When it finally cools off during fall in the South, our kitchens have been stocked and ready. Spiced desserts, smoked barbecue for tailgates, warm apple cider, and of course, plenty of comforting casseroles are sure to fill our recipe lineup for the season. If there’s one person we happily look to for recipe inspiration, it’s Grandma. No one can resist a second helping of these comforting casseroles that were made for cool autumns.
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Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Don’t let the name confuse you: This cheesy pasta won’t cost a million dollars to make (it’s quite budget-friendly), but it will make you feel like a million bucks.
Credit:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
We’ve developed dozens of sweet potato casserole recipes over the years, but the most nostalgic versions always include a marshmallow topping that reminds us of Grandma.
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Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley
If you don’t want to take our word for it, simply read the five-star reviews for this comforting casserole recipe. “My teenager just proclaimed it ‘the best food I’ve ever eaten!’ Who doesn’t love chicken, bacon, ranch flavor, and cheese?! Super easy to make, using a rotisserie chicken. A new dish for ‘the rotation’ of dinners!” wrote one reviewer.
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Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
This cozy pasta bake recipe starts with cooking a whole chicken, but you can use rotisserie chicken if it’s already in your fridge.
Credit: Alison Miksch
Grandma isn’t just going to throw her leftover Thanksgiving turkey between two slices of bread. She’ll do you one better and make an entire comforting casserole with it.
Credit: VICTOR PROTASIO; PROP STYLING: GINNY BRANCH STELLING; FOOD STYLING: EMILY NABORS HALL
When we say “old-school,” we mean it. This classic side dish is made totally from scratch (yes, without the “cream-of” soups).
Credit: Greg DuPree
Grandma knows how to feed a crowd a satisfying meal, and when she’s in a pinch, that means turning to convenient buys like jarred pasta sauce and rotisserie chicken and turning out something delicious.
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Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Grandma loves a casserole that “freezes beautifully,” and this dinnertime favorite falls right in that category. Keep it in the freezer for up to a month and pull it out on an extra-busy week.
Credit: ALISON MIKSCH; PROP STYLING: SARAH ELIZABETH CLEVELAND; FOOD STYLING: MELISSA GRAY
A baked potato bar is fun in theory, but with the grandkids, it can quickly become a nightmare for whoever is cleaning up after supper. Grandma combines all of that cheesy, starchy goodness into one casserole dish instead.
Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
The reviews for this twist on classic Chicken Pot Pie are absolutely glowing. For example: “I made this last night for my family of very picky eaters, and everyone LOVED it. I would 10/10 recommend this recipe.”
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez
Poppy seed casseroles are a staple in Grandma’s house, including this version that’s a great use for leftover Thanksgiving turkey. You can swap cooked chicken if that’s what you have on hand.
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Whether at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, this Hashbrown Casserole is always welcome on Grandma’s table. With just a few store-bought ingredients, Grandma can whip up this dish that we swear can turn a bad day around.
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Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox
This isn’t Grandma’s original, marshmallow-topped recipe we talked about earlier, but this newer version is so delicious, it found a spot in her recipe canon.
Credit: Will Dickey
A few things are always going to be found in Grandma’s kitchen: butter on the countertop, candies in a crystal dish, buttermilk in the fridge, and ground beef in the freezer. When she’s ready to use the latter, it’s likely to go in a casserole just like this one.
Credit: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Grandma isn’t going halfway on game day food in the fall. Instead of setting out takeout wings, she takes it to the next level with a Buffalo Chicken Casserole that will leave everyone full.
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Stacy Allen; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower
French onion soup is a fall favorite, but it might not be filling enough for everyone around Grandma’s table. This casserole has all the flavor along with hearty chicken that will keep the family satisfied.
When it comes to Southern comfort food recipes, two is better than one, so we combined pimiento cheese and mac and cheese into the mashup of your dreams.
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Grandma is an expert in kid-friendly recipes, including this ground beef casserole. “Delicious! My family went back for seconds AND thirds!” wrote one five-star reviewer.
Credit: Ralph Anderson
Cornbread dressing is one of Grandma’s specialty side dishes around the holidays, but it’s not quite filling enough on its own as a main dish. This hearty weeknight casserole solves that problem.
Dining and Cooking