A New Look At Casseroles

Growing up in the 1960s, I almost always took my mother’s announcement of “Casserole for dinner!” as bad news. It meant that she was about to open a few cans and throw some random, unrelated foods together in a dish: cream-of-mushroom soup, a can of tuna, crispy canned onions.  For all that those casseroles offered in convenience, they reneged on flavor and freshness. And yet I can’t deny the cozy comfort of a homey dinner baked  in a single dish. It’s a throwback to another time, a reminder of days gone by. So I still make casseroles—only with whole ingredients and a fresher, healthier twist.

These recipes run the gamut from a pasta-free zucchini “lasagna” to a mac-and-cheese swirled with green spinach and sprinkled with peppery Italian pancetta to chicken pot pie topped with mashed potato. Rounding out the lineup, our white bean and sausage casserole is topped with crunchy herbed panko breadcrumbs. (The beans come from a can—I think my mother would approve.)

Rounding out the Menu: What to Serve with Casseroles

These casserole recipes may all be served as a main dish or as a side dish. If you want to make the casserole the star of your meal (and by all means, we recommend it), here are a few ideas for sides:

• Mix seasonal greens and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. 
• Make a simple seasonal salad of very thinly sliced raw green and red cabbage tossed with toasted walnuts and a basic vinaigrette. 
• Toss Brussels sprouts in olive oil and roast in a 425° oven on a cookie sheet until tender and almost turning dark brown on the edges, about 25 minutes. Top with pomegranate seeds, olive oil, and vinegar. 
• Don’t forget a loaf of warm, crusty bread.

Kathy Gunst

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