Casserole dinners are the best way to use ingredients from your pantry and freezer in a complete, one pot (or pan) meal.
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What is a Casserole?
At its core, a casserole dinner is a dish that is a complete meal in one and is typically served in the same dish it was baked or cooked in.
First, you have a protein. This can be ground meat, diced or canned chicken, any other meat chopped into bite-size pieces or even beans.
Then, you have a starch or carbohydrate. This is usually rice or noodles of some kind.
Next, you have any variety of vegetables. I love to use frozen vegetables because they hold up the the baking and they are cheaper than fresh and easy to store.
Last, you need some kind of sauce to bring it all together. This can be canned soup, broth, gravy, or even cheese. The possibilities really are endless.
For example, one of my favorite dishes as a kid was a kind of Beef Stroganoff casserole knock-off. It consisted of ground beef, egg noodles, canned cream of mushroom soup mixed with a little milk to make it saucy, and a bag of frozen peas. It isn't the healthiest dish, but it is a complete meal and I loved it!
Can You Freeze Casserole Dinners?
Absolutely! A lot of times, I will make a double batch of a recipe on purpose so that I can freeze half of it for a future meal. If you're going to do the work, you might as well get two meals out of it.
My favorite way to prepare a casserole to go straight to the freezer is to follow the recipe instructions all the way to the point of baking. So, you have all of your ingredients mixed or layered in. Usually, your meat is already cooked or browned.
The next step is to either seal with an airtight lid or wrap with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. I also really like these foil pans because they include a lid and they are perfect for when you want to gift a meal to a friend or neighbor.
You'll want to make sure that you label your casserole with a freezer label. These are my favorites because they peel off of plastic lids easily and don't leave a sticky residue.
Even More Pantry Recipes
Casserole Dinners Using Pantry and Freezer Ingredients
Don't stress about dinner tonight. I've compiled 13 delicious Casserole Dinners you can make using pantry and freezer ingredients. I bet you already have most of these ingredients on hand. Bonus: They're all incredibly budget-friendly, too!
This delicious freezer meal makes two meals from pantry and freezer ingredients that you may already have on hand. Cook one for dinner tonight, and throw the other in the freezer for a future meal.
Hamburger Casserole is an honest to goodness quick and easy meal! Using quality ingredients like lean ground beef, pasta sauce, tomatoes and of course my favorite spices, you know the end result is going to be over the top tasty!
Corn Casserole is a quintessential pantry dish as it uses canned corn, creamed corn and Jiffy corn muffin mix as the base. Customize the flavor from there to your liking.
This Cornbread Chili Casserole is hearty and delicious! Using
ingredients that you already have on-hand, everyone will love this tasty dish!
Canned tuna is something most of us have in our pantry, but struggle to use. This easy Tuna Rice Skillet is a great way to turn that canned tuna into a complete meal from other pantry ingredients.
Using canned tomatoes and rice, this one pan dinner is delicious, easy AND affordable!
Saucy, sloppy beans and veggies covered in a hearty cornbread crust. It’s one of those down-home comfort food meals that make you feel all warm and cozy inside. You’ll want to lick your plate clean!
Chow Mein Casserole, also known as Minnesota Hotdish, is classic midwestern casserole comfort! This ground beef and rice casserole with creamy soup and a crunchy chow mein noodle topping is super easy to throw together or can be made ahead and frozen!
Comforting Tuna Noodle Casserole is delicious and uses ingredients from your pantry!
Taco Bake Casserole uses pantry ingredients like macaroni noodles, salsa and canned beans to make an easy, filling dinner in one pan!
Ground beef, pasta, canned tomatoes and olives, and cheese come together for a delicious spin on your everyday casserole. AND it's totally pantry-friendly!
Who knew you could make Mac and Cheese include a complete dinner in one pot! This yummy Chicken Bacon Mac and Cheese has everything to love and pantry staples!
This cast-iron skillet best goulash recipe is full of flavor that’s made with ground beef, macaroni, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Hamburg goulash is the perfect way to feed a crowd as it makes a huge batch! One of my favorite recipes, this old-fashioned goulash is the perfect comfort food on a budget!
Just what we needed! Thank you!
Glad to hear! I hope you find them useful (and tasty!)