31 Easy Casserole Recipes For The Holiday Season

Few dishes scream the holidays like a casserole. These one-dish wonders are the perfect comfort food for any menu, sweet or savory. They are often quick to assemble, easy, cost-effective, and convenient to transport. They are also a fantastic way to feed a crowd without too much fuss. And many of them can be prepared ahead of time, taking some of the stress off of entertaining the day of. The best part is that leftovers reheat beautifully and often taste better the next day.

The best casserole recipes incorporate multiple flavors and textures, developing unexpected complexity to tickle every one of your taste buds. Some of these recipes are variations on classics; others are exciting and innovative twists on dishes traditionally made on the stovetop, like gumbo. A few of these even use the Instant Pot to speed things up even more. You will find the perfect casserole recipe here to fit any holiday entertaining needs, regardless of the menu you are planning.

If you like tacos and pie, this attractive casserole dish is for you. It comes together quickly and is incredibly versatile. Yet again, you can substitute ground beef for any meat you prefer. You could even turn it into a vegetarian delight by swapping black or pinto beans for the meat. And for a colorful twist on the crust, try using spinach tortillas. The green color will give this quite a festive look.

To serve, garnish this pie with a dollop of sour cream, a hint of guacamole, and some freshly chopped cilantro. Ideal side dishes would include Spanish rice and Mexican elotes. 

Recipe: Taco Pie Casserole

This savory spin on a bread pudding is rife with complexity and could be served for breakfast or as a side dish. Incorporating two kinds of bread, one sweet and the other not, helps to balance out the spiciness of the chorizo. Mushrooms lend a rich, umami flavor, and the goat cheese creates a creaminess that pulls the whole thing together.

To make this dish ahead, you can assemble all the ingredients, transfer them to your baking dish, cover it, and refrigerate it overnight. Remove the dish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you bake it to bring it to room temperature.

Recipe: Chorizo Bread Pudding

The hot, melted, gooey ham, cheese, pickles, and mustard pressed between two slices of crunchy bread of a classic Cuban satisfies even the pickiest eater. This casserole uses these ingredients and converts them into a novel dish for a crowd. The key is to allow the egg batter to absorb into the bread overnight. And don't skimp on the crushed cornflake topping, creating the illusion of the mouthfeel of biting into crunchy bread.

If you serve this for dinner, consider pairing it with a side salad. For those wanting to use this as a brunch dish, you can pair it with fresh fruit and strong Cuban coffee.

Recipe: Cuban Sandwich Casserole

This simple baked ziti casserole is almost a cross between a classic spaghetti bake and lasagna. While you could stir all the ingredients together and transfer them to your baking dish, alternating layers of tomatoes, pasta, and cheese give this a distinct texture and more visual appeal.

Take a hint from a classic lasagna and add some thawed frozen spinach to incorporate some vegetables into this dish. Make sure you squeeze out any excess liquid from the spinach before adding, or you will drown your noodles. Before serving, allow this casserole to rest for 10 minutes to make it easier to plate.

Recipe: Vegetarian Baked Ziti Casserole

If you like your baked potato loaded with the works, this casserole is for you. It uses leftover mashed potatoes and blends it with tangy cream cheese and sour cream before topping it with melty cheese and crispy bacon.

Consider layering the potatoes with some leftover turkey, chicken, or ham before topping them with cheese and bacon for more main dish action. You may also want to substitute the mashed potatoes with sweet potatoes for a slightly sweet spin. Garnish with finely chopped green onions for a pop of color and bright flavor.

Recipe: Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

The holidays are all about comfort foods, but sometimes, we want to lighten things with a bright vegetable side dish. This casserole does just that without sacrificing the feel-good creaminess or crunchiness. It uses frozen broccoli florets, which are easier to prepare than fresh and can be equally nutritious.

While Ritz crackers have a great buttery flavor, you can use several other crunchy toppings, from potato chips to chopped nuts to crushed cornflakes. You could also substitute any other cream soup for the classic mushroom. Consider a cream of chicken, potato, or onion for a twist.

Recipe: Broccoli Casserole

This recipe is more of a frittata than a casserole that comes together in the Instant Pot. Its combination of spices and vegetables has a bit of an exotic flair that gives it visual appeal and textural complexity.

