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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Ultimate Comfort Food: 13 Crowd-Pleasing Casseroles for Busy Nights!

    Published: Mar 1, 2025 by Sharon Rigsby · Leave a Comment

    What’s better for dinner than a hot, bubbly, cheesy casserole straight from the oven? Not much!

    A wooden spoon holding a serving of hashbrown chicken casserole over the dish.

    These 13 easy one-dish wonders are the perfect solution for busy nights when you need a hearty meal without the hassle. Just mix, bake, and enjoy!

    1
    Million Dollar Chicken Casserole topped with Ritz Cracker crumbs in a white baking dish.
    Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
    Discover the magic of Million Dollar Chicken Casserole. Creamy, cheesy, and topped with a Ritz cracker crust, it’s the ultimate comfort food.
    Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
    2
    Walking Taco Casserole in a brightly colored baking dish, topped with lettuce and tomatoes.
    Walking Taco Casserole
    Walking Taco Casserole is incredibly easy to make and a long-time family favorite. It features cooked ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, a bit of cream cheese, and salsa. This flavorful beef mixture is then topped with plenty of shredded Mexican blend cheese, and Frito corn chips provide their signature crunch. 
    Walking Taco Casserole
    3
    French Onion Soup Chicken Casserole in a white rectangle baking dish.
    Easy French Onion Soup Chicken Casserole Recipe
    French Onion Soup Chicken Casserole with egg noodles is the ultimate comfort food and will quickly become a family favorite. It has everything you could ever want in a winning chicken dinner recipe.
    French Onion Soup Chicken Casserole
    4
    A white baking dish full of baked chicken cordon bleu casserole topped with sauce.
    Easy Cordon Bleu Chicken Casserole Recipe
    Oven-baked Cordon Bleu Chicken Casserole has all of the flavor and crispiness of the classic dish but none of the mess. It's quick and easy to prepare and, best of all, it can be made ahead.
    Cordon Bleu Chicken Casserole
    5
    A slice of sloppy joe cornbread casserole on a white plate.
    Easy Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole Recipe
    This Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole Recipe makes the perfect easy weeknight meal! Just 20 minutes of prep before the oven takes over and does all the heavy lifting.
    Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
    6
    A large spoonful of chicken and hash brown casserole.
    Chicken and Hash Brown Casserole Recipe
    This easy, cheesy Chicken and Hash Brown Casserole recipe is a true family favorite and the epitome of comfort food.
    Chicken and Hash Brown Casserole
    7
    A serving of Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Casserole on a white plate, garnished with avocado slices.
    Easy Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Casserole Recipe
    Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Casserole is your ticket to a family-friendly, quick, and easy main dish casserole that oozes cheesy goodness and is the ultimate comfort food.
    Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Casserole
    8
    Hamburger noodle casserole in a white baking dish garnished with chopped scallions.
    Easy Hamburger Noodle Casserole Recipe with Cheese
    Easy, cheese Hamburger Noodle Casserole is a hearty, make-ahead, freezer-friendly, kid-friendly, one-dish meal perfect for everything from weeknight dinners to Sunday suppers!
    Hamburger Noodle Casserole
    9
    A serving of King Ranch Chicken Casserole on a plate topped with sour cream and diced tomatoes and bell pepper.
    Classic King Ranch Chicken Casserole with Rotel
    This easy, make-ahead, delicious dinner entrée is the epitome of comfort food and will have everyone asking for more. So whether you are craving Tex-Mex food or want an easy make-ahead chicken casserole, King Ranch Casserole fits the bill.
    King Ranch Chicken Casserole
    10
    Chicken, sausage, and wild rice casserole in a white baking dish.
    Chicken, Sausage and Wild Rice Casserole
    Chicken, Sausage, and Wild Rice Casserole is a one-pan wonder that will quickly become one of your "go-to" meals. You know the kind, a tasty dish that only takes minutes to prepare, and you can always count on it to turn out perfectly every time you make it!
    Chicken Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole
    11
    Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole in a white baking dish ready to serve
    Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole Recipe
    Easy Supreme Pizza Casserole is a kid-friendly casserole full of two kinds of cheese, Italian sausage, bell pepper, mushrooms, black olives, and pepperoni!
    Supreme Pizza Casserole
    12
    Delicious Spaghetti Pie ready to serve
    Easy Baked Spaghetti Pie Casserole
    This Easy Baked Spaghetti Pie recipe is full of pasta, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and black olives, and features a rich tomato sauce full of three kinds of cheese, fontina, feta, and Parmesan! It’s the ultimate comfort food, freezes well and a great casserole to take to a new neighbor or sick friend!
    Spaghetti Pie
    13
    A round baking dish full of baked chicken divan.
    Chicken Divan with Curry (Make-Ahead)
    Chicken Divan with Curry is an iconic, much-loved, made-from-scratch southern chicken casserole that has been around for decades. Made without canned soup, this retro casserole is full of crisp fresh broccoli, tender chicken, and the best-ever homemade, cheesy mornay sauce with sour cream. 
    Chicken Divan

    Bonus:  27 Mardi Gras Recipes and Menu Ideas

    From Cajun and Creole-inspired dishes to iconic New Orleans favorites, these recipes are perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday whether you’re soaking up the festivities in New Orleans or bringing the party to your own home.

    A collage of five different Mardi Gras dishes including a King Cake and Hurricane.

    ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ Did you try any of these recipes? I’d love to hear how they turned out for you!

    Thanks for stopping by Grits and Pinecones! Your visit means the world to me. I hope you’ll swing back soon for more Southern-inspired goodness. 💛

    More Main Dish Recipes

    • A white baking dish with baked Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Casserole topped with tahini sauce.
      Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Casserole (Easy One-Pan Bake)
    • Braised chuck roast with carrots and mushrooms cooked in a red wine sauce.
      Southern Braised Chuck Roast with Red Wine Gravy
    • A rack of smoked spare ribs with BBQ sauce is sliced and on a cutting board.
      Smoked Spare Ribs (Tender, Juicy and Fall-Off-the-Bone Good!)
    • Grilled Coconut Lime Chicken breasts on a cutting board with cut limes as garnish!
      Grilled Coconut Lime Chicken (Juicy and Full of Flavor!)

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    Sharon Rigsby, blogger at GritsandPinecones.com

    Hello, I'm Sharon Rigsby, blogger, content creator, videographer, and photographer for Grits and Pinecones®. I have over 50 years of experience in the kitchen, and I like nothing better than developing and reimagining recipes for my family, friends, and you!

    More about me →

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