How to Make a Casserole
Get a good-quality casserole dish., Choose a starch., Choose a meat, vegetable, or a combination of the two., Choose a binder that will keep everything together., Sautee the ingredients and combine in a greased casserole dish., Bake covered for the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get a good-quality casserole dish.
Casseroles are made by combining a variety of starches, meats, vegetables, and other ingredients, sometimes raw and sometimes cooked, into the dish and baking them in a casserole dish.
Casserole dishes are traditionally square or rectangular baking pans, usually made of Pyrex, aluminized steel, or earthenware.
Often, casseroles are quite hearty, topped with cheese or breadcrumbs. -
Step 2: Choose a starch.
Most casseroles use as their base some variety of starch, which will form the most substantial content of the casserole.
Typically pre or par-cooked before being added to the casserole dish, using starches as a base is a good way to stretch a little bit of protein or vegetables into a full meal.
While casseroles are amenable to any variety of ingredients, most tend to use the following:
Potatoes.
Pre-cooked potatoes can make an excellent base for breakfast or dinner casseroles, or as a topping to shepherd's pie in it's mashed form.
If you want to use potato in your casserole, you can purchase frozen hash browns or parboil peeled and quartered raw potato until fork-tender.
It goes especially well with beef, or other red meats.
Pasta.
From egg noodles to mostaccioli, pasta makes a perfect base for a casserole.
Mixed with any variety of sauce or cheese, pasta casseroles can be made both sweet and savory, perfect for any time of the year.
Lasagna is the classic of the genre, but experiment with different pastas to find what you like best.
Rice.
Common in both Middle Eastern and Midwestern American cuisine, rice-based casseroles go particularly well with chicken or other poultry.
Basic white rice is good to start with, but wild rice, jasmine rice, or even black rice can make casseroles surprising and complex.
Other grains.
Why stop at rice? Quinoa, barley, wheat berries, oatmeal, or any combination of whole grains can make a substantial and healthy casserole, especially when combined with rice.
Egyptian koshari, which can be made as a casserole, features pasta, lentils, and rice as an idiosyncratic base for its spices and flavors.
Why not? , For most casseroles, you'll sauté the proteins and vegetables briefly in a skillet, then finish them off in the casserole dish, topped with breadcrumbs or cheese.
For that reason, you can almost think of a casserole like a stir fry that you bake at the end.
Chicken and other meats should be cooked through before being added to the casserole dish.
Casserole recipes that feature a lot of liquid, however, will sometimes call for raw meat to be added to cook everything at the same time.
It's possible to do both.
Carrots, onions, and other root vegetables make excellent additions to any casserole.
Because everything is cooked together, casseroles are an excellent way to spice up somewhat bland vegetables.
For vegetarians, green or brown lentils make an excellent substitution for the meat in most casserole recipes.
Commercial meat substitutes, like seitan or tofu-based meat alternatives are amenable to the casserole as well. , For lots of casseroles, a sauce or egg mixture will be added to the ingredients to keep everything bound together.
In Midwestern cuisine, this often takes the form of Cream of Mushroom soup, but béchamel, curry, whipped egg, pasta sauce, or other ingredients are likewise common, depending on the ingredients used. , Meats should be cooked through and vegetables should have the crunch taken off, but should still be somewhat firm before being added to the casserole dish.
Before adding ingredients, it's a good idea to grease the pan with butter or oil.
Depending on the casserole, you might like to layer the ingredients into separate layers, as with a lasagna or a moussaka, or mix the ingredients. , Depending on the topping you use and the kind of texture you're looking for, it's common to cover your casserole with aluminum foil or a lid, and bake between 350 and 425 F.
The cooking time will vary, depending on the ingredients and the amounts.
For casseroles in which all the ingredients are cooked ahead of time, and you're just trying to melt cheese, you only need 10 or 15 minutes in the oven to finish the job.
If you want to cook rice in liquid, you're looking at a cooking time closer to 45 minutes or an hour. , If you want a cheesy or crunchy top to your casserole, don't add it ahead of time, or it'll be a soggy mess.
Wait until you've cooked the casserole through, then remove the cover, add your topping, and broil the casserole to finish it.
Common toppings include: shoestring potatoes French onions parmesan cheese potato chip crumbs cracker crumbs mashed potato -
Step 3: Choose a meat
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Step 4: vegetable
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Step 5: or a combination of the two.
