Casseroles are the perfect holiday dish because they’re hearty, can serve a crowd and are great for Christmas brunch or even the main Christmas dinner. Here are some holiday casseroles that are easy to make with staple ingredients that you most likely already have in your freezer, fridge or pantry, like shredded cheese, frozen pasta, canned soup and even crackers.
They’re all comfort food classics that aren’t expensive to make and don’t take forever to make, either. And the best part? They’re all bubbling, golden-brown goodness!
10. Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
Cream cheese, sour cream and cream of chicken soup make a creamy combination in this chicken casserole. Bacon and rotisserie chicken give it a crispy, savory flavor. This casserole tastes like it’s made with expensive ingredients, but it’s actually made with freezer and pantry staples!
This casserole is topped with cheddar cheese and buttered Ritz crackers. For a make-ahead meal, leave off the cracker topping until just before baking. Serve with a side salad or roasted green beans to offset the richness of this cheesy casserole.
Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees .
- Shred cooked rotisserie chicken using forks. Set aside. Cook and dice the bacon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, cream of chicken soup, garlic powder, onion powder, bacon and chicken. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese evenly over the chicken mixture.
- Place the Ritz crackers into a large freezer bag and crush them, using a rolling pin or a heavy measuring cup. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in the cracker crumbs until coated.
- Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the chicken and cheese. Bake for 35 minutes.
9. Tater Tot Casserole with Ground Turkey
Frozen tater tots are the star in this one, and no one will be complaining! Lean ground turkey and bacon get folded into a filling mixture with eggs, mayo, and a can of cream of chicken soup, topped with a layer of tots, then baked until crispy and golden.
Add a layer of cheddar cheese partway through to soak in all the delicious crispy tots goodness. Serve this up with steamed broccoli or a simple green salad for a complete and delicious holiday meal!
Easy Tater Tot Casserole Recipe with Ground Turkey
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Brown turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When turkey is almost browned, add the diced bacon and cook another 2 minutes. Drain liquid and season with salt and black pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, soup and eggs. Add the ground turkey mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer the turkey mixture to a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange the tater tots in a single layer over the turkey.
- Bake 20 minutes. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Place it back into the oven for 10 more minutes.
- Let the casserole rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing into individual servings. Sprinkle with chopped scallions before serving.
8. Everything Bagel Casserole with Smoked Salmon
This recipe takes bagels and lox and transforms them into a savory brunch casserole. The night before serving, cubed everything bagels are combined with a custard of eggs, half-and-half, cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and chives, then refrigerated.
In the morning, top the casserole with slices of Swiss cheese and bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted. It’s all the flavor of a bagel and lox spread, with far less cleanup once the presents are open.
Everything Bagel Casserole Recipe with Smoked Salmon
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the bagels into cubes. Arrange them on a baking sheet and toast them at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the bagel pieces into the baking dish.
- Place the eggs, cream cheese and half-and-half in a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat them together. There will still be chunks of cream cheese, which is okay. Stir in the smoked salmon, capers and chives.
- Pour the salmon mixture over the bagels. Cover with plastic wrap and weigh down with another baking dish. Refrigerate overnight or at least 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the casserole and top with slices of Swiss cheese. Bake 40-45 minutes.
- Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing into squares. Garnish with additional fresh chives and fresh ground black pepper, if desired.
7. Brussels Sprouts Casserole with Crispy Onions
Crispy fried onions add crunch to this holiday Brussels sprouts casserole. Brussels sprouts and two kinds of mushrooms are baked in a garlicky sauce made with butter, flour, whole milk and half-and-half, then topped with French’s fried onions for extra crunch. This Brussels sprouts casserole makes 10 to 12 servings, making it a great option for a holiday table full of company.
Brussels Sprouts Casserole with Crispy Onions
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse and dry brussels sprouts. Trim the ends and cut sprouts in half. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch brussels sprouts for 5 minutes, then immediately drain and plunge into a large bowl of ice water. Drain and dry with paper towels.
- Saute the mushrooms and thyme in 4 tbsp. of the butter until very dark and tender, about 12-15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, discard the thyme and place onto a separate plate. Season with salt and pepper.
- In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, garlic and salt. Whisk constantly until it starts to bubble. Whisk in the milk and half-and-half. Cook, whisking, until thickened.
- Place mushrooms and brussels sprouts into a 2-quart baking dish and pour sauce over top. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Uncover and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the top is browned. Top with onions and bake another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
6. Chicken Parm Casserole
Chicken cutlets, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces, are paired with short pasta and a ricotta mixture seasoned with garlic, basil, oregano and parsley, and topped with lots of melty mozzarella. Serve with garlic knots or a side salad for a holiday-worthy dinner.
Have some leftover chicken cutlets and a jar of pasta sauce? Perfect, you can whip this recipe together in a flash. Since all the ingredients go in already cooked, the casserole spends less than 30 minutes in the oven, just enough time to heat everything through and get that bubbly cheese topping. We love it served with a side of Caesar salad.
Chicken Parm Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Boil and drain the pasta according to package directions for al dente.
