Our Best Casserole and Hotdish Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated August 18, 2020

Warm up your table with these 30 hearty, satisfying meals from the oven.

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Cheesy Brat Casserole

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This six-ingredient hotdish recipe from an Appleton, Wisconsin, reader features an all-star lineup of Wisconsin foods, including bratwurst, cheddar cheese and potatoes. "It's a quick, easy recipe," our reader says. "There's not much you can mess up."

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Hash Brown Casserole

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A crispy, savory crust of cheese, crushed cornflakes and butter tops a combination of ham, hash-brown potatoes, cubed cheese, condensed soup and sour cream. A potluck favorite!

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Chicken-Broccoli Bake

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A flurry of curry adds zest to this classic casserole combo of chicken, broccoli and cheese. 

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Spinach-Mushroom-Sausage Pierogi Bake

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You don't get much easier than this recipe from Jan Valdez of Chicago! Saute a few ingredients, stir in cream cheese to make a sauce, and dump it all over frozen pierogis in a casserole dish. (You don't even need to thaw the pierogis!) 

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Pizza Pasta Skillet Casserole

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A blanket of gooey cheese and the oven-crisped pepperoni make this casserole a guaranteed kid pleaser. Of course, you can switch up the ingredients as easily as the toppings on a pizza. Classics like sweet pepper, black olives and sausage are all fair game-but we'd hold the anchovies!

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Cheeseburger-and-Fries Casserole

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This might be the easiest casserole you ever make, with just four ingredients and 15 minutes of prep time. The recipe comes from an Elkader, Iowa, reader. Kids of all ages will probably douse the stick-to-your-ribs meal with ketchup.

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Classic Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish

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Rich cream sauce stands in for canned soup in Minnesota chef Amy Thielen's spin on classic chicken and wild rice hotdish. The recipe comes from Amy's book The New Midwestern Table (clarksonpotter.com).

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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

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Doctored with onion, chili powder and cocoa, canned sauce becomes a stepping-stone to something deeper.

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Unforgettable Chicken Pie

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This from-scratch deep-dish chicken casserole comes from a Caledonia, Michigan, reader. "It's not your run-of-the-mill chicken pie," says the reader, who adds a bit of pork sausage for farm-hearty flavor. "Anyone who tries it just can't get enough of it."

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Savory Shepherd's Pie

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Traditionally, shepherd's pie was a way to use leftover roast beef. Our shortcut recipe uses packaged beef roast. 

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Mexican Mac and Cheese

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Pair Mexican flavors with pasta for this comfort-food casserole that includes sausage, salsa and Monterey Jack cheese.

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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

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The combo of butternut squash, rigatoni, bacon and smoked cheese makes for a delicious twist on traditional mac and cheese.

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Wine-Tasting Lasagna

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This is a great recipe for entertaining. If you're thinking about holding a wine-tasting party, the flavors of the red meat sauce and cheese-spinach layers in this colorful lasagna will complement the wines.

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Eight-Layer Casserole

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A Waukegan, Illinois, reader contributed this homespun ground beef-and-noodle hotdish recipe. Make-ahead directions are included at the end of the recipe.

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Chef Joe's Cranberry-Orange Chicken

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Joe Schadler of Celebration River Cruises in Moline, Illinois, loves this make-ahead chicken casserole with its sweet-tart flavor. Off-the-shelf ingredients such as bottled French salad dressing and canned cranberry sauce make it a snap to put together.

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Mexican Biscuit Casserole

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This taco-flavored main dish is a potluck favorite from a Fargo, North Dakota, reader. Serve it with tortilla chips so your guests can scoop and eat.

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French Spaghetti

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Layers of creamy white and tomato-mushroom sauces crown this meatless noodle dish. You can serve it with a salad as a main course or spoon out smaller portions as a side dish.

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Puffed-Up Pizza Casserole

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This Italian-flavored dish was one of the winners of a Midwest Living recipe contest. The recipe comes from a Maryland Heights, Missouri, reader, who says the casserole freezes and reheats well. Adjust the hot-pepper sauce to suit your taste.

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Hominy and Sausage Bake

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Combine turkey or bison bratwurst, hominy and chopped potatoes for a hearty main dish casserole. Speed prep time by using canned hominy, if you like.

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Moussaka

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Eggplant, tomato, Parmesan cheese and ground beef are the heart of this fresh-tasting, easy version of a Middle Eastern dish. Serve with a tossed salad and hot, crusty bread.

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Macaroni and Cheese Perfection

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Forget what you know about store-bought packages-this is REAL macaroni and cheese. The children of cheese-makers Shelley and Randy Krakenbuhl accepted nothing else while they were growing up above the Prima Kase cheese factory in Monticello, Wisconsin. Here's the family recipe for Macaroni and Cheese Perfection, which Shelley prepares using Prima Kase's Emmentaler cheese and some Parmesan.

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Chicken Alfredo and Rice Casserole

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For a fast warm-up on a weeknight, put together this quick and easy version of classic chicken and rice casserole with refrigerated light pasta sauce, cubed cooked chicken and cooked rice.

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Greek Pastitsio

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Some call this dish (pronounced pah-STEET-see-oh) the Greek lasagna. Our version was inspired by the pastitsio served at a popular Detroit-area Greek restaurant. We use elbow macaroni and kasseri cheese (similar to provolone in flavor, but milder with a slight buttery taste). Just like lasagna, this dish is easier to serve if it stands about 10 minutes after baking.

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Texas-Style Casserole

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Patterned after a legendary Texas recipe, this irresistible main dish includes seasoned chicken stacked up with chili peppers, tortillas, sour cream sauce, and cheese.

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Mexican Polenta Pie

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Great for a potluck or family dinner, this 12-serving casserole combines polenta with ground turkey, spices, black beans, tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese.

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Cheesy Italian Meatball Casserole

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Combine Italian meatballs, three kinds of cheese, pasta and sauce for this easy, crowd-pleasing casserole.

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Triangle Ranch Scalloped Corn

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Diced green chile peppers give this cheesy baked dish character with some hotness. We like the crunch from the saltine crackers, too. The recipe comes from Triangle Ranch Bed and Breakfast in western South Dakota, where guests enjoy hearty meals prepared by B&B owner Lyndy Ireland.

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Tuna Alfredo Casserole

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Substitute any pesto you like in this easy, six-ingredient tuna casserole recipe.

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Delightfully Light Green Bean Casserole

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Classic green bean casserole gets a makeover with a lightened sauce that uses reduced-fat and reduced-sodium condensed soup. Put the side dish together in just 20 minutes thanks to canned and frozen ingredients.

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Sausage-Wild Rice Casserole

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Pork sausage and wild rice blend with onion, mushrooms and water chestnuts in an easy-to-make casserole. Add 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey to make it a main dish.

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com