Casseroles are the original one-pan meal. Perfect for a delicious, unfussy weeknight dinner, they are super easy to throw together. Whether you’re looking for a comforting cheesy meal or something saucy and spicy, you’ll definitely want to add these top-rated casseroles to your dinner rotation. Scroll through to find main dish casserole recipes that your family will be begging you to make forever.
Hot Tamale Pie
Photographer: Jen Causey / Food Styling: Margaret Dickey / Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
Chef John’s three-cheese Hot Tamale Pie is made with ground beef, poblano peppers, salsa, and corn muffin mix. You can freeze this casserole baked or unbaked for an extra easy dinner, or pack it up in a casserole carrier for your next potluck party.
Grandma’s Hamburger Casserole
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“My grandmother’s hamburger casserole is classic comfort food! Featuring ground beef, noodles, and a creamy cheese sauce, this simple recipe dates back to the 1940’s,” says recipe submitter LaDonna Langwell.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
This comforting chicken casserole topped with Ritz crackers can be made even easier by using a rotisserie chicken. This buttery, creamy casserole is delicious served alongside new potatoes and your favorite vegetable.
Spaghetti Pizza
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“My picky kids are devouring this as I type. I accidentally used one full cup of cheese in the pasta, but it was yummy and turned out fine. I was worried that a 9×13 pan would be too big, but the pasta was just enough on the bottom to form a thin crust. Overall, this was a super easy and yummy recipe,” says reviewer Susan Zimmer Jolley.
No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
With a delicious meat sauce and three kinds of cheeses, you won’t even realize there aren’t noodles in this lasagna. The zucchini produces a lot of moisture when cooked, so reviewers recommend leaving the water out of the sauce.
Best Beef Enchiladas
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
A creamy mixture of taco meat, Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and enchilada sauce is rolled into tortillas and topped with black olives in these tasty beef enchiladas. You can use either green or red enchilada sauce depending on your preference.
Chef John’s Macaroni and Cheese
Chef John’s old-school macaroni and cheese is the perfect comfort food for a quick weeknight dinner. Reviewers rave about the crispy panko crust on top. You can dial back the cayenne pepper if you’re making this for kids or someone who doesn’t like heat.
Neiman Marcus Chicken Casserole
Peyton Beckwith
This Neiman Marcus chicken casserole recipe is a casserole version of the famous department store’s cafe dish. Saucy chicken, bacon, Cheddar, and almonds are baked with a buttery cracker topping in this quick-prep dinner.
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Allrecipes / Abbey Littlejohn
A creamy chicken and noodle casserole topped with buttery Ritz crackers that’s ready to serve in just one hour. You can easily sneak in some frozen bags of vegetables, and the picky eaters will still love it!
Broccoli Chicken Divan
This casserole is a great way to sneak in some veggies because, alongside the cheesy, creamy sauce and breadcrumbs, picky eaters won’t even know the broccoli is there. Reviewers have used different soups, like cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or chicken and herbs, and say the recipe is just as good.
Mamaw’s Chicken and Rice Casserole
Photographer: Jake Sternquist / Food Styling: Sammy Mila / Prop Styling: Kristen Schooley
The ultimate comfort food, this chicken and rice casserole uses three cans of soup and an entire stick of butter—just like mamaw always made it. Try using a rotisserie chicken if you are short on time. You can add veggies to this casserole to make it a more well-rounded meal, including mushrooms, onions, or diced chiles.
Baked Spaghetti
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Spaghetti noodles, ground beef, pasta sauce, and tons of cheese make this pasta casserole the perfect weeknight meal for spaghetti and meatball lovers. This recipe is easy to assemble, ready in only an hour and a half, and one that the whole family will love.
Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
This casserole gives you the taste of Thanksgiving but with the ease of using a quick-cooking stuffing mix and a rotisserie chicken. You can add vegetables to this casserole, such as broccoli, peas, corn, or carrots if you like.
One-Pan Tuna Noodle Casserole
Allrecipes Magazine
“This easy one-pan casserole comes together very quickly,” says recipe creator Juliana Hale. “Using fully cooked pasta and other prepared ingredients cuts down on prep time.”
