14 Easy Casserole Recipes for Cosy Weeknight Dinners

These easy casserole recipes are the dinners I lean on when the week runs away with me: one dish, a hot oven and something bubbling and golden on the table without much fuss. All fourteen come from my own kitchen, so every link below goes to a recipe I have actually made, photographed and scraped clean more times than I can count.

In short, these 14 easy casserole recipes are one dish dinners in three groups: six chicken casseroles, four ground beef casseroles and four meatless pasta, side and breakfast bakes. Total times run from 40 minutes for the Ritz cracker chicken casserole to 4 hours 40 minutes for the slow cooker cowboy casserole, most serve 4 to 8, and most of them freeze for 2 to 3 months.

I have sorted them by what goes in them, chicken first, then ground beef, then meatless bakes that work as a main, a side or even breakfast. Below the list you will find a quick guide to making them ahead and freezing them, my best tips and the questions readers ask me most often.

Easy Casserole Recipes at a Glance

Because the first question on a busy evening is always “how long?”, here is every dish in one place. The times come straight from each recipe card, so you can pick one that fits the evening you actually have.

Chicken Casseroles

Chicken is where most of my weeknight bakes start, mainly because leftover roast or rotisserie chicken turns into a whole new dinner in minutes. These six cover creamy pasta, rice, potatoes, a crunchy cracker lid and a tray of enchiladas for the freezer.

1. Chicken With Pasta Casserole

This chicken with pasta casserole is the one my family calls proper comfort food. Short pasta and shredded chicken get folded through a quick butter, garlic and sour cream sauce, then three cups of grated cheese go over the top and into the oven. Honestly, it tastes like it took far longer than it does, and the crispy corners are always fought over.

Get the Chicken With Pasta Casserole recipe →

2. Chicken and Dumplings Casserole

All the cosiness of a pot of chicken and dumplings, but baked in one dish instead of watched on the hob. Onion, celery and carrot soften in butter, then precooked chicken and a creamy soup base go in. A simple batter of flour, baking powder and milk bakes on top into soft, golden dumplings that soak up the sauce underneath.

Get the Chicken and Dumplings Casserole recipe →

3. Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

I love how little effort this chicken broccoli rice casserole asks for. Instant rice, cooked chicken, broccoli florets and a creamy broccoli soup sauce go in together, then sharp cheddar and seasoned breadcrumbs crisp up on top. It is cheesy, green and filling, and the leftovers might be even better the next day.

Get the Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole recipe →

4. Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole

Rotisserie chicken, sour cream, Dijon and scallions make a rich, tangy filling, and then a buttery crushed cracker topping turns golden and crunchy in the oven. It is the dish I take round when a friend needs dinner dropped off, because it travels well and nobody has ever turned it down. The contrast between creamy and crisp is the whole point.

Get the Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole recipe →

5. Potato and Chicken Casserole

This potato and chicken casserole is a little different: parboiled potatoes and chicken breast sit in a creamy egg custard flavoured with curry powder and Provencal herbs, with Gruyere and sliced tomato on top. As a result it sets almost like a savoury bake, holding its shape when you cut it. It is hearty enough on its own with a green salad.

Get the Potato and Chicken Casserole recipe →

6. Freezer Chicken Enchiladas

These freezer chicken enchiladas are my insurance policy against the evenings when cooking feels impossible. I roll a tray on a quiet Sunday with shredded chicken, onion, paprika and cheese in flour tortillas, then wrap it tightly and freeze it unbaked. Weeks later it goes straight from the freezer into the oven while I do absolutely nothing.

Get the Freezer Chicken Enchiladas recipe →

Ground Beef Casseroles

A pound of ground beef stretches a long way once it is baked with pasta, potatoes or a crisp potato topping. These four are the heartiest easy casserole recipes on the list, and three of them feed a crowd of eight.

7. Beef and Macaroni Casserole

Think of this beef and macaroni casserole as homemade cheeseburger pasta, baked. Lean ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic simmer in a tomato sauce, then get tossed with macaroni and plenty of cheddar before a final layer of cheese melts on top. My kids ask for it every week, and I never mind, because it feeds us twice.

Get the Beef and Macaroni Casserole recipe →

8. Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole

Thin russet potatoes, browned beef and onion get layered with a creamy cheddar sauce made from condensed soup and evaporated milk, then baked until the top is golden and gooey. It is budget friendly, deeply comforting and reheats like a dream. In fact, I think it tastes even better the next day, once the potatoes have soaked up the sauce.

