17 Casseroles That Are Ready in Less Than an Hour

All the retro or refreshed casserole recipes you'll want to make on repeat.

By
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo's recipes, writing, and food styling can be found on King Arthur Baking, Food Network, Delish, Food52, and more. She collaborated on the cookbook Delish Vegan Dinners and trained at Gramercy Tavern and Untitled at the Whitney Museum.
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Updated November 06, 2024
Myo Quinn
Huevos Rancheros Casserole

Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

When I pitched the idea of rounding up casserole recipes—our readers' favorite—that take an hour or less to make, my fellow editors at Simply Recipes had doubts. "Can casseroles be made in so little time?" "Does Simply Recipes even have any casserole recipes that can be made in under an hour?"

The answer is a resounding YES! Savory or sweet, big or small, creamy or crunchy, for breakfast or dinner, Simply Recipes has 17 casserole recipes you can pull off in an hour or less. Below you’ll find handy tips for making each recipe from myself, our readers, and Simply Recipes Editors.

  • French Toast Casserole

    Syrup Being Poured On Square of Easy French Toast Casserole

    Simply Recipes / Lisa Lin

    "If you choose to cook this casserole immediately, the top layer of bread may turn out hard since it hasn't had the time to soak up a lot of egg mixture. To avoid that, use a softer bread, and instead of pouring the custard over the bread cubes in the casserole dish, mix the bread cubes and the custard in a bowl first to saturate all the cubes with the custard." —Simply Recipes Editors

  • Cheeseburger Casserole

    Casserole Dish of Cheeseburger Casserole with a Serving Already Served Using a Spoon

    Simply Recipes / Dude that Cookz

    "I make this dish, but I do not precook to elbows. I sauté the elbows with the onions and hamburger. Add two cups of tomato juice and seasonings, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Take [it out of the oven and] stir, and the noodles are cooked. Add the cheese on top and [put it] back in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes and you're done with only one pan messed up." —Cathy Tarr, Simply Recipes Reader

  • Baked Blueberry French Toast Casserole

    Blueberry French Toast Bake

    Simply Recipes / Cindy Rahe

    "We recommend a hearty, rustic loaf for this casserole. But you can use other types of bread as well. Just be sure to let the bread dry out a bit (a day or two in advance) before using. Here are some suggestions: cinnamon swirl bread, cinnamon raisin bread, Hawaiian rolls, or brioche." —Simply Recipes Editors

  • Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

    Kraft mac and cheese - woman's hands holding a white casserole dish filled with baked mac and cheese

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickle

    "Pre-shredded cheese is less smooth because anti-caking agents are added. Will pre-shredded cheese work? Absolutely! If you’re in a hurry, go for it. But if you have a few extra minutes, shredding the cheese yourself will make the dish that much better!" —Summer Miller, Senior Editor

    Continue to 5 of 17 below

  • Chicken Taco Casserole

    Chicken taco casserole (with a serving cut out) at a table setting with a serving on a plate, glasses, and a side salad

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

    "This is a layered casserole and my favorite trick is to line the bottom of the dish with crispy corn tostadas so that when baked, the bottom doesn't stick to the dish." —Nick Evans, Contributor

  • Cheesy Tortellini Casserole

    baked tortellini casserole with melted cheese in baking dish

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "This turned out great! I added spicy Italian sausage to ours. My hubby and son both asked to have this one again. I love that it was posted on a day when I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. It is indeed a great replacement for lasagna!" —Kelley Marie, Simply Recipes Reader

  • Walking Taco Casserole

    Walking taco casserole in a casserole dish with a spoon (casserole dish missing some casserole / some of the casserole was already served)

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan

    "For a milder version, replace the Rotel with plain canned diced tomatoes (without chiles)." —Karishma Pradhan, Contributor

  • Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

    Tater to breakfast casserole

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

    "I realize that some readers might want to avoid processed foods. I used Ore Ida brand Tater Tots in this recipe, but if you are looking for something organic, Alexia has some great options that would work." —Aaron Hutcherson, Contributor

    Continue to 9 of 17 below

  • Huevos Rancheros Casserole

    Huevos rancheros casserole at a table setting with a stack of plates and utensils, a cup of coffee, a small bowl of herbs, and a spatula

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    Tostadas are fried (sometimes baked) corn tortillas. "You can find them at the grocery store next to the tortillas." —Laurel Randolph, Senior Editor

  • Everything Bagel Sandwich Casserole

    Everything bagel sandwich casserole in a casserole dish at a table setting with a serving on a plate, utensils, and cups of coffee

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "Unlike many breakfast casseroles, this recipe doesn’t work well when you assemble and refrigerate it in advance of baking." —Sara Bir, Senior Editor

  • Monte Cristo Croissant Casserole

    Monte Cristo croissant casserole in a casserole dish and in the surroundings, a serving on a small plate with a fork, a container of jelly, and cups of coffee

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "Buy your croissants in advance, as stale ones will soak up the egg mixture better." —Sara Bir, Senior Editor

  • One-Pan Baked Penne alla Vodka

    One pan baked penne alla vodka in a casserole dish topped with fresh basil

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    "Don’t skip the vodka. We’ve done this before out of the misguided belief that the vodka was unnecessary when in fact, it is key! It provides a pleasant bite and helps emulsify the sauce into a smooth, cohesive texture. If you prefer to avoid alcohol, you can substitute water and a squeeze of lemon juice." —Julie and Amy Luxemberg, Contributors

    Continue to 13 of 17 below

  • Easy Taco Casserole

    easy taco casserol in a pot at a table setting with bowls of toppings, chips on a platter, and a bottle of beer

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lindsey Lower

    "Use sturdy, thick-style tortilla chips and not restaurant-style chips. I like the GreenWise brand." —Jasmine Smith, Contributor

  • Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

    Copycat Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole in a casserole dish at a table setting with a plate, a basketful of bisquits, a stack of plates, and spoons on the counter

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    "I found that using frozen hashbrown potatoes, even after thawing, are easy to overcook and become soggy when baked as a casserole. Using refrigerated hashbrowns fixes that problem." —Catherine Jessee, Contributor

  • Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

    Salsa Verde Chicken Bake
    Sally Vargas, Elise Bauer, and Garrett McCord

    "Try this with chicken tenders, which will bake up more quickly. Or, use skinless chicken thighs, which will take a little longer to bake but have even more flavor." —Simply Recipes Editors

  • Tuna and Tomato Pasta Casserole

    Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "I think you need to be a tuna lover (or liker at least) to like this recipe. The recipe only calls for one 6-ounce can for a recipe that serves 4, so it's not as if the tuna overwhelms the dish. It doesn't. But you definitely taste the tuna." —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

    Continue to 17 of 17 below

  • Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

    Scooping Easy Cauliflower Bake out of a glass casserole dish.

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    "Grate the cheese yourself rather than buying it pre-shredded. This is one case in which a convenience ingredient will actually do more harm than good. The anti-caking agents used in pre-shredded cheeses tend to do funny things to the texture of cheese sauces, making them gloppy and gooey. You’ll get much better results if you grate your own." —Coco Morante, Contributor

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