Monday, April 8, 2024

4 Weeknight Easy Casseroles

Here are 4 easy weeknight casserole meals with simple ingredients that can be popped in the oven and made in 35 minutes.

Perfect for meal prep busy lifestyles ready to cook in no time, many of the ingredients can be from repurposing leftovers.

All the recipes are for meat, pasta, and potato lovers below.

Each ready can be substituted with fresh or premade ingredients to fit your budget and time management.

Each recipe has just the ingredients you may need listed and if you scroll to the recipe card and hit print all the ads will disappear with each step-by-step recipe.







Beef Crescent Roll and Potato Casserole Ingredients

  • ground beef cooked and drained (leftover hamburgers work great!)
  • olive oil 
  • corn
  • minced onion 
  • minced green pepper
  • crushed tomatoes
  • dried oregano  Italian herbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • mashed potatoes (premade in the dairy case)
  • shredded Havarti cheese or cheddar
  • refrigerated tube of crescent rolls (8 to a package)
  • THE COMPLETED RECIPE IS IN THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST JUST HIT PRINT




Ravioli Layered Casserole

  • frozen cheese ravioli 
  • frozen Italian meatballs, thawed and crushed 
  • jarred meat or marinara sauce (or your homemade favorite tomato sauce) 
  • whole milk ricotta cheese 
  • shredded mozzarella cheese 
  • grated Parmesan cheese 
  • Garnish: freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley parsley
  • THE COMPLETED RECIPE IS IN THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST JUST HIT PRINT




Creamy Chicken Casserole

  • chopped cooked chicken (leftover chicken works great, IE rotisserie off the bone!)
  • cream cheese softened to room temperature 
  • ricotta cheese sour cream 
  • cream of chicken soup
  • granulated garlic powder
  • mixed herbs dried 
  • Garnish: buttery-style crackers, made into crumbs mixed with olive oil (or melted butter)
  • THE COMPLETED RECIPE IS IN THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST JUST HIT PRINT




Bacon Cheese and Potato Casserole

  • frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
  • condensed cream of potato soup
  • sour cream
  • shredded cheddar cheese (and more for garnishing the top)
  • grated Parmesan cheese
  • 10 strips of cooked bacon crumbled (packaged precooked bacon microwaved works great!)
  • THE COMPLETED RECIPE IS IN THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST JUST HIT PRINT




Tips and Suggestions for Making Casseroles

  • use low-sodium soups
  • cheddar cheese soup is a great substitute for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom
  • add taco sauce instead of tomato sauce for an American Mexican meal
  • use premade mashed potatoes
  • rotisserie chicken or frozen grilled chicken is a great time-saver
  • frozen cubed potatoes can be substituted for hash browns
  • precooked bacon microwaved will save time
  • mix and match any shredded cheese you prefer
  • tortellini is another great substitute for ravioli pasta
  • switch out any vegetable you're not a fan of with another IE peas, green beans, zucchini chopped,
  • add mushrooms to the beef casserole if desired


Pin for later




Delicious Easy Casseroles for the Busy Lifestyles


Weeknight casseroles are easy to adapt and change they are so versatile, be sure to add whatever vegetables, meat and substitutions your family likes.

These are all just basic recipes and there is no right or wrong additions!


easy casseroles, weeknight casseroles, chicken casseroles, beef casseroles, potato casseroles, pasta casseroles
casserole recipes, pasta recipes, easy weeknight recipes, quick casserole recipes
American
Author: Claudia Lamascolo
4 Weeknight Easy Casseroles

4 Weeknight Easy Casseroles

These are 4 casseroles asked for most often. Easy to make any night of the week. and taste like you've been cooking all day!

Ingredients

  • Beef Crescent Roll and Potato Casserole
  • 1 pound ground beef cooked and drained (leftover hamburgers work great!)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 cup whole kernel corn
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1/4 cup minced green pepper
  • 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon mixed Italian dried herbs
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1-1/2 cups mashed potatoes (premade in the dairy case)
  • 1 cup shredded Havarti cheese or shredded cheddar
  • 1 refrigerated tube of crescent rolls (8 to a package found in the dairy case at the supermarket)
  • Ravioli Layered Casserole
  • 1 package (20 ounces) frozen cheese ravioli cooked and drained to package instructions
  • 1 bag of frozen Italian meatballs, thawed and crushed or 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef cooked and drained ( seasoned with salt, pepper, and minced garlic and parsley)
  • 3-1/2 cups jarred meat or marinara sauce (or your homemade favorite tomato sauce)
  • 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Garnish: fresh leaves of basil, freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley parsley
  • Creamy Chicken Casserole
  • 4 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (leftover chicken works great, IE rotisserie off the bone!)
  • 4 ounces of cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup (any brand)
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Italian mixed herbs dried or freshly chopped
  • Garnish:
  • 1 sleeve of buttery-style crackers, made into crumbs mixed with
  • 5 tablespoons of olive oil (or melted butter)
  • Bacon Cheese and Potato Casserole:
  • 1 package (30 ounces) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
  • 2 cans condensed cream of potato soup
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (and more for garnishing the top)
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 10 strips of cooked bacon crumbled (packaged precooked bacon microwaved works great!)

Instructions

  1. Beef Crescent Roll and Potato Casserole
  2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 3 or 4-quart oven-proof casserole dish with cooking spray oil.
  3. Saute and brown the meat in the oil until the pink is gone then drain and blot the oil with paper towels.
  4. Stir in that same pan the zucchini, onion, peppers, puree, and oregano, and heat the mixture until it's on a low simmer.
  5. Sprinkle with herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.
  6. Spread with mashed potatoes into the prepared baking dish.
  7. Sprinkle the top with cheese and then add the meat mixture.
  8. Unroll the crescent rolls and add on top covering the meat.
  9. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until heated until the top is browned.
  10. Ravioli Layered Casserole
  11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish and set this aside.
  12. Start by spreading a little sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish, and then layer the ravioli to cover the bottom of the dish.
  13. Add the ground beef cooked or meatballs on top of the ravioli to fit evenly on top.
  14. Ladle more sauce over the meatballs then add more ravioli.
  15. Add the ricotta then mozzarella cheese.
  16. Keep layering until you've used all the ingredients.
  17. Repeat ending with ravioli and mozzarella, with sauce on top.
  18. The casserole can now be baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes just until heated and cheese melts.
  19. Note: Add more sauce or cheese just layer if you prefer. This casserole also be frozen and uncooked for up to 3 months.
  20. Creamy Chicken Casserole
  21. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease using an oil spray into a 10-inch square casserole dish.
  22. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (except the crumbs and garnish).
  23. Pour into the casserole dish, and top with cracker crumbs spread evenly on top.
  24. Bake for around 35 minutes or until bubbling.
  25. Bacon Cheese and Potato Casserole:
  26. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil spray a 4-quart casserole dish and set that aside.
  27. Add the potatoes with, cheddar, potato soup, and sour cream in a bowl and mix until evenly blended.
  28. Spread this mixture into the casserole-greased dish, and sprinkle the top with more shredded cheese.
  29. Bake for 35 minutes or until bubbling.
  30. Sprinkle the top with cooked crispy bacon before you serve this dish.

Notes

Tips and Suggestions for Making Casseroles

  • use low-sodium soups
  • cheddar cheese soup is a great substitute for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom
  • add taco sauce instead of tomato sauce for an American Mexican meal
  • use premade mashed potatoes
  • rotisserie chicken or frozen grilled chicken is a great time-saver
  • frozen cubed potatoes can be substituted for hash browns
  • precooked bacon microwaved will save time
  • mix and match any shredded cheese you prefer
  • tortellini is another great substitute for ravioli pasta
  • switch out any vegetable you're not a fan of with another IE peas, green beans, zucchini chopped,
  • add mushrooms to the beef casserole if desired


The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.



Pin for later





More Recipes We Love:



Chicken Noodle Casserole

Corn Casserole

Zucchini Tomato Casserole

Pizza Chicken and Potato Casserole