From hearty breakfast entrees to light, airy, dessert dishes, casseroles are the ultimate comfort food. While casseroles used to be where all the leftovers ended up, today chefs and home cooks are inventing wonderful new offerings with fresh ingredients. The casserole is finding its way onto gourmet restaurant menus as rustic cuisine, and enjoying a whole new life.
Casseroles are generally easy to prepare and with some careful mixing and matching of ingredients, leftovers can be used efficiently and deliciously. Armed with the right recipes and some tips and techniques on how to get the most out your pantry, you can create wonderful classic casseroles, and exciting new dishes in the comfort of your kitchen.
Casseroles are great for every day dining, parties, picnics, and potlucks. Browse our growing collection of dozens of casserole dishes from a variety of international cuisines. Find casserole recipes for Breakfast and Brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert. Find the perfect one dish meal or a side dish to complete a menu plan.
A Casserole, which comes from the French for stew pan, is a deep pot or dish used both in the oven and as a serving dish. In the middle of the twentieth century the word also became used for the food cooked and served in such dishes. These foods usually consist of vegetables and sometimes meat, pasta, or rice cooked slowly in sauce or other liquid. This is sometimes served as a main meal or a side dish. Casseroles usually have thicker consistency than stews and soups.
The French culinary term en casserole means served in the vessel used for cooking.
A Hot Dish is a United States Midwestern term for a casserole and is one of the hallmark foods of that region.
Casseroles originated in the ancient custom of stewing meat slowly in earthenware containers. In the early 18th century casserole recipes consisted mostly of rice that was pounded, pressed, and used as a filling such as stuffed peppers. Casseroles are cooked in Europe and the United States. It is also found in various forms in many other cultures and countries around the world.