- Take the cooked chicken cutlets and cut them into bite sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, pasta sauce dried spices, salt, sugar and egg.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, layer half of the ricotta mixture, then half of the cooked pasta, then half of the chicken. Repeat the layers one more time.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly across the top of the casserole. Bake in the preheated oven 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling.
5. Sausage, Egg & Cheese Strata
This make-ahead strata is the perfect vehicle for using up day-old bread. The bread is layered with turkey breakfast sausage, mushrooms, shallots and aged Gruyere cheese, and then soaked in a custard made from half-and-half, eggs and white wine.
Cover and refrigerate it overnight, then simply pop it in the oven Christmas morning for a puffy, golden brown breakfast casserole that’s ready to eat when the edges start to pull away from the pan.
Sausage, Egg & Cheese Strata
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. (You are just drying out the bread slices. You can skip this step if you have day-old bread.) Allow to cool and then butter each slice on one side with 2 tbsp of the butter.
- In a nonstick pan, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Once sausage has begun to brown, add shallots. Saute sausage and shallots for one more minute, until shallots become translucent. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until mushrooms are soft. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Add wine to the pan and raise the temperature to medium-high. Allow the wine to reduce slightly while scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, reduced wine and parsley.
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish with the remaining 1 tbsp of butter. Arrange half of the bread slices along the bottom of the baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle half of the sausage mixture and 1 cup of cheese evenly over the bread slices. Repeat with the rest of the bread, sausage and additional 1 cup of cheese. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap, weigh down with another baking dish and refrigerate overnight (or at least several hours).
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and sprinkle the 1 remaining cup of cheese over top. Bake for 55 minutes, or until edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
4. Sweet Potato Casserole
Packed full of flavor, this sweet potato casserole will earn a permanent spot on your holiday menu! Soft and creamy sweet potatoes paired with a toasty and golden pecan streusel. You get a little bit of everything in every bite. Served up alongside your favorite holiday dish (think glazed ham or roast turkey), this side is a holiday favorite.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Peel and quarter the potatoes. Place them into a large pot and cover with cold water.
- Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Mash the potatoes with a fork. Then, stir in the eggs, half-and-half, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.
- Make the topping: Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Then, use a fork to stir in the crushed pecans, sugar, flour and cinnamon.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm.
3. Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake
The gravy is slow-simmered until rich and flavorful, and includes both sweet and hot Italian turkey sausage, which is cooked in the gravy until tender. The turkey sausage gravy is combined with cooked pasta, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and more mozzarella is sprinkled on top before it all goes into the oven to bake until bubbly and golden.
This recipe makes a lot, so keep in mind you’ll have leftovers, but don’t fret, it freezes really well for one of those post-Christmas days when you don’t feel like cooking!
Turkey Sausage Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Method
- Coat the bottom of a large stockpot with extra virgin olive oil. Add diced onions and minced garlic and toss in the olive oil until coated. Set the pot to medium heat. Once the garlic and onions start to sizzle and soften, add the diced sweet peppers and stir to combine. Allow this mixture to soften, 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomato puree, dry spices, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir until combined. Lower heat to a simmer.
- Peel the casing off the sausage links and break into bite-sized pieces. Drop the pieces into the gravy. Cover and simmer for at least 2 hours, occasionally stirring gently.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Add 3-4 cups of tomato gravy and sausage, depending on how saucy you like it. Add the cooked pasta.
- Pour the entire thing into a 9×13 baking dish. Dot with additional spoonfuls of gravy and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over top. Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
2. Baked Ravioli
Assemble this no-boil holiday casserole with frozen ravioli and refrigerate until it’s time to serve. Layer cheese ravioli from the freezer with an enhanced version of jarred pasta sauce with sautéed onions, garlic, dried herbs and lots of shredded mozzarella and Parmesan, bake it covered then uncovered until bubbly and golden brown.
Baked Ravioli
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute onions and garlic in the oil until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta sauce, onions, garlic, dried herbs and salt.
- Layer the casserole in a 8×8 baking dish: Spread a layer of sauce, then arrange the raviolis in a single layer, followed by mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients have been used.
- Cover with aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
1. Green Bean Casserole
No holiday menu is complete without a green bean casserole. This classic casserole is worth the few extra minutes it takes to make from scratch. Green beans are baked in a creamy homemade sauce and finished with a golden, crunchy onion topping. Make a big batch because this one’s always the first dish to disappear.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- Wash, dry and trim the green beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of ice water next to it.
- Put the green beans into the boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove and immediately plunge the beans into the bowl of ice water. Allow them to cool. Then, drain and pat dry.
- In a large skillet, melt 4 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat. And the sliced mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are dark and have released all of their liquid, about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove onto a separate plate.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 2 Tbsp. of butter to the skillet. Stir in the flour, garlic and salt. Cook until bubbling, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the milk and half-and-half. Whisk until thickened.
- Put the green beans and mushrooms into a 9×13 baking dish. Pour the cream mixture over top. Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes. Sprinkle the French fried onions evenly over top the casserole and bake another 2-3 minutes. Serve warm.
Leave a Reply