For those who do not have an Instant Pot, the recipe can be made by sautéeing the vegetables on the stovetop and then transferring the ingredients into a greased 8x8 baking dish. It should take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the eggs are set. Serve this for brunch with a slice of banana or pumpkin bread.

Recipe: Instant Pot Bacon Casserole

Pasta salad can be delicious. Pasta bake can be even better. This casserole combines broccoli with fusilli and a creamy sauce before topping it with cheese to create a gooey delight. While the recipe calls for garnishing with the crispy onions, you might consider adding them in the last 10 minutes of cooking so they can crisp up in the oven and heat through.

For some extra color, add other vegetables to the blend. Chopped red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and frozen edamame would be great additions. And if you'd like to convert this into an entrée, toss in some leftover chopped turkey, chicken, or ham.

Recipe: Fusilli and Broccoli Casserole

If you plan to entertain vegan guests or those with a dairy allergy this holiday season and want to serve a creamy facsimile of the classic green bean casserole, look no further than this recipe. It ingeniously takes advantage of the versatility of tofu to produce a kind of cream base for the umami-rich cremini mushrooms. Just be sure to purchase medium-firm tofu to obtain the appropriate texture.

For more depth of flavor, consider using a combination of mushrooms, like chanterelles, porcini, and cremini. They will help build that savory mouthfeel and flavor you would expect from dairy.

Recipe: Creamy Green Bean and Tofu Vegan Casserole

This turkey noodle bake combines the best of several worlds and uses those leftovers. It marries the notion of a tuna noodle casserole with a Mexican queso dip for a festive delight your guests will want to dive right into. While you could use any pasta, the egg noodles lend a richness and a specific texture that is hard to replicate.

Serve this dish with all the toppings you usually see on a taco bar, including shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and chopped tomatoes. You could also whip up some spicy black beans with cumin and chili powder to liven things up.

Recipe: Southwestern Turkey Noodle Bake

This is yet another all-in-one dish that is sure to please a crowd. While the recipe, as written, uses raw chicken, you could easily repurpose leftover chicken, turkey, or ham. Add the cooked meat to your vegetables after sautéeing them.

You can purchase a Mexican spice blend if you do not want to create your own. Just note that these often have salt added. You may need to reduce the salt you incorporate into your rice and vegetables by half to offset this, or the dish will turn out too salty. Remember, you can always add more salt but can't remove it.

Recipe: Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

This simple recipe is almost like a cross between a savory bread pudding and a breakfast strata. The base ingredient is browned pork breakfast sausage, although you could easily use leftover turkey, chicken, or ham. You could also add other vegetables like mushrooms, peppers, or broccoli for color.

While you could use any bread variety, a good brioche or challah works best for these casseroles. It will absorb the butter more readily, and the whole thing will stay moist. Serve this dish with a nice fruit salad and a combination of orange and cranberry juice for a festive holiday brunch.

Recipe: Country Breakfast Casserole

Fish can be a quick and sophisticated choice for entertaining. Tilapia is a flaky white fish that cooks quickly. If you'd like to switch things up in this recipe, opt for an alternative tender-fleshed and mild-flavored fish, like grouper, cod, halibut, or bass. You can change the vegetables to whatever you prefer or is in season.

Since this casserole includes vegetables, wild rice or pilaf would be a suitable side dish. You might also serve a simple green salad and a rustic apple crumble for dessert to impress your dinner guests.

Recipe: Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole

Gumbo can be a notoriously fussy, time, and labor-intensive dish. While this recipe may not have all those slow-cooked flavors, it captures the essence of a New Orleans-style gumbo in just over 30 minutes.

This one-dish meal doesn't need much more than perhaps some braised collard greens as a side dish to round out the meal. For dessert, stick with the New Orleans theme by whipping up some beignets or flaming bananas foster. For libations, consider making a classic Sazerac cocktail. Your guests will think you spent all day pulling this gourmet meal together.

Recipe: Gumbo Casserole

The best feature of this festive casserole is its visual appeal. It looks like a pie, with the sweet potatoes being the crust and the turkey soup blend being the filling. If you prefer, you could use white potatoes and substitute the turkey with ham.

An alternative topping to the nuts and parsley would be crushed cornflakes, crackers, or potato chips. Add these during the last 10 minutes of baking to provide a crispy contrast in texture. Serve this dish with a green vegetable, like sautéed spinach or green beans almondine. For dessert, a classic pecan pie is in order.

Recipe: Turkey Sweet Potato Casserole