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  5. Quick Casseroles Low on Prep Time But High in Flavor

Quick Casseroles Low on Prep Time But High in Flavor

Karla Walsh Headshot
By Karla Walsh Updated October 13, 2021
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
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Beef Taco Pie
Credit: Andy Lyons
Looking for quick, easy casseroles that are sure to impress? We have you covered with our hot and cheesy lineup, starring quick dinner casserole classics like macaroni and turkey pot pie, plus zesty new Mexican-inspired dishes and pasta-based easy casserole ideas—all with speedy prep times and just a few ingredients. These quick casseroles solve your weeknight dinner woes.
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Vegetable Turkey Pot Pie

Vegetable-Turkey Pot Pie
Credit: Jason Donnelly
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Like a mash-up of the best of pot pie (mixed vegetables, egg-brushed pastry) and pizza (ground meat, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese) in one, this savory pie’s little secret is hiding right in front of our eyes. To make the pie topping a cinch to layer and lattice, opt for refrigerated pizza dough. Or simply ask for a little less than a pound of dough from your favorite local pizzeria.

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Beef Taco Pie

Beef Taco Pie
Credit: Andy Lyons
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Prep is a breeze for this spicy, cheesy, quick and easy casserole recipe. Just simmer, build, and bake. And if you're still debating whether you should try this or not, consider this: The single-skillet taco night bakes in a mere 20 minutes. 

Buy It: Staub Pie Dish ($40, Bed Bath & Beyond)

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Zoodle Pizza Casserole

Zoodle Pizza Casserole
Credit: Andy Lyons
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Trick kids into thinking they're having pizza for dinner. (Well, they kind of are with this easy casserole idea.) Once they have a bite of this zucchini noodle masterpiece, they won't care that it's mostly made of veggies instead of pasta.

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Egg-and-Veggie Casserole

Egg Veggie Casserole
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Whether you're hosting a stylish brunch or are just in the mood for breakfast for dinner, this simple make-ahead egg-and-veggie casserole recipe is a solid option. It's simple, low-cal, and prepped in just 25 minutes. Pretty soon, you'll be making a quick breakfast casserole for every meal. (Breakfast for dinner is never a bad idea!)

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Upside-Down Pizza Casserole

Upside-Down Pizza Casserole
Credit: Andy Lyons
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Ditch delivery tonight. This four-ingredient quick dinner casserole takes just 35 minutes to make from start to finish. Instead of sausage or pepperoni, ground beef makes each portion hearty, while store-bought biscuits act as the quick and easy “crust.”

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Best Four-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Best Four-Cheese Macaroni Cheese
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
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Say au revoir to the boxed stuff and hello to the real deal. This buttery, quick, easy casserole starts with a simple white sauce and finishes with four melty cheeses: Gouda, cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan. And when you're in the mood to mix up your mac and cheese routine, it takes only a couple minutes longer to ace one of our flavor-boosting variations, including bacon-blue cheese, butternut squash, Cajun shrimp and sausage, and jalapeño popper.

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Cheesy Baked Gnocchi with Kale

Cheesy Baked Gnocchi Kale
Credit: Andy Lyons
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One of the most fun ways to get closer to your produce quota for the day? Tuck them inside a casserole dish alongside plenty of cheese and pasta. This easy, cheesy casserole is “a must in our household,” one BH&G reader says.

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Easy Baked Cavatelli

Easy Baked Cavatelli
Credit: Brie Passano
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This quick and easy casserole dish would make any Italian nonna (aka grandma) proud. It’s an example of why we love made-from-scratch, classic Italian recipes: simple, versatile, and flavorful. If you have fresh herbs, some variety of ground meat, and a few pantry staples, you can coax a lot of flavor out of a one-pan dinner.

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Buttery Spinach-Havarti Bake

Buttery Spinach-Havarti Bake
Credit: Jason Donnelly
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If you're a fan of Greek spanakopita, we’re pretty sure you’ll adore this cheesy spinach bake. The quick, easy casserole is crunchy, gooey, and ready in just 45 minutes. It’s a gorgeously browned side that’s special enough for company or holidays, and it can even flex as a vegetarian main dish, if you like.

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Hot Chicken Salad Skillet Casserole

Hot Chicken Salad Skillet Casserole
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Chicken salad tiptoes from lunch to dinner territory when you serve it hot. Condensed canned soup and yogurt make this one super-silky—and speedy; it clocks in at 40 minutes start to finish. To make this surprisingly low-calorie casserole a meal, pile it over a bed of rice or steamed broccoli.

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Crustless Denver Potato Quiche

Plated Crustless Denver-Potato Quiche slices with fresh berries
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Savory egg-filled quiches are the brunch entrée we turn to time and time again when we need to feed a crowd in the a.m. (or with breakfast for dinner) in a quick and affordable way. This easy casserole idea has become our new favorite because of its shareability. Since it’s built on a layer of shingled potato slices rather than a pie pastry, this Denver quiche is A-OK to share with gluten-free guests if you skip the bread crumb topping.

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Ham and Spinach Two-Cheese Pasta

Ham Spinach Two-Cheese Pasta
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Need a cozy, oven-baked dinner for two? Try this hearty, mini casserole recipe topped with Italian-blend and Parmesan cheeses. If you're feeding a slightly larger crowd, this quick and easy casserole recipe is easily doubled.

