21 Casseroles That Are Ready in Less Than an Hour

All the retro or refreshed casserole recipes you'll want to make on repeat.

When I pitched the idea of rounding up casserole recipes—our readers' favorite—that take an hour or less to make, my fellow editors at Simply Recipes had doubts. "Can casseroles be made in so little time?" "Does Simply Recipes even have any casserole recipes that can be made in under an hour?"

The answer is a resounding YES! Savory or sweet, big or small, creamy or crunchy, for breakfast or dinner, Simply Recipes has 21 casserole recipes you can pull off in an hour or less. Below you’ll find handy tips for making each recipe from myself, our readers, and Simply Recipes Editors.

French Toast Casserole

Get Recipe: French Toast Casserole

"If you choose to cook this casserole immediately, the top layer of bread may turn out hard since it hasn't had the time to soak up a lot of egg mixture. To avoid that, use a softer bread, and instead of pouring the custard over the bread cubes in the casserole dish, mix the bread cubes and the custard in a bowl first to saturate all the cubes with the custard." —Simply Recipes Editors

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

Get Recipe: Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

"It's a great dish to bring to gatherings because you can assemble it all beforehand and then just put it in the oven for 20 minutes when you get to your destination." —Cari, Simply Recipes Reader

Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

Get Recipe: Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

"Southern biscuits are light and fluffy in part because of their use of the regionally popular White Lily flour. Since [it is] still hard to find outside the South, I developed this recipe with regular all-purpose flour. If you have access to White Lily flour, omit the cornstarch and increase the White Lily all-purpose flour to 2 1/2 cups." —Irvin Lin, Contributor

Cheeseburger Casserole

Get Recipe: Cheeseburger Casserole

"I make this dish, but I do not precook to elbows. I sauté the elbows with the onions and hamburger. Add two cups of tomato juice and seasonings, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Take [it out of the oven and] stir, and the noodles are cooked. Add the cheese on top and [put it] back in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes and you're done with only one pan messed up." —Cathy Tarr, Simply Recipes Reader

Baked Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Get Recipe: Baked Blueberry French Toast Casserole

"We recommend a hearty, rustic loaf for this casserole. But you can use other types of bread as well. Just be sure to let the bread dry out a bit (a day or two in advance) before using. Here are some suggestions: cinnamon swirl bread, cinnamon raisin bread, Hawaiian rolls, or brioche." —Simply Recipes Editors

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

Get Recipe: Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

"Pre-shredded cheese is less smooth because anti-caking agents are added. Will pre-shredded cheese work? Absolutely! If you’re in a hurry, go for it. But if you have a few extra minutes, shredding the cheese yourself will make the dish that much better!" —Summer Miller, Senior Editor

Chicken Taco Casserole

Get Recipe: Chicken Taco Casserole

"This is a layered casserole and my favorite trick is to line the bottom of the dish with crispy corn tostadas so that when baked, the bottom doesn't stick to the dish." —Nick Evans, Contributor

Cheesy Tortellini Casserole

Get Recipe: Cheesy Tortellini Casserole

"This turned out great! I added spicy Italian sausage to ours. My hubby and son both asked to have this one again. I love that it was posted on a day when I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. It is indeed a great replacement for lasagna!" —Kelley Marie, Simply Recipes Reader

Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch

Get Recipe: Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch

"Egg noodles come in various widths; any from medium to extra-wide will do. Stay away from homestyle egg noodles, which are too thick." —Sara Bir, Senior Editor

Walking Taco Casserole

Get Recipe: Walking Taco Casserole

"For a milder version, replace the Rotel with plain canned diced tomatoes (without chiles)." —Karishma Pradhan, Contributor

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Get Recipe: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

"I realize that some readers might want to avoid processed foods. I used Ore Ida brand Tater Tots in this recipe, but if you are looking for something organic, Alexia has some great options that would work." —Aaron Hutcherson, Contributor

Turkey Black Bean Quinoa Bake

Get Recipe: Turkey Black Bean Quinoa Bake

"Delicious! I subbed ground turkey and a large can of green chiles, and I added petite diced tomatoes. Everyone loved it!" —Linda, Simply Recipes Reader

Huevos Rancheros Casserole

Get Recipe: Huevos Rancheros Casserole

Tostadas are fried (sometimes baked) corn tortillas. "You can find them at the grocery store next to the tortillas." —Laurel Randolph, Senior Editor

Everything Bagel Sandwich Casserole

Get Recipe: Everything Bagel Sandwich Casserole

"Unlike many breakfast casseroles, this recipe doesn’t work well when you assemble and refrigerate it in advance of baking." —Sara Bir, Senior Editor

Monte Cristo Croissant Casserole

Get Recipe: Monte Cristo Croissant Casserole

"Buy your croissants in advance, as stale ones will soak up the egg mixture better." —Sara Bir, Senior Editor

One-Pan Baked Penne alla Vodka

Get Recipe: One-Pan Baked Penne alla Vodka

"Don’t skip the vodka. We’ve done this before out of the misguided belief that the vodka was unnecessary when in fact, it is key! It provides a pleasant bite and helps emulsify the sauce into a smooth, cohesive texture. If you prefer to avoid alcohol, you can substitute water and a squeeze of lemon juice." —Julie and Amy Luxemberg, Contributors

Easy Taco Casserole

Get Recipe: Easy Taco Casserole

"Use sturdy, thick-style tortilla chips and not restaurant-style chips. I like the GreenWise brand." —Jasmine Smith, Contributor

Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

Get Recipe: Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole

"I found that using frozen hashbrown potatoes, even after thawing, are easy to overcook and become soggy when baked as a casserole. Using refrigerated hashbrowns fixes that problem." —Catherine Jessee, Contributor

Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

Get Recipe: Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

"Try this with chicken tenders, which will bake up more quickly. Or, use skinless chicken thighs, which will take a little longer to bake but have even more flavor." —Simply Recipes Editors

Tuna and Tomato Pasta Casserole

Get Recipe: Tuna and Tomato Pasta Casserole

"I think you need to be a tuna lover (or liker at least) to like this recipe. The recipe only calls for one 6-ounce can for a recipe that serves 4, so it's not as if the tuna overwhelms the dish. It doesn't. But you definitely taste the tuna." —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

Get Recipe: Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

"Grate the cheese yourself rather than buying it pre-shredded. This is one case in which a convenience ingredient will actually do more harm than good. The anti-caking agents used in pre-shredded cheeses tend to do funny things to the texture of cheese sauces, making them gloppy and gooey. You’ll get much better results if you grate your own." —Coco Morante, Contributor

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.