Casserole Creativity

There is no better comfort food than a hot and scrumptious casserole. The scent alone wafting through the house while baking in the oven evokes cozy, happy feelings and a mouthwatering anticipation of the culinary pleasure to come. With all of those amazing side effects it is astonishingly easy to create these wonders at home and from scratch. Casseroles are among those dishes that just ask for creativity. Recipes are great to learn the basic principles of cooking casseroles, but it is so easy to come up with your own combinations of ingredients.

Check your leftovers. Casseroles are the perfect way to give leftovers a great new turn. Leftover pasta, some tuna and cream of chicken sauce come together for the classic tuna casserole. If there is no tuna in your pantry, try some of your frozen chicken; throw in some vegetable cubes and perhaps a nice layer of breadcrumbs for extra crunch.

Stroll across a farmers market and find some fresh and colorful, seasonal veggies. Either by themselves or with some ground turkey they make a healthy, fast and easy dish when slowly baked in the oven.
Mix and match is the soul of creative casserole cooking. Try layers of cabbage with leftover pork roast and a mashed potato topping. Or go Greek with ground beef, eggplant and feta crumbles, served with a light yogurt sauce. All meats should be pre-cooked in a pan before layering them in the casserole to ensure they are done and to reduce the cooking time.

If you can imagine some ingredients tasting great together, then go with your intuition and don't be afraid to experiment. Try fish and fennel or asparagus. Chicken and bell peppers, olives and tomatoes for an Italian feast. Any kind of meat can be used and any kind of vegetable as well as pasta, rice or potatoes and a delicious topping makes it perfect. Try cheese, nuts, béchamel sauce or seasoned breadcrumbs.

The possibilities are endless, even more when you include sweet casseroles in your repertoire. How does rice pudding with seasonal fruit and a meringue topping sound?

Casseroles are true comfort food. We have put together a collection of delicious casserole recipes that will satisfy the hearty appetite; and that can be served for holidays, special occasions and everyday dining. Find the perfect casserole recipe from our growing selection of appetizers, side dishes, and entrees.

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