The casserole is back, writes beloved Minnesota-based cookbook author Beatrice Ojakangas.
But really, did the casserole ever go away? Hasn’t it always held a firm place in people’s hearts and homes?
With comfort food having been one of the forms of solace we’ve sought to get through the pandemic, though, perhaps the casserole’s profile has been raised a bit after years of counting calories and carbs. And so, the timing is perfect for Mrs. Ojakangas’ hugely popular The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever, first published in 2008 then taken out of print five years later, to be reissued by the University of Minnesota Press.
Over the course of her long career, Mrs. Ojakangas has produced more than 30 cookbooks, written for top magazines (Sunset, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Midwest Living, and others), and won numerous awards, including her 2005 induction into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame.
And in 1957, before she became a recipe developer and food writer, the newlywed and first-time mother of a 2-week-old baby won second place in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Her recipe was Chunk O’ Cheese Bread, and she’d sent it in without even testing it, simply hoping for some prize money for her family. (The $5,000 enabled her husband, Richard, to attend graduate school.)
So when someone with this kind of street cred promises that she’s giving you the best casserole cookbook ever, you can trust her implicitly.
Of course, in Mrs. Ojakangas’ native Minnesota, this family-friendly fare is known as a hotdish (one word, although it’s also a hot dish), and others call it a covered dish. But it’s still consummate comfort food, no matter what name it goes by.
“Casseroles are basically a combination of meat, pasta, rice, beans, or veggies with a sauce and perhaps a topping, baked in the oven until bubbly,” the author writes. And her definition of them is very generous: In essence, if you can bake it in a dish, you can call it a casserole.
There are more than 500 recipes in this cookbook, starting with Casserole Basics: the ingredients to be assembled to create your masterpiece, such as broth, rice, beans, and even flaky pastry for pot pies. (They’re casseroles in a crust, you know.)
Most notably, there are numerous sauce options, as Mrs. Ojakangas’ “personal preference is to avoid ingredients that we’ve recently found to be unhealthy, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), partially hydrogenated fats, and high-fructose corn syrup” — all of which are contained in what she calls “’cream of’ soups.” Use the convenient condensed soups if you choose, she allows; but she’s hoping to encourage “healthier, tastier” choices for your casseroles.
The cookbook divides its abundance into appetizers and first courses, breads, breakfasts and brunches, poultry, beef, pork, lamb and game, pasta, grains and legumes, fish and shellfish, side dishes, vegetarian options, kid-friendly fare, and desserts. And the dishes range from cozy and satisfying to contemporary and sophisticated.
Just a very few of the recipes include (take a deep breath): Chile-Cheese Omelet Squares; Cornmeal Spoon Bread; No-Knead Artisan-Style Casserole Bread; Eggs Benedict Casserole; Grits, Cheese, and Egg Breakfast Casserole with Tomato Salsa; Swedish Lingonberry Pancake Casserole; South Indian Chicken Biryani with Basmati Rice; Chicken Baked in Beer; Baked Chicken Chowder; Crab-Stuffed Turkey Breasts; Cover-and-Forget-It Beef and Vegetable Stew; Moroccan Beef Tagine; Easiest-Ever Beef and Wine Casserole; Enchilada Casserole; Mashed Potato-Crusted Pork Pie; Spam and Broccoli Casserole; Paprika Veal; Ravioli and Cheese Bake; Bow Ties with Broccoli and Alfredo Sauce; Toasted Four-Grain and Wild Mushroom Casserole; Lobster Mac and Four Cheeses; Walleye and Green Chile Casserole; Brown Rice and Spinach Casserole; Cinnamon-Chocolate Nut Bread Pudding, and Peaches and Cream Dessert Casserole.
Whew!
A couple of the chapters in The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever are particularly useful.
Mrs. Ojakangas offers Casseroles for Crowds, which covers “the range between 12 and 24” servings for such events as church gatherings or family reunions (when we can have them again). After all, no potluck is complete without a table full of casseroles, is it?
But perhaps most importantly — for empty-nesters, those who have been widowed, young couples, and others who need downsized meals — there are Casseroles for Two, in which the author has done the difficult math to perfectly portion a meal for a smaller audience. This chapter, she writes is “designed to help with those starting-up and winding-down processes” as diners travel through different stages of their lives.
The cookbook also offers advice about baking dishes and kitchen equipment, freezing and reheating meals, and food safety. It’s one-stop shopping for everything you ever wanted or needed to know about casseroles.
Whether you’ve been serving and enjoying these classic comfort foods for decades or are a new cook seeking reliable recipes from a grandmotherly expert, The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever has something delicious to offer.
“It is my hope that you will find more than a few useful recipes in this book,” Mrs. Ojakangas writes in her introduction.
We have no doubt whatsoever that you’ll find many, many more than that.
Pizza Casserole for Kids
1 package (8 ounces) elbow macaroni, preferably whole-wheat
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ to ½ pound sliced pepperoni (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water according to package directions and drain.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the oregano, basil, salt, onion, and green pepper (if using).
4. Spread out the cooked macaroni in the baking dish and top with the meat in an even layer. Drizzle with the tomato sauce and sprinkle the top with the mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly. Top with the Parmesan and the pepperoni (if desired).
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Excerpted from The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas. Copyright 2008 by Beatrice Ojakangas. Published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2022. Used by permission.
Feta and Mushroom Chicken Breasts for Two
1 tablespoon butter
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Dash of paprika
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup sliced mushrooms
6 tablespoons halved pitted Kalamata olives
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Put the butter in a shallow 1-quart casserole and put the casserole in the oven as it preheats. Watch carefully so the butter does not burn.
2. Remove the casserole from the oven and roll the chicken breasts in the melted butter. Arrange them in the casserole and sprinkle on both sides with the salt, pepper, paprika, and flour.
3. Whisk the cream and mustard together.
4. Spread the sliced mushrooms and ¼ cup of the olives on top of the chicken and pour the cream mixture over all.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olives and the feta and return to the oven for 5 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve hot.
Yield: Serves 2
Excerpted from The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas. Copyright 2008 by Beatrice Ojakangas. Published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2022. Used by permission.
Upside-Down Apple Cobbler
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup milk
2 cups sliced peeled apples
Heavy cream for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a shallow 1½-quart casserole with cooking spray. In a small dish or cup, mix 2 tablespoons of the sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the butter, flour, baking powder, the remaining ¾ cup of sugar, the vanilla, and milk to make a batter. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
3. Arrange the apple slices over the top of the batter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve warm and offer a pitcher of cream for people to pour over their cobbler.
Yield: Serves 6
Excerpted from The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas. Copyright 2008 by Beatrice Ojakangas. Published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2022. Used by permission.
First Published March 20, 2022, 5:00 p.m.
