Easy Holiday Casserole Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is in a casserole? ›

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

The time a casserole takes to cook will vary from 2-2½ hours for chuck, blade and thick flank, up to 4 hours for shin, leg and neck. Pork cuts for braising and casseroling normally take 1½ hours, and lamb much the same.

The binder is the sauce, which holds ingredients together. Casserole toppings are used for color, variety in texture; protects protein ingredients and identify common toppings.

On Christmas Eve (Noche Buena), the extended family join for a dinner of roast turkey and white rice seasoned with garlic. Roast potatoes and cooked sweetened apple puree are often served as well. The main dessert is panettone. It is usually accompanied by a cup of thick hot chocolate.

If you're trying to keep expenses down, remember that you don't have to host an entire sit-down dinner. Instead, host it happy-hour style with an array of appetizers and easy party snacks and ask guests to BYOB. If you're not doing booze, ask attendees to bring some holiday sweets instead.

Macaroni and cheese is the oldest written casserole recipe found in 1250.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Casserole Dish

Look for a dish that has wide, looped handles, and that is made of stoneware or ceramic for heat retention. We also preferred dishes with softer, rounded interior corners since they were often easier to clean.

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

Uncovering the foods promotes browning and crisping, and reduces the amount of liquid in the finished dish. If a casserole looks soupy when it's ready to bake, bake it uncovered unless the ingredients include pasta or rice, which absorb liquid.

Putting a casserole together a day or so before baking ensures that everything is ready to go when dinner time rolls around. That means no rushing at the last minute. Along with greater convenience, making a casserole ahead of time also results in a richer, deeper taste.

What are the 3 main parts of a casserole? ›

Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.

Seasoning means to bring out or intensify the natural flavor of the food without changing it. Seasonings are usually added near the end of the cooking period. The most common seasonings are salt, pepper, and acids (such as lemon juice).

The primary reason for covering a casserole as it bakes is to trap moisture inside the dish. This will not only keep the casserole itself moist, but it will also help get the casserole up to cooking temperature.

Christmas dinner

Sharing dishes work well when feeding large numbers. Try making a large dip, pâté or terrine, or serve up a selection of nibbles and let everyone help themselves – it saves plating up lots of individual dishes before the chaos of the main course ensues.

Play Christmas games

There are board games, DIY activities, Christmas trivia games, the reindeer antler ring toss and more. If you want something more interactive than a book or movie night, games are the way to go.