American-Style Casseroles

Casseroles are not just for dinner. A delicious one is Breakfast Sausage Casserole. For this casserole cut bread into cubes and spread on the bottom of a greased casserole. Brown sausage and spread over bread and top with grated cheddar. Stir together half and half, dry mustard, sail, pepper, and eggs. Pour the mixture over the cheese and bread and cover the casserole with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. The next day preheat the oven and bake for 50 minutes until golden. Let the casserole sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Shepherd's Pie is a comforting and filling casserole that doesn't take a lot of time to make. You can use instant mashed potatoes or make your own. The casserole can be made with leftover roast meat cubed or with ground beef. If ground beef, brown the meat with onions. Then in a large saucepan melt butter and stir in flour add milk and herbs. When the sauce is thickened add meat, vegetables like peas and carrots, salt, and pepper. Stir through. Pour into a casserole dish and spread mashed potatoes over the top and bake for 30 minutes letting it stand for 10 minutes when done.

Chicken divan is prepared with pieces of chicken, almonds, broccoli, and Mornay or Hollandaise sauce. It became the signature dish of the restaurant Divan Parisienne in New York City in the 1950s. The creator of the dish was chef Anthony Lagasi, who received an award from the Chatham Hotel in New York for the creation, The dish can include other ingredients like cheese, white wine, mushrooms or water chestnuts. Today variations include making the casserole with cubed chicken and condensed soups.

American chop suey is a delicious mix of baked pasta, ground beef, and tomato sauce. The dish supposedly originated in New England before the 1950s. It can be prepared on the stovetop or baked as a casserole. Usually, elbow macaroni is used and includes Worcestershire sauce, onions, and garlic.

Macaroni and cheese has long been a comfort food casserole. Elbow macaroni is cooked and drained and set aside. In a saucepan on medium heat melt butter, cook onions and garlic and add flour making a smooth paste. Add milk and black pepper and stir till thickened. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted and smooth. Put macaroni into a greased casserole dish and stir in cheese mixture. Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned and let sit for 10 minutes before serving, Variations for a complete meal include adding ground beef or Italian sausage crumbled. A quick version calls for adding Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup instead of making your own cheese sauce.

Farmers Casserole is a delicious casserole made with frozen hash brown potatoes, pepperjack cheese, diced cooked ham, green onions, beaten eggs, evaporated milk, black pepper and salt. In a greased casserole dish, hashbrowns are spread out on the bottom, then sprinkled with pepper jack cheese, ham and green onion. In a bowl mix eggs, evaporated milk, salt and pepper and pour over the ingredients in the casserole. The dish can be refrigerated overnight. Then baked for up to 60 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tuna casserole is a popular dish that is made with pasta or noodles, canned tuna, different vegetables, and cream condensed soup. When baked the casserole is topped with crushed potato chips, crumbled crackers, or breadcrumbs. It became popular in the 1950s due to affordable ingredients and it could feed a whole family and can also be frozen to prepare later.

Frito pie is a delicious casserole that is made with chilli, crunchy corn chips, cheese, and onions. It is popular in Southern and Midwestern states and can be found at state fairs and high school football games. It was supposedly created at a New Mexico Woolworths in the 1960s. Brown ground beef in a pan and mix through beans, place crushed Frito chips in a greased casserole, and add the ground beef and beans, grated cheddar cheese, enchilada sauce and top with crushed Frito chips.

Ham and Cheese casserole is made with wide egg noodles, cream of chicken soup, spreadable cream cheese, milk, garlic herb seasoning, pepper, cubed cooked ham, Monterey Jack cheese. Cook noodles, drain and set aside, Combine cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, milk, seasonings, and add cubed ham. Add the noodles to the mixture and place in greased casserole, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 25 minutes until heated through.

Hotdish is a popular Midwestern food particularly in the states of Minnesota and North Dakota. The dish is prepared with potatoes or pasta, ground beef, vegetables and canned soup usually cream of mushroom. The recipe originated in the 1930s and can be found in the Grace Lutheran Ladies Aid Cookbook but in 1934 canned soups from Campbell's became the base for this dish. Brown onions and ground beef and place in a casserole, season with salt and pepper, spread green beans and corn over the meat, spread over cream of mushroom soup, top with frozen tater tots and bake until tots are golden brown.

Tetrazzini is an American casserole that is made with pasta, diced poultry or seafood in a creamy parmesan cheese sauce. Other ingredients added are steamed peas, mushrooms or carrots. The origin comes from a chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California who created it in honor of Luisa Tetrazzini, a popular opera singer in the early 20th century who would stay at the hotel. One variation is cooking spaghetti. Then taking a skillet and melting butter and cooking mushrooms until tender and brown. In a bowl combine cooked spaghetti, mushrooms, chicken, cream soup, sour cream, and pepper. Pour into a casserole and bake until bubbly and sprinkle with parsley.

Baked ziti is a casserole dish that is made with tubular pasta called ziti and baked with chunky sauces, cheese, ground meat, and vegetables like mushrooms, peppers, and onions. It is often served as an appetizer cut into big slices or as a comforting main meal. One variation is boiling the ziti and draining, In skillet brown onions and ground beef and add spaghetti sauce. Layer a greased baking dish with ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce, Top with grated Parmesan. Bake until cheeses melt.

Delmonico potatoes originated in New York City around 1830 at the famous Delmonico's Restaurant. The dish is prepared with potatoes, heavy cream, whole milk, nutmeg, salt, white pepper, and cheddar cheese. The potatoes are cut up in quarter lengths and boiled for 10 minutes. Afterwards placed in cold water and left for half an hour then grated. The rest of the ingredients are placed into a pan over medium heat and mixed until the cheddar cheese is melted, then mixed with the potatoes and placed into a baking dish and baked for 50 minutes.

Funeral potatoes might have a depressing name but it is the best comfort food. It is a cheesy, au gratin potato casserole that's synonymous with the state of Utah and the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The dish is made with cubed potatoes, cheese, onions, cream soup or sauce, sour cream and a topping of butter and corn flakes or crushed potato chips. The dish is usually prepared by Mormons to comfort grieving families. Today it has become a common side dish.

Puerto Rico

Pastelon is a casserole made with plantains and is part of Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisine. It is prepared with sliced or mashed plantains and layered with ground meat. The meat is usually the Puerto Rican version of picadillo which is a hearty stew with ground meat and tomato sauce, shredded cheese and green beans.

Mexico

Azteca is a version of Mexican lasagna. The dish is made with layered corn tortillas, shredded chicken, cheese, and salsa. For more spice hot chillies can be added. In a bowl mix cheddar cheese, sour cream, chile peppers, corn and cubed chicken. Take tortilla halves and dip in enchilada sauce and place on the bottom of a greased casserole. Spread over the chicken mixture and repeat layers. Bake until heated through.