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Tuna and Noodles

Tuna Noodles
Credit: Blaine Moats
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The hardest part of this tuna casserole is remembering to set the semisoft herb cheese on the counter to come to room temperature 30 minutes before you plan to begin meal prep. Cooked almost entirely in the microwave, this kid-friendly quick casserole recipe warms to creamy perfection in a flash: 6 minutes. Crushed cornflakes or wheat crackers lend a lovely crunchy topping to contrast the rich, silky pasta.

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Pizza Tot Casserole

Pizza Tot Casserole
Credit: Brie Passano
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Crust is great and all, but have you tried tots? That’s the swap we make in this quick dinner casserole, and the results are crunchy, speedy, and wildly crowd-pleasing. Think of this dish like a supreme pizza—complete with beef, sausage, and pepperoni—turned on its head.

Test Kitchen Tip: The original recipe calls for potato nuggets, but tots now come with broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, and other veggies hidden right inside. Talk about a seamless way to sneak in a little more produce.

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Easy Shepherd's Pie

Easy Shepherd's Pie
Credit: Jason Donnelly
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Shepherd’s pie is one of the best solutions when you’re in need of a “food hug” type of dish. While many renditions of the stick-to-your-ribs beef recipe take all afternoon, we’ve found a way to trim the total time to 50 minutes. Frozen vegetables, canned soup, and leftover or store-bought mashed potatoes make the meal magic possible.

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Chili Beef Pie with Biscuit Crust

Chili Beef Pie Biscuit Crust
Credit: Blaine Moats
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You’ve probably seen—and maybe tasted—chili recipes paired with corn bread, spooned over spaghetti, and in a bread bowl. In Texas and across some U.S. states, it’s also often part of a “Frito Pie;” a common stadium snack of a scoop of chili served inside an open single-serving bag of crushed corn chips. This flavorful and fast Tex-Mex casserole is a twist on that theme, with the corn chips on top, biscuits on the bottom, and a quick, easy casserole filling of ground beef, beans, and lots of spices.

Buy It: Threshold Pie Dish ($12, Target)

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Baked Beef Ravioli

Baked Beef Ravioli
Credit: Blaine Moats
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Store-bought stuffed pasta makes quick and easy casseroles even easier. Layers of ravioli noodles, ground beef, diced tomatoes, herbs, and shredded cheese bake together for a speedy (40 minutes!) supper your family will ask for time and time again. 

Test Kitchen Tip: If you’re sharing this with vegetarians, sautéed mushrooms or plant-based meat crumbles can absolutely replace the beef.

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Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole
Credit: Scott Little
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Bread crumbs with tender sweet onion top this recipe instead of the traditional high-fat fried onion rings. Serve the quick and easy casserole dish any Sunday with roast chicken, or, in true Thanksgiving style, with roast turkey. Since this side dish casserole is all set to scoop in 40 minutes, you can focus on preparing the main dish—and the drink pairing.

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Upside-Down Pizza Skillet Casserole

Upside-Down Pizza Casserole
Credit: Blaine Moats
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By now, you can probably guess that pizza and casseroles fall near the top of our “favorite comfort foods” line-up. In this, the speediest of all of our slice-inspired dishes, Italian turkey sausage, pizza sauce, and traditional pizza toppings and spices star in the foundation of the quick dinner casserole. For a quick-fix topping, sprinkle on some toasted bread cubes and cheese, then spice things up with oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.

Buy It: GreenPan 12-Inch Ceramic Fry Pan ($55, Williams Sonoma)

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Sweet Potato-Topped Chicken Stew

Sweet Potato-Topped Chicken Stew
Credit: Jason Donnelly
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Around Thanksgiving—or as a nod to the holiday any time of year—give this sage-scented sweet potato casserole a go. Unlike its marshmallow-studded cousins that grace the holiday table, this version is decidedly savory. A semi-homemade mix of ingredients, including leftover chicken or turkey, canned soup, and frozen veggies help this quick, easy casserole become table-ready in just 35 minutes.

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Individual Squash Casseroles

Individual Squash Casseroles
Credit: Blaine Moats
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One of the best ways to press fast-forward on casserole prep? Make it mini! Layers of veggies plus marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought) and cheese star in this mini casserole recipe. Plus, since they're individual, you can swap out a veggie or two as needed to please a picky eater.

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    1 of 21 Vegetable Turkey Pot Pie
    2 of 21 Beef Taco Pie
    3 of 21 Zoodle Pizza Casserole
    4 of 21 Egg-and-Veggie Casserole
    5 of 21 Upside-Down Pizza Casserole
    6 of 21 Best Four-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
    7 of 21 Cheesy Baked Gnocchi with Kale
    8 of 21 Easy Baked Cavatelli
    9 of 21 Buttery Spinach-Havarti Bake
    10 of 21 Hot Chicken Salad Skillet Casserole
    11 of 21 Crustless Denver Potato Quiche
    12 of 21 Ham and Spinach Two-Cheese Pasta
    13 of 21 Tuna and Noodles
    14 of 21 Pizza Tot Casserole
    15 of 21 Easy Shepherd's Pie
    16 of 21 Chili Beef Pie with Biscuit Crust
    17 of 21 Baked Beef Ravioli
    18 of 21 Green Bean Casserole
    19 of 21 Upside-Down Pizza Skillet Casserole
    20 of 21 Sweet Potato-Topped Chicken Stew
    21 of 21 Individual Squash Casseroles

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