Chicken Enchiladas
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
These easy chicken enchiladas are topped with Cheddar cheese and taco sauce, instead of traditional enchilada sauce, which sets them apart from traditional enchilada casseroles. You can also freeze the individual rolled enchiladas for later—simply put the frozen ones in a baking dish, top with sauce and cheese, and bake.
Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Allrecipes / Jennifer Causey / Ruth Blackburn / Julia Bayless
Here’s a versatile casserole you can serve for dinner and as leftovers for breakfast the next morning. Made with refrigerated biscuit dough and a packet of pork gravy mix, this recipe couldn’t be simpler.
Hamburger Potato Casserole
Photographer: Victor Protasio / Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling: Christine Keely
“Great dinner, easy to put together,” says David. “Its my wife’s new favorite meal. I didn’t and the salt to the mixture but lightly dusted each layer of potatoes with Lawrys seasoned salt.”
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini
Allrecipes / Diana Chistruga
Turkey tetrazzini is a great casserole to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. By pairing leftover turkey and a handful of other ingredients, you’ll have a whole new meal that your family will love. Add a bag of frozen vegetables, like peas, for a more rounded meal.
Chili Relleno Casserole
Photographer: Jen Causey / Food Styling: Margaret Dickey / Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
With just a few basic ingredients, you can have this easy, flavorful casserole ready in only an hour. You can use enchilada sauce in place of tomato sauce if you prefer. Most reviewers omit the optional ½ cup of milk.
Unstuffed Cabbage Roll
Photographer: Kyle Carpenter / Food Styling: Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling: Prissy
This deconstructed casserole will even have the people who don’t like cabbage drooling. You can use ground beef, ground turkey, chicken, or omit the meat altogether. Serve with green beans, potatoes, and cornbread for a yummy meal.
Best Tuna Casserole
This tuna noodle casserole is topped with potato chips for an extra crunchy bite. Reviewers suggest adding an extra can of soup and more milk or sour cream to keep this dish from getting dry.
Quick and Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Allrecipes / Qi Ai
This five-ingredient green chile chicken enchilada casserole is about as easy as it gets. To save even more time, you can use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken in the filling. Serve topped with sour cream and alongside Spanish rice.
Best Taco Casserole
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“This recipe is a keeper! I crumbled a whole bag of corn tortilla chips and spread everything into two baking dishes. Served some chips on the side. I sprinkled some taco seasoning and pepper onto the meat while cooking and when adding the salsa and beans. Even the picky kids loved it,” says home cook Cutie.
Italian Meatball Sandwich Casserole
Photographer: Kyle Carpenter / Food Styling: Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling: Prissy
A twist on traditional meatball subs, this dish has all the ingredients of a meatball sandwich in an easy-to-make 9×13 casserole. Reviewers suggest toasting the bread first so it doesn’t get soggy from the toppings.
Taco Pie
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“It’s a quick and easy meal that is very filling. Some people will also top it with regular taco toppings, i.e. lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, etc. It also is great as leftovers for lunches! Serve with taco sauce,” says recipe contributor Stephanie.
Chili Dog Casserole
Jen Causey / Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling: Josh Hoggle
This four-ingredient casserole is made with a can of chili with beans, beef frankfurters, flour tortillas, and Cheddar cheese. You can add your favorite hot dog toppings, like onions and mustard, to make this a true chili dog experience.
Oh-So-Good Chicken
This oh-so-good chicken casserole is complete with sour cream, Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, rice, and salsa to create a flavor-packed dish. You can top it with your favorite taco toppings if you like.
Mexican Quesadilla Casserole
Photographer: Robby Lozano / Food Styling: Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling: Abby Armstrong
Enjoy all the flavor and flair of traditional quesadillas but in a hearty and filling casserole. This recipe is extremely customizable, so you can add or remove any ingredients you like.
Tater Tot Casserole
ALLRECIPES/VICTORIA JEMPTY
This Tater Tot casserole is a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love. Just four basic ingredients come together for this comforting dish.
Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
Peyton Beckwith
This million dollar chicken casserole is rich, creamy, and incredibly savory. It’s so good, it’s hard to stop eating! The cottage cheese is the trick to getting such a creamy texture and using rotisserie chicken keeps this recipe quick.