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Step 6: Choose a binder that will keep everything together.
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Step 7: Sautee the ingredients and combine in a greased casserole dish.
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Step 8: Bake covered for the majority of the cooking time.
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Step 9: Uncover the casserole and add the topping
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Step 10: then broil to finish it.
Detailed Guide
Casseroles are made by combining a variety of starches, meats, vegetables, and other ingredients, sometimes raw and sometimes cooked, into the dish and baking them in a casserole dish.
Casserole dishes are traditionally square or rectangular baking pans, usually made of Pyrex, aluminized steel, or earthenware.
Often, casseroles are quite hearty, topped with cheese or breadcrumbs.
Most casseroles use as their base some variety of starch, which will form the most substantial content of the casserole.
Typically pre or par-cooked before being added to the casserole dish, using starches as a base is a good way to stretch a little bit of protein or vegetables into a full meal.
While casseroles are amenable to any variety of ingredients, most tend to use the following:
Potatoes.
Pre-cooked potatoes can make an excellent base for breakfast or dinner casseroles, or as a topping to shepherd's pie in it's mashed form.
If you want to use potato in your casserole, you can purchase frozen hash browns or parboil peeled and quartered raw potato until fork-tender.
It goes especially well with beef, or other red meats.
Pasta.
From egg noodles to mostaccioli, pasta makes a perfect base for a casserole.
Mixed with any variety of sauce or cheese, pasta casseroles can be made both sweet and savory, perfect for any time of the year.
Lasagna is the classic of the genre, but experiment with different pastas to find what you like best.
Rice.
Common in both Middle Eastern and Midwestern American cuisine, rice-based casseroles go particularly well with chicken or other poultry.
Basic white rice is good to start with, but wild rice, jasmine rice, or even black rice can make casseroles surprising and complex.
Other grains.
Why stop at rice? Quinoa, barley, wheat berries, oatmeal, or any combination of whole grains can make a substantial and healthy casserole, especially when combined with rice.
Egyptian koshari, which can be made as a casserole, features pasta, lentils, and rice as an idiosyncratic base for its spices and flavors.
Why not? , For most casseroles, you'll sauté the proteins and vegetables briefly in a skillet, then finish them off in the casserole dish, topped with breadcrumbs or cheese.
For that reason, you can almost think of a casserole like a stir fry that you bake at the end.
Chicken and other meats should be cooked through before being added to the casserole dish.
Casserole recipes that feature a lot of liquid, however, will sometimes call for raw meat to be added to cook everything at the same time.
It's possible to do both.
Carrots, onions, and other root vegetables make excellent additions to any casserole.
Because everything is cooked together, casseroles are an excellent way to spice up somewhat bland vegetables.
For vegetarians, green or brown lentils make an excellent substitution for the meat in most casserole recipes.
Commercial meat substitutes, like seitan or tofu-based meat alternatives are amenable to the casserole as well. , For lots of casseroles, a sauce or egg mixture will be added to the ingredients to keep everything bound together.
In Midwestern cuisine, this often takes the form of Cream of Mushroom soup, but béchamel, curry, whipped egg, pasta sauce, or other ingredients are likewise common, depending on the ingredients used. , Meats should be cooked through and vegetables should have the crunch taken off, but should still be somewhat firm before being added to the casserole dish.
Before adding ingredients, it's a good idea to grease the pan with butter or oil.
Depending on the casserole, you might like to layer the ingredients into separate layers, as with a lasagna or a moussaka, or mix the ingredients. , Depending on the topping you use and the kind of texture you're looking for, it's common to cover your casserole with aluminum foil or a lid, and bake between 350 and 425 F.
The cooking time will vary, depending on the ingredients and the amounts.
For casseroles in which all the ingredients are cooked ahead of time, and you're just trying to melt cheese, you only need 10 or 15 minutes in the oven to finish the job.
If you want to cook rice in liquid, you're looking at a cooking time closer to 45 minutes or an hour. , If you want a cheesy or crunchy top to your casserole, don't add it ahead of time, or it'll be a soggy mess.
Wait until you've cooked the casserole through, then remove the cover, add your topping, and broil the casserole to finish it.
Common toppings include: shoestring potatoes French onions parmesan cheese potato chip crumbs cracker crumbs mashed potato
About the Author
Samuel Moore
Writer and educator with a focus on practical creative arts knowledge.
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