Food: The Basics of Casseroles

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The Basics of Casseroles
Thursday, December 29, 2005

Reese Witherspoon was on Oprah recently, and the two Southern women started talking casseroles. Witherspoon, a Tennessee native, explained that you just toss everything together, and voila! You have a casserole.

The truth is not far from Witherspoon's quip. Casseroles are one of the easiest dishes to make. If you are new to cooking, if you are a man who has never cooked suddenly living along, if you are a newly minted college apartment dweller, you should learn the art of casserole making.

First, what exactly defines a casserole? Most people think that a casserole must be cooked in the oven or must be a mix-match sort of dish that is mostly unidentifiable. Neither is completely true. Here are the basics.

All casseroles must have at least one of the five basic parts: protein, vegetable, carbohydrate (or starch), sauce, and topping.

The protein typically is meat although tofu and other non-meat alternatives work well. In fact, tofu, which is far better nutritionally, is able to take on the taste of its surroundings, making it a great choice for casseroles. Chicken and tuna also are popular ideas for casseroles. Beef can be used but is a little more difficult to work in because of its texture.

Vegetables are self-explanatory. Some of the most common vegetables are carrots, broccoli, and sweet peas. If you are looking for something new, or if you want to add some vegetables to the meal, zucchini always works wonders. Zucchini, which many people mistake for cucumbers, look a similar pale green color. They are easy to cut and absorb other flavors really well, making them a great choice. You also can try adding yellow squash or red onion for a little extra umph.

Some people suggest that you pre-cook the vegetables, but that really depends on the vegetable. Broccoli, for example, cooks pretty quickly, and if you do not like your vegetables mushy, then you should not pre-cook. You will want to be sure that they are defrosted, but otherwise, they should be fine.

Most people use white rice or a basic noodle for pasta. Fettucine and spaghetti noodles are popular. You can try different sizes and shapes of noodles if you would like. They can make a tuna casserole look more exciting, especially for children. If you experiment with rice, then you should be careful. Brown rice, for instance, does not cook as quickly as white rice, so you need to adjust your cooking times and temperatures depending on the starch option you select.

The sauce is what makes the casserole gel. Otherwise you are simply making meat and veggies in a baking pan. The most common sauces are a broth (which is rarely used), a "cream of" soup, and tomato sauce. These sauces will help to hold together the entire casserole. It needs to be something complementary, and it does not have to have much flavor. Cream of chicken soup is not a flavorful soup but works well with a great combination of flavorful vegetables and meat. The only general rule that you should follow is the same as with wine. Beef needs a red (tomato) sauce while poultry and pork need white sauces.

The topping usually is cheese. In the case of green bean casserole, it is fried onions. Other topics include bacon bits, croutons, or bread crumbs. In most cases, the best idea with the topping is to add some of it at the beginning, then to remove the casserole and sprinkle a bit on top before returning to the oven for no greater than five minutes.

Casseroles really are great dishes. Few of them take more than half an hour to bake. Because your greatest preparation work is chopping vegetables and putting everything into the dish, you are talking about 45 minutes max before you have a delicious, balanced meal. Casseroles should become a staple of your diet as you are learning to cook. they work for any busy lifestyle, which is what makes them great for so many people, regardless of their cooking skill level or schedule. They will serve you later when you need to throw together a quick dish, even if your culinary talents have moved far beyond casseroles.

By Julia Mercer

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