Healthy Recipes Main Dishes Casseroles 22 Cozy Dinner Casseroles You Can Make in 40 Minutes or Less By Leah Goggins Leah Goggins Leah Goggins is a lifestyle reporter with three years of experience fact-checking, chatting with sources and scoping out the best celebrity recipes. Her work has appeared in EatingWell, Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Shape and MyRecipes. Leah has a degree in news media and English from The University of Alabama. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 13, 2024 Close Photo: Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco Dish up these comforting casseroles for a quick and easy dinner everyone will enjoy. Whether you're in the mood for saucy baked enchiladas or a veggie-packed shepherd's pie, these dishes are sure to please. Plus, they take no more than 40 minutes to prepare, so you’ll be dining in less than an hour. Recipes like our Loaded Zucchini Casserole and Creamy Chicken & Penne alla Vodka Casserole with Peas are warm and cozy classics that hit the spot every time. 01 of 22 Creamy Chicken, Corn & Poblano Skillet Casserole Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling This zesty skillet chicken casserole is perfect for a busy weeknight. A creamy sauce coats the chicken, offering a flavorful bite with a nice level of heat. Poblano peppers are generally mild, but their heat can vary. For a milder version, you can substitute green bell peppers and omit the jalapeño. View Recipe 02 of 22 Loaded Zucchini Casserole Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf This rich and creamy zucchini casserole is packed with tender zucchini and bits of bacon smothered in a savory cheese sauce. Be sure to press the zucchini slices dry with paper towels to soak up extra water to prevent the casserole from becoming watery once it’s baked. View Recipe 03 of 22 Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo Skillet Casserole Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf This delightful one-skillet cheesy chicken Alfredo casserole combines penne pasta, tender broccoli and shredded rotisserie chicken smothered in a creamy sauce. To simplify the sauce, we opt for a pre-shredded Italian cheese blend. Though cheese blends vary, they typically contain Parmesan cheese, imparting the traditional Alfredo flavor. Seek blends with aged cheeses or blends that include sharp cheeses like provolone or Asiago for a richer flavor profile. View Recipe 04 of 22 Creamy Chicken & Penne alla Vodka Casserole with Peas Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco This cheesy chicken pasta casserole is perfect for a busy weeknight when you need a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. Vodka sauce adds a creamy note to the sauce. If you don’t have vodka sauce on hand, add a few tablespoons of cream to regular marinara. View Recipe 05 of 22 Teriyaki Chicken Skillet Casserole with Broccoli Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Whip up this quick and easy teriyaki chicken casserole in just one skillet—it’s the perfect go-to recipe for hectic weeknights that’s sure to satisfy a crowd. It’s ideal for making use of any leftover chicken and rice you have on hand. If you’re short on leftovers, a rotisserie chicken paired with a package of microwaveable brown rice is a good substitute. View Recipe 06 of 22 Cheesy Beef & Black Bean Skillet Casserole Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Think of this creamy skillet casserole as a one-pan taco. The corn tortillas crisp up under the broiler, adding crunch to go with the creamy filling. If you enjoy a bit of spiciness, opt for hot salsa or chipotle salsa for some smoky undertones. Tomatillo salsa works well, too, adding tang and a fresh flavor to this easy skillet dinner. View Recipe 07 of 22 Loaded Cabbage Casserole Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl This cabbage casserole has all of the classic flavors you love in a loaded baked potato, but with tender cooked cabbage as a base instead. The cheesy sauce coats the cabbage for a satisfying side that pairs with roasted chicken, pork or steak. Mix it up by using Savoy cabbage, or use red cabbage for a fun purple hue. View Recipe 08 of 22 Pesto Tuna Noodle Casserole Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl A creamy pesto sauce with sweet shallots and wilted spinach gives a light and bright spin to classic tuna noodle casserole. Albacore tuna is an ideal choice, as it holds its texture well once mixed in, although any water-packed tuna will do the job. For the best results, we recommend using refrigerated pesto for its fresh flavor which enhances the overall dish. View Recipe 09 of 22 Chicken Piccata Casserole Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf This protein-packed chicken piccata casserole brings all the flavors of classic chicken piccata together in one dish. It’s the easiest