One-Pot Casseroles That Make Life So Much Easier

Casseroles are perfect for using up the leftovers hanging out in your fridge or for sneaking healthy ingredients into a meal, unbeknownst to those picky eaters in the family. Casseroles are fantastic options when you're short on time on a weeknight, or when you just don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen on the weekend. Some of the fantastic casseroles we found are for breakfast, making for a nice twist on a bowl of cereal or pancakes. 

There are terrific casserole recipes out there that will fill you up. Even better are the ones that don't dirty every single bowl in the cupboards. You may need to brown some meat in the skillet for some of these recipes, but don't worry. You won't need to bust out every single dish just to fix dinner. No matter the method of dinner prep and cooking, the end result is the same: a quick and easy breakfast or dinner that's filling and ready to eat in no time at all.

If you're looking for the health benefits of tuna but not sure what to do with it other than slathering it with mayo on a slice of bread, then give this casserole recipe a try. All it takes is 10 minutes of prep time and requires non-perishable ingredients that you may already have in the cupboard, fridge, or freezer. You'll cook the noodles in one pot then combine almost all of the ingredients and bake. The toppings can be browned in that same pot then sprinkled atop the finished casserole before serving.

If you're craving Mexican but just don't have the time to whip up a platter of tacos or enchiladas, look no further than this amazing enchilada casserole. To be honest, it's quite disheartening when snarfing down a taco and all the toppings tumble off. The contents of a burrito often spill out everywhere bit after bit. But this incredible enchilada casserole is a breeze to whip up and super easy to eat. All you'll need to do is brown the ground beef in one skillet. You can sub shredded or ground chicken, too. Stir in an onion and some seasonings, cook it all a bit longer, then start layering your casserole. 

It sounds a bit tricky to arrange the enchilada shells, but it's actually quite easy. You'll layer it like lasagna, starting with enchilada sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish. Top the sauce with tortillas, then the meat, shredded cheese, and more enchilada sauce. Repeat and pop in the oven. Once it's ready, enjoy!

Shepherd's pie is a mouthwatering casserole you'll often find at church potlucks, family reunions, and other large gatherings where a little bit of food goes a long way. This filling dish doesn't take much time to prep and features a healthy dose of veggies, too. 

All you need to do is boil the potatoes, then saute the onions and carrots, brown the meat, and add in the herbs and peas. Mash the cooked potatoes, then start layering the meat and veggies in a casserole dish. Top this fantastic combination of ingredients with the taters, cheese, and breadcrumbs, then bake. That's it!

If you're looking for a completely different type of casserole, one that will have your family clamoring for more, then check out this barbecue chicken casserole. It's perfect for big events, making dinner to help out a sick loved one, or just to make when you want something fresh and amazing. 

To make, pop your chicken in the slow cooker or oven to cook. Chop and bake the sweet potatoes, then chop red bell pepper and white onion. Saute the veggies briefly, then toss together all of the veggies in the casserole dish. Add the cooked chicken to the creamy casserole sauce. Pour it all atop the veggies, sprinkle with shredded cheese, and bake.

For a hearty casserole bursting with Southwestern flavor, check out this easy taco casserole. You can readily adjust just how much heat this casserole packs by adding more cayenne pepper, sprinkling in some sliced jalapenos, or using a hotter salsa.

For this recipe, you'll brown the ground beef in a skillet, add in the seasonings and onion, then start layering the casserole by placing four corn tortillas on the bottom of the dish, top with the beef and onion mixture followed by black beans, cheese, salsa, and black olives. Repeat with a couple more layers, then top off the casserole with the remaining corn tortillas, cheese, and black olives. Yum!

This sausage breakfast casserole can't be beaten for breakfast or brunch when time is of the essence. Even better, you can customize it however you choose with whatever happens to be in your cupboard or freezer. 

First, you'll need to brown the breakfast sausage, saute the onions and peppers, and then add the garlic. After that, you will scatter the potatoes or hashbrowns across the bottom of the casserole dish and add in the cooked sausage and veggies. Pour beaten eggs, milk, and cheese into the dish, then top with cheese and bake. Feel free to top the sausage breakfast casserole with green onions once it's pulled out of the oven for added flavor and a bright pop of color.

