Not Your Grandma’s Casserole: 29 Modern Casserole Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why does Anna always make chicken casserole? ›

Anna brings a casserole to dinner at Neil and Emma's house, uses a casserole to lure murder details out of Neil's late wife's sister, distracts the police with casserole, and even brings a casserole to Elizabeth's grave (with her mysteriously changing headstone epitaphs) on what would have been her birthday.

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

In general, you'll want to bake a casserole covered with aluminum foil for most of the cooking time. Covering the casserole helps lock in moisture and prevents it from drying out. If you don't cover the casserole or uncover it too soon, the casserole will dry out.

So what's inside? Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese.

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

Casserole history

Apparently, casseroles originated as communal pots that people shared for meals. The oldest recipe for a casserole, around 1250, consisted of pasta sheets cooked in water, layered with grated cheese and spices.

' In the UK, the terms casserole and stew tend to be used interchangeably, although some distinguish them by saying stews are cooked on a stovetop while casseroles are cooked in an oven.

casseruola. an earthenware casserole. the food cooked in a casserole. (cibo cotto in casseruola)

What is the purpose of using a water bath when baking? ›

The hot water helps keep the temperature surrounding the food more consistent. This is particularly useful for recipes containing eggs, which can be quite temperamental in unmoderated temperatures. Delicate bakes using a custard or something similar (like cheesecake) will benefit greatly from the use of a water bath.

Soft vegetables like broccoli can be quickly par-cooked (aka blanched). If you are using hard vegetables like potatoes or carrots or other hardy root vegetables, you'll want to par-cook for longer. Often a quick 2-5 minutes in the microwave will just give them that great head-start.

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.

The extender/starch, a food ingredient that helps thicken a dish. – Dry bread crumbs; cooked, diced potatoes; pasta, rice, grits, or barley; cooked, mashed dry beans.

A casserole is a loose collection of ingredients bound together in a dish and baked until they turrn into a cohesive whole. It is not quite a dip, and not quite a composed dish. Cheese is often involved, but not always.

The protagonist of the series, Anna, is seen baking a Chicken Casserole throughout the series. The casserole plays a bigger role in the thriller series than anyone would expect. If you watch closely, the Chicken Casserole actually gives out a clue that leads Anna to the killer.

Recipes for casseroles start appearing in American cookbooks in the late 19th century but the dish really grew in popularity during the Depression and World Wars. Vegetables and starches helped to pad a meal so that a small portion of meat could become a more filling dish during times of hardship.

“Many of the ingredients and inspiration behind these casseroles came from our European ancestors who settled in the Midwest, such as noodle casseroles from Germany, potato gratins from France, and shepherds' pies and pot pies from England.”

This chicken casserole was inspired by its ubiquitous presence in the Netflix show, The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window. It's an easy, simple casserole reminiscent of a ground chicken meatloaf and topped with crispy buttered bread crumbs!