piccata you’ll ever make—no dredging or sauce required! Cooking the lemon slices in butter mellows their bite and helps jump-start the lemony flavor of the dish while helping the butter get a little brown, bringing some nuttiness to the dish. View Recipe 10 of 22 Cheeseburger Casserole Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco If you love a classic cheeseburger with all the fixings, you’ll love this family-friendly cheeseburger casserole. Rotini pasta picks up all the flavors of this comforting dish, but any shape pasta you have in your pantry will work well. We love the crunch shredded fresh lettuce offers, but feel free to mix it up with another green like spinach or kale, or top your casserole with Swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms for a different spin. View Recipe 11 of 22 Philly Cheesesteak Casserole Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayliss With the combo of beef, cheese and bell pepper, this easy casserole hits the nail on the head when it comes to the flavors of classic Philly cheesesteak. It's sure to be a new family favorite that's quick enough to pull off on a weeknight. We love the flavor smoked provolone lends to the dish, but if you want a more traditional flavor, aged provolone works just as well. View Recipe 12 of 22 Mom's Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole Brian Woodcock; Styling: Cindy Barr This lightened-up creamy chicken casserole is packed with veggies. The sauce at the heart of this family-friendly casserole uses nonfat milk with a combination of nonfat Greek-style yogurt and a little mayonnaise to give it body. View Recipe 13 of 22 White Chicken Chili Casserole Marty Baldwin This easy, one-skillet casserole is packed with heat thanks to two kinds of peppers, poblanos and jalapeño. If you want to increase the spice level, leave the seeds in the jalapeño. Finish with your favorite toppings like Cheddar, cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips. View Recipe 14 of 22 Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole Ditch the baking dish and make this easy skillet broccoli, cheese and rice casserole. Cooking the casserole in a skillet keeps the flavors and textures fresh—no mushy, sad broccoli! Serve this easy side with baked chicken for a family-pleasing healthy dinner that's ready in just 30 minutes. It would also be a great addition to your Thanksgiving spread or a party buffet. View Recipe 15 of 22 Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole Christine Ma Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey. View Recipe 16 of 22 Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Ground beef and cauliflower combine to create a hearty weeknight casserole that both kids and adults will love. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream. View Recipe 17 of 22 25-Minute Sweet Potato & Bean Enchiladas Antonis Achilleos These quick sweet potato and bean enchiladas are diabetes-friendly thanks to egg wraps that are lower in carbs than traditional tortillas. The vegetarian filling is both sweet and savory, while the topping adds texture and freshness. View Recipe 18 of 22 Easy Cauliflower Shepherd's Pie Brie Passano With lots of veggie shortcuts and a cauliflower-mash topping instead of spuds, you can have this comfort-food staple in a fraction of the usual time—and save carbs too! Cook the veggies from frozen; no need to thaw. Swap ground turkey for the beef if you prefer. View Recipe 19 of 22 Sloppy Joe Casserole Like sloppy Joes? Then you'll love this sloppy Joe casserole recipe. This kid-friendly dinner has the classic sloppy Joe flavors kids love, while parents will like all the veggies that are packed in to make it a healthy meal. View Recipe 20 of 22 Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese Fiber-rich sweet potato is used as the base for the cheese sauce in this healthy, homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. The bright orange color tricks your eyes into thinking this healthy macaroni and cheese recipe is loaded with cheese, but there's actually only about half as much cheese as compared to a traditional recipe. View Recipe 21 of 22 Chicken & Broccoli Casserole Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Sue Mitchell This one-pan chicken-and-broccoli recipe comes out of the oven all browned, cheesy and bubbling like a casserole, but is really prepared more like a skillet meal on the stovetop. Serve with a crunchy green salad. View Recipe 22 of 22 Spaghetti Squash Casserole Strands of tender squash replace pasta for a more flavorful version of spaghetti pie casserole. Not to mention, spaghetti squash is a low-carb alternative to pasta and saves more than 150 calories per serving compared to a traditional recipe. A sprinkling of nutty fontina cheese melts into a gooey topping. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit