How to Make Your Own Casserole Recipes

I was talking with my mother-in-law last night. She is the queen of re-inventing things in her kitchen so that nothing goes to waste. I am often amazed at her skills, and her daughters learned to cook this way as well (unfortunately for me, her son did not.... lol) She mentioned that she used to have a paper that listed the basic ingredients you would use in any casserole, and she would just go down the list and pick an item from each column and make up her own recipes.  She would then look at her leftovers and figure out a casserole that she could invent from what she had.  Making a casserole is a great way to use up leftovers.

Keep in mind that you should probaby stick with a "theme" or "ethnicity" in preparing these foods. For example, try to use components to make an Italian or Mexican or Chinese food based casserole. Don't combine things that wouldn't normally sound good together just because they are listed. 

So, here we go.

The Basics of a Casserole:
(using leftover ingredients is a great way to stretch your budget)

1. Meat or protein. (Of course, if you are vegetarian,  omit the meat).  Ideas?
Cooked ground beef
Shredded beef or chunks of beef
Roast Beef
Raw chicken breasts, tenders or chunks
Cooked shredded or chunk chicken
Cooked shredded, ground or chunks of turkey
Canned tuna fish
Canned turkey or chicken
Shrimp
Crab meat
Chopped ham chunks
Cooked, crumbled sausage
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Boneless pork loin, cubed
Any leftover meat
Hard-boiled or scrambled eggs
Canned beans, such as black, pinto, kidney, etc.  (Usually you would also add the liquid)
Canned salmon

2. Sauce or Binder: You need something to "bind" your casserole and hold it all together. Some ingredients need to be mixed with a bit of cornstarch or flour if they are not very thick. Use your imagination!

Canned condensed soup, such as cream of chicken, celery, mushroom, onion, asparagus etc. (usually 1 can works)

Homemade white sauce
Alfredo sauce
Tomato sauce
Tomato juice
Canned tomatoes (use two 14.5 oz cans for a 9x13" casserole)
Barbecue sauce
Sweet and sour sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Sour cream (or mix 1/2 cup sour cream with your canned soup or other sauce choices)
Raw eggs, lightly beaten
Raw eggs mixed with ricotta cheese or sour cream
Spaghetti sauce
Milk
Evaporated milk
Cream cheese (works well mixed with a bit of onion & milk if too thick)
Gravy
Jam, jelly, marmalade or preserves
Broth (beef, chicken, turkey, vegetable, etc)
Dijon style mustard
Honey
Salad dressing (such as Ranch, Italian Dressing, Russian, etc.)
Pineapple juice
Enchilada sauce
Salsa or Picante sauce
Mayonnaise
Plain yogurt
Cottage cheese
Ricotta cheese

3. Vegetables/Fruit:
Canned vegetables (usually one  or two 14.5 oz cans for a 9x13 pan)
Frozen vegetables (usually 1 small package is enough -- about 2 cups)
Fresh or leftover vegetables (about 1-2 cups, depending on how much you have of your other ingredients)

A Few Ideas:
Peas
Asaparagus
Corn
Spinach
Green Beans
Celery
Carrots
Mixed vegetables
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Pineapple chunks or slices
Zuchinni
Use your imagination here

4. Starch: (you don't have to use this one, but it's nice if you can)
Pasta shells
Elbow macaroni, other pasta
Egg noodles
Uncooked rice
Mashed potatoes
Tater tots
Bread slices
Refrigerator biscuits/canned biscuits
Homemade biscuit dough
Refrigerator crescent rolls
Tortillas (can be torn into pieces or used to make enchiladas, etc)

5. Extra Ingredients or Flavorings
Mushrooms
Olives
1/4 cup chopped onion
Dried onion (I usually use about 2 TB dry and I put it in a bit of water to soften, then drain the water before using it.

Water chesnuts (1 can)
1/4 cup chopped celery
Onion soup mix (1 package)
Green onions
Taco seasoning (1 package)
Spaghetti sauce seasoning (1 package)
Minced garlic cloves
Chopped green chilies
Chopped bell peppers
Gravy mix (1 package)
Lime juice (1-2 tsp)
Parsley
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt or powder
Worchestershire sauce
Dry mustard
Salad dressing packets (dry)
Soy sauce
Dry soup mix packets (such as garlic mushroom or beefy onion)

6. Toppings (optional, but a nice touch)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (any variety)
1/2-1 cup cracker crumbs. Nice if mixed with a bit of melted butter.
Bread crumbs
Stuffing
Crushed potato chips
Crushed corn flakes
Crushed Rice Krispies
Corn chips
French-fried onions
Toasted slivered onions
Croutons
Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds
Chow mein noodles
Cashews

7. DIRECTIONS:
Most casseroles are combined all together  & then have the topping added or layered, such as meat, veggies and extra ingredient, sauce, starch, topping.  If you started with raw meat, you will need to cook the casserole longer. A typical 9x13" pan would bake for about 45 -75 min at about 350 or 375 degrees F if using raw meat.  Use a meat thermometer to make sure your food is properly cookied.

If you have all precooked ingredients and meat, then you don't need to cook it as long. Usually about 30-45 min for a casserole, since it just needs to be heated until it looks bubbly or the topping is golden brown or cheese is nicely melted. I usually wait to add the cheese until the last 5 minutes, but sometimes I don't and they still turn out ok.

I am sure there are more ideas out there that we can add. If you think of something not listed, please add it in the comments.  If you make something that turns out great, share the recipe with us!  I will try to post some casserole recipes soon.