Casserole

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File:Baked Ziti (cropped).jpg is another popular pasta and ground meat-based casserole.]]

File:AdHocCasserole.jpg, onions, peppers, mushrooms, herbs, spices, and bread]]

Baked dishes have existed for thousands of years. Early casserole recipes consisted of rice that was pounded, pressed, and filled with a savoury mixture of meats such as chicken or sweetbread. Sometime around the 1870s the casserole seems to have taken on its current definition.{{cite book |last=Ayto |first=John |year=2002 |title=An A–Z of Food & Drink |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=60–61 |isbn=9780192803511}} Cooking in earthenware containers has always been common in most cultures, but the idea of casserole cooking as a one-dish meal became popular in the United States in the twentieth century, especially in the 1950s when new forms of lightweight metal and glass cookware appeared on the market. By the 1970s casseroles took on a less-than-sophisticated image. Culinary experts, such as John F. Mariani, attribute this to the beginning of the dark ages of American culinary culture.{{cite book |last=Mariani |first=John F. |year=1999 |title=The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink |publisher=Lebhar-Friedman |pages=59 |isbn=9780756786809 }}

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, potato, rice or pasta); sometimes, there is also a crunchy or cheesy topping.{{cite news |last=Yoon |first=Howard |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101348850 |title=Nouveau Casseroles |work=Kitchen Window |publisher=National Public Radio |date=4 March 2009 |access-date=4 December 2009}}{{cite web |first=Sarah |last=Ramsey |url=https://www.wideopeneats.com/what-is-a-casserole/ |title=What is a Casserole? |work=Wide Open Eats |date=25 September 2018 |access-date=30 April 2020}}{{Cite web |last= |last2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |last5= |last6= |last7= |last8= |first8= |last9= |date=1989-03-02 |title=Casseroles - Main courses for baby boomers in the 50's, these classic American dishes are easy to prepare, low cost and nutritious |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-02-fo-0-story.html |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} Liquids are released from the meat and vegetables during cooking, and further liquid in the form of stock, wine, beer, gin, cider, vegetable juice, or even water may be added when the dish is assembled. Casseroles are usually cooked slowly in the oven, often uncovered. They may be served as a main course or side dish, and, conveniently, may be served in the vessel in which they were cooked.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

Many baked dishes served in the baking dish can be classed as casseroles. Examples include Lancashire hotpot (English), cassoulet (French), moussaka (Greek), and timballo (Italian).{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

In English-speaking Commonwealth countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, the term casserole is most commonly used to refer to a dish of meat with vegetables (especially root vegetables) and a gravy-style sauce; dishes containing a large proportion of starchy ingredients, e.g., pasta or those cooked in creamy sauces are not generally referred to as casseroles, and might be called ‘bakes’ or ‘gratins.’ In the UK, the terms casserole and stew tend to be used interchangeably, although some distinguish them by saying stews are cooked on a stovetop while casseroles are cooked in an oven.{{cite web |author-link=Delia Smith |last=Smith |first=Delia |date=15 November 2018|url=https://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/meat/slow-progress-delia-on-casseroles |title=Slow progress: Delia on casseroles |work=Delia Online |access-date=30 April 2020}}

{{Portal|Food}}

• Dutch oven
• Güveç
• Jugging
• List of baked goods
• List of casserole dishes
• List of cooking vessels

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• {{cite book |last=Wright |first=C. A. |year=2011 |title=Bake Until Bubbly: The Ultimate Casserole Cookbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlQoO-AdtzIC&pg=PP19 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-544-17748-2}} History of the casserole.

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{{Cooking techniques}}

Category:Cooking techniques

Category:Cooking vessels

Category:Serving vessels

Category:Types of food