15 Comfort Food Casseroles For A Cozy Evening At Home
Prepping food ahead of time can really save you at the end of a long day. You don’t have to cook multiple recipes for hours every weekend to do it, either. All you need is a few casserole recipes you can prep quickly and easily, so all you have to do is pop them in the oven when you’re ready to enjoy them. These fifteen comfort food casseroles are a great way to get a dinner on the table that everyone will love and want seconds of. Any leftovers can easily be packed up for lunch the next day or, in some cases, packed and stored in the freezer for future meals.
1. Mom’s Taco Salad Casserole
When Mom makes dinner, you know it’s going to be good, especially when it’s Mom’s Taco Salad Casserole. This delicious comfort food dish is everything you could hope for in this type of dish. Serve this over lettuce or with crushed corn chips over the top. You can even eat this like dip, but make a meal of it. Thanks to the easy layering, you can add any number of layers with all kinds of different options to make your best casserole yet.
2. Mediterranean-Style Sweet Potato Casserole
This Mediterranean-style sweet potato casserole is great paired with seafood, steak, or chicken. Flavored sweet potatoes with feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, and Mediterranean spices give this a flavor that is hard to beat. This is also a casserole that will work well for special occasions and holidays.
3. Tuna Noodle Casserole
Nothing says comfort food quite like Tuna Noodle Casserole. But is the popular dish really as bad for you as its reputation suggests? Not if you make it properly. This recipe uses whole food ingredients, and everything is made from scratch. But don’t worry, this is a really simple recipe to make.
4. Easy Chicken Casserole
This Easy Chicken Casserole recipe uses frozen ingredients and gets prepped in 5 minutes. Simply combine the frozen ingredients in a casserole dish, pop it in the oven for an hour, and dinner is served. this is a complete meal all on its own and makes absolutely wonderful leftovers for lunch the next day.
5. Mexican Shepherd’s Pie
If you love the comfort of Shepherd’s pie, try this Mexican-inspired version. Mexican shepherd’s pie has all the coziness that mashed potatoes offer, with Mexican flare added. Layers of seasoned meat, tomatoes, beans, and corn, all topped with mashed potatoes, make a cozy meal the entire family will love. Serve with a side salad or some Mexican rice.
6. Mexican Lasagna
This Mexican-style lasagna may not be authentically Mexican, but it sure is tasty with all those classic flavors. Mexican Lasagna is a cheesy, fusion dish of comfort. After a long day, even the kids will love this dish. Serve with Mexican sides if you wish, or a simple green salad and some garlic bread.
7. Sloppy Joe Casserole
This skillet sloppy Joe casserole recipe gives you sloppy joes without all the carbs. You can make a big pot and then serve it up how people like it individually so that everyone is happy. Both low-carb eaters and carb eaters alike. Any leftovers are great the next day, and you can serve this with a side salad to round out the meal.
8. Chicken Pot Pies
This chicken pot pie recipe is perfect for repurposing leftovers. Mix everything together, add the sauce and pie crust, and pop them in the oven. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, and you will have less food waste and a delicious chicken pot pie dinner to show for it. You can certainly make these from scratch, but it’s much easier if you use leftovers.
9. Baked Ziti
This baked ziti recipe is a quick and easy casserole you can put together at the last minute. The whole family will love it. It’s a no-fail crowd-pleaser regardless of who is invited to dinner. Plenty of scrambled, seasoned meat, lots of delicious pasta, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and more make a perfect Italian dish.
10. Italian Shepherd’s Pie
This Italian shepherd’s pie is a delicious change from the traditional one. While shepherd’s pie is not an Italian dish, it is basically a cross between a pot pie and a shepherd’s pie, which makes for an incredibly easy dinner. It comes together in minutes and goes great with any number of side dishes. Garlic bread and a green salad are excellent choices here.
11. Homemade Lasagna
At some point, we all need some comfort food. Whether we like it or not, food can feel reassuring and relaxing when life goes sideways. If life is throwing you a curveball right now, a good, cheesy, homemade lasagna can be just the thing to help out in that department. You can freeze leftovers, or pack them for lunch the next day.
12. Spaghetti Pie
Have you ever tried spaghetti pie? It’s a delicious alternative to the same old spaghetti night and makes a terrific weeknight meal. Make a huge batch of spaghetti one night so you have lots of leftovers, and then use those leftovers to make spaghetti pie the next day. Add a green salad for a complete meal.
13. No Noodle Tuna Casserole
Tuna casserole doesn’t need noodles, rice, or any other carby addition to be delicious. In fact, it’s quite good without it, as you’ll see if you make this no-noodle tuna casserole. It’s cheese goodness in a casserole dish and perfect for low-carb eaters, too. Serve with a salad or a bowl of soup to round out the meal.
14. Butternut Squash Lasagna
This Butternut Squash Lasagna recipe is perfect for special occasions. It’s decadent, creamy, and cheesy—all the things that make lasagna good. This one is naturally plant-based, but you can add cooked, scrambled meat if you prefer. This is truly creamy and comforting food you can enjoy for dinner. Garlic bread goes excellently with this.
15. Super Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole
This super easy slow cooker chicken enchilada casserole is as good as it looks and sounds. It’s comfort food at its best. Make this in a large casserole dish or in individual, smaller, oven-safe dishes for individual casseroles. Serve with a side of refried beans and maybe some soup. Adults and kids alike will love this dish.
More From The Gracious Pantry
Need more dinner ideas? The Gracious Pantry has you covered. Here are some amazing ideas for chicken and ground turkey, both of which are versatile, easy to work with, and absolutely delicious.
This originally appeared on The Gracious Pantry.
