The 21 Best 5-Star Casserole Recipes

What's not to love about a casserole? They're some of the best comfort dishes. Many of them can be made ahead and popped in the oven when needed. They feed a crowd. If you don't have a crowd, you can freeze half for a second meal that's already prepared.

Simply Recipes has a ton of delicious casserole recipes, all of them written and tested by our recipe creators. The recipes in this list are so good that they have perfect 5-star ratings from our readers who were so impressed they took the time to let us know just how excellent these dishes are.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Recipe Developer Liz Mervosh says, "Kick up the heat by replacing the regular cream cheese with spicy jalapeño cream cheese."

Cowboy Casserole

Recipe Developer Julia Levy says, "Some canned tomatoes with green chiles, like Rotel, come in different heat levels. Use mild, medium, or hot, depending on your desired spice level."

Baked Blueberry French Toast Casserole

You can prepare this breakfast beauty the night before then bake in the morning—perfect for guests or a sleepy Sunday.

Rumbledethumps (Scottish Potato and Cabbage Casserole)

Contributor Devan Grimsrud says, "It's traditional to also include a rutabaga, so if you use one too, peel, chop, and boil it with the potatoes."

Beef Enchilada Casserole

No rolling. No filling. Just layering enchilada ingredients for a delicious Mexican-inspired dish that you can prepare up to two days before baking.

Easy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Recipe Developer Julia Levy says, "Double down on the chicken flavor in this casserole by using cream of chicken soup instead of cream of onion or mushroom."

Three Sisters Casserole with Cornbread Topping

A fresh vegetable, and more flavorful, version of the "three sisters" casserole that often uses canned corn and beans, with a homemade cornbread topping.

Chicken Pot Pie

The ultimate comfort food with a thick and creamy filling portioned into individual ramekins so no one can complain about getting the smallest piece.

Shipwreck Casserole

Contributor Nick Evans says, "If you want the casserole to be creamier, you could add a can of cream of mushroom soup or cream of tomato soup to the filling."

Chicken and Rice Casserole

An absolutely delicious, creamy version of the classic chicken and rice casserole made with no cans of soup.

Pineapple Casserole

Contributor Stephanie Burt says, "Do not pulverize the crackers into a uniform crumb (that you could use as breading, for instance). Instead, lightly crush them, making sure that crumbs vary in size. This will aid in the crunchiness of the final topping and leave more nooks and crannies for the crackers to soak up the melted butter."

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Contributor Sheryl Julian says, "Look for loaves of bread at the store marked "toasting." These are generally firmer than other loaves of white sandwich bread."

Corned Beef Tater Tot Casserole

Recipe Developer Melissa Gray says, "For convenience, the recipe calls for canned corned beef, but if you have leftovers from a meal like corned beef and cabbage, by all means, dice or shred those up and use them instead."

Tuna and Tomato Pasta Casserole

Take that can of tuna in your pantry and turn it into a delicious casserole with pasta, tomatoes, and ricotta cheese.

The Best Homemade Lasagna

This lasagna is one of our most popular casseroles for a good reason. It's everything you dream lasagna should be, extra cheesy.

Ham and Asparagus Strata

Prepare this casserole and store it in the fridge overnight to pop in the oven as soon as you get up in the morning for a delicious breakfast everyone will love.

Healthy Shepherd’s Pie

A few tweaks—olive oil instead of butter, extra-lean ground beef, extra veggies, and a combination cauliflower-potato mash topping—lighten up shepherd's pie while still keeping it full of flavor.

Pastelón (Puerto Rican Plantain "Lasagna")

Layers of thinly sliced plantains, ground beef with plenty of seasoning, and cheese fill this Pastelón, a Peurto Rican dish with as many versions as families that make it.

Chili Mac and Cheese

Two of your favorite comfort foods combine in this skillet casserole that's sure to be a family favorite.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Founder Elise Bauer says, "Fresh broccoli is best in the recipe, but you can use frozen broccoli. Cook frozen broccoli florets in the microwave for half the time the package directions instruct. They'll continue cooking with the rest of the casserole."

Bagel Breakfast Casserole

Contributor Marta Rivera says, "Alter the flavors by using chorizo instead of sage sausage; or use Swiss cheese instead of cheddar. If you’re allergic to seeds, swap out the everything bagels for plain or whole wheat instead. The combos you can create from this basic recipe are virtually endless."