Get the Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole recipe →

9. Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole

This slow cooker cowboy casserole is the dump and go dinner of the bunch. Seasoned ground beef, sweetcorn, soup, sour cream and cheddar go into the slow cooker, then frozen tater tots go on top in a single layer. Hours later you have a creamy, cheesy base under a lid of potato. For extra crunch, I flash it under the grill.

Get the Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole recipe →

10. Freezer Lasagna

Here is the secret I wish I had known years ago: freeze lasagna raw, not cooked. Dry sheets, a thick beef and tomato sauce, ricotta and mozzarella get layered, wrapped and frozen, so when it finally bakes it tastes like it was made that afternoon. With just eight ingredients, it is the easiest way I know to stock the freezer.

Get the Freezer Lasagna recipe →

Meatless Pasta, Side and Breakfast Bakes

Not every casserole needs meat. These four cover a cheesy pasta night, the holiday side everyone expects and a sweet bake for a lazy weekend morning, and every one of them can be assembled ahead.

11. Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is five ingredients, one dish and a cheesy, bubbling top that everyone fights over. Ziti gets tossed in marinara with creamy ricotta, then mozzarella and parmesan melt into a golden blanket in the oven. It is meatless as written, although a pound of browned beef or Italian sausage in the sauce makes it heartier. I often make two and freeze one.

Get the Baked Ziti recipe →

12. Baked Mac and Cheese

A pound of elbow macaroni gets folded through a silky sauce of cheddar, mozzarella and Monterey Jack, then buttered breadcrumbs go on top and bake to a crisp, golden crust. The trick is stirring the cheese in off the heat, so the sauce stays smooth. Let it rest ten minutes and it holds beautifully on the spoon.

Get the Baked Mac and Cheese recipe →

13. Fresh Green Bean Casserole

This fresh green bean casserole is the familiar creamy bake rebuilt with fresh green beans, blanched for exactly five minutes so they stay bright and keep a little bite. A mushroom soup sauce with a splash of Worcestershire holds it together, and crispy fried onions go on at the end. It is a side dish, of course, but it belongs on any casserole night.

Get the Fresh Green Bean Casserole recipe →

14. Sourdough French Toast Casserole

Cubed sourdough soaks up a cinnamon and vanilla custard, then bakes until the top is crisp and golden while the middle stays soft and set. Slightly stale bread works best, which makes it the perfect home for the end of a loaf. Meanwhile, an overnight rest in the fridge makes it even better, so the morning is effortless.

Get the Sourdough French Toast Casserole recipe →

How to Make Ahead and Freeze Easy Casserole Recipes

Most of these easy casserole recipes were made for the freezer, and a little planning on a quiet weekend pays you back for weeks. Here is how I do it, based on what has worked in my own kitchen.

• Freeze it unbaked when you can. The enchiladas, lasagna, Ritz chicken, mac and cheese and green bean bake all taste fresher when they only cook once, on the night you eat them.
• Keep crunchy toppings separate. Crackers, fried onions and tater tots go soggy in the freezer, so add them on baking day. NDSU Extension makes the same point in its guide to freezing meals now to save time later, which also suggests slightly undercooking pasta and rice that will bake again.
• Cool it fast, then wrap it well. A double layer of cling film and foil stops freezer burn, and a label with the date and baking instructions saves you guessing later.
• Use it within three months. Penn State Extension’s advice on make ahead freezer meals recommends that window for best quality and reheating to 165°F, and suggests shallow dishes, which freeze and thaw faster.
• Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. Overnight in the fridge is the safe route. Baking from frozen also works, as long as you allow extra time.

For anything heading into the freezer, foil pans with lids keep your good dishes free, and a frozen tray can go straight into a hot oven without any worry about cracking.

A Week of Casserole Dinners

If you want to put these easy casserole recipes to work, this is roughly how a good week looks in my house. One weekend session covers the freezer bakes, and the rest come together on the night.

Tips for Easy Casserole Recipes That Work Every Time

• Use a 9×13 dish with a lid. It fits nearly every recipe here, and the leftovers go straight back in the fridge covered.
• Undercook the pasta slightly. It keeps softening in the oven, so drain it at the low end of the packet time.
• Be generous with sauce. Pasta and rice drink it up as they bake, which is the usual reason a bake turns out dry.
• Add a few minutes if it goes in cold. A dish straight from the fridge needs roughly 5 to 10 minutes longer than one assembled warm.
• Let it rest. Ten minutes out of the oven lets the sauce settle, so it cuts into neat squares instead of sliding across the plate.
• Cover to reheat. Foil keeps leftovers moist, then a few minutes uncovered crisps the top again.

For a smaller household, most of these halve neatly into an 8 inch square pan. Just start checking a little earlier, since a half batch cooks faster.

Frequently Asked Questions