rooms.)
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li57/59
Baked Pasta alla Norma
Three cheers for spaghetti casserole! Choose your own adventure: Eat it on its own, with a bitter greens side salad, or with some meatballs.
- Christopher Testani58/59
Endive and Fennel Gratin
An Alfredo sauce–like mixture of butter, cream, and cheese takes thinly sliced fennel and endive leaves to a decadent place.
- Linda Xiao59/59
Apricot, Cherry, and Graham Cracker Crumble
A fruit crumble is one of our favorite sweet casserole recipes, and this one features the best summer stone fruit. (The graham cracker topping calls for roasted almonds, but pecans would be good too.)