If you're tired of cereal and granola bars for breakfast, you can prep this casserole ahead of time, pop it in the oven to bake, and pull it out with just enough time for everyone to enjoy every bite before heading out the door. 

Snip your corn tortillas into one-inch squares first. Then, cook the chorizo in a skillet. Once that's done, add the eggs, black beans, cheese, green onions, jalapeno, bouillon powder, salsa, and diced tortillas together in the casserole dish, along with the sausage. Place it in the oven and bake for 50 minutes, then enjoy.

Sweet potato casserole is the perfect side casserole or even as a main dish. It's perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving, and, really, any other time of the year. 

Quickly nuke the potatoes in the microwave for eight minutes each and remove their skins when done. Then, use a stand mixer to blend together the potatoes, brown sugar, melted butter, salt, and vanilla extract. Combine the butter, flour, chopped pecans, and brown sugar to make a tasty topping. Ladle the sweet potato mixture into the casserole dish, top with the streusel, and bake for just 15 minutes. 

This particular casserole requires a bit of forethought, as it needs to rest in the refrigerator overnight, but trust us, it's well worth the extra time.

To start the casserole, brown sausage in a large skillet and transfer to a large bowl with eggs, salt, pepper, and milk. Add in chopped bread cubes, shredded cheese, and the chopped chives. Mix everything together thoroughly and pour it into the casserole dish. Allow the whole thing to chill overnight, then cook it the next morning. That extra time allows the flavors to blend together beautifully, though you can get away with a one or two-hour chill if you're strapped for time. Either way, once it's done baking, you won't believe how delicious it is!

This chicken casserole can be baked in the same pan you fix the chicken in, making this an easy dish to make and clean later.

You'll need pasta or egg noodles, along with mushrooms, celery, a can of cream of mushroom soup, milk, breadcrumbs, butter, cheese, and chicken. Dice the chicken, mushrooms, and celery first. Then, boil the pasta noodles. Meanwhile, saute the chicken and veggies in the same oven-safe pan that you'll cook the casserole in. Then you'll add in the cream of mushroom soup, cooked noodles, milk, and cheese. Stir well and bake. When it comes out of the oven it'll be an ooey gooey blend of tastiness that the whole family will love.

If you're hoping to cut back on meat at least one night each week, give this incredible tasting broccoli casserole a try. Even if broccoli isn't necessarily your favorite, all of the ingredients that come together in this casserole make the entire dish taste great. Even better is that it takes just 10 minutes of prep time and even less clean-up time. 

The ease of this recipe will blow your mind. Just microwave or steam the frozen broccoli, then plop them in an oven-safe bowl. Add the mushroom soup, milk, mustard, cheese, and egg, then stir. Crush the crackers in a zip-top plastic bag and mix well with melted butter. Spread them across the top of the casserole and bake. Between the cheese, the crackers, and the other delicious ingredients, even the pickiest eater won't pick up on the taste of broccoli. That's a win in our book!

Tater tot casserole has been served at schools, in homes, at potlucks, and even at country-style restaurants for many years. What's great about this casserole is how easy it is to fix even with the twist – bacon and cheese. 

First, you'll brown one pound of lean ground beef, then mix in half a cup of chopped onion. Transfer these ingredients to the casserole dish and add in the contents of a can of cheddar cheese soup. Plop in one cup of sour cream and one cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Add in six tablespoons of real bacon bits or cooked and diced bacon. Top the mixture with a bag of frozen tater tots and bake.

All you need for this crazy easy casserole are green cabbage, sausage, and butter with a dash of salt and pepper. While the oven preheats, put the cabbage and a pinch of salt in boiling water for two or three minutes, then drain and rinse the cabbage under cold water. 

Place one-third of the cabbage on the bottom of a buttered glass baking dish, then scatter the sausage on top. Put some butter squares across this layer and season with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers, then cover the dish with parchment paper and aluminum foil before baking. This casserole pairs fantastically with baguette slices or a warm bowl of soup on a chilly day.