16 Dinner Casseroles That Aren't Pasta Bakes

Cheesy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Casserole
Photo: Ali Redmond

Pasta bakes are satisfying, but so are these delicious pasta-less casseroles. Whether you and your family are in the mood for a meaty skillet dinner with brown rice or a veggie-packed 9x13, we’ve got just the dishes you’re looking for in this collection. You’ll want to add recipes like our Shrimp and Cauliflower Bake and Cheesy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Casserole to your rotation for years to come.

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Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist Julia Bayless

You won't be stuffing any peppers for this stuffed pepper casserole, but you will be enjoying the sweet and smoky combination of flavors coming from bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika and ground beef. You can use precooked rice from the package or leftover brown rice if you have it. If using leftover rice, you will need about 1 1/2 cups.

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Cheesy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Casserole

Cheesy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Casserole
Ali Redmond

A cozy, cheesy casserole is classic comfort food. We amped up the nutrition by including plenty of nourishing veggies. Black beans provide powerful plant-based protein while the sweet potatoes offer up a healthy dose of vitamin A, an antioxidant important for vision and immunity.

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Chicken & Zucchini Casserole

Chicken & Zucchini Casserole
Photographer /Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall

This baked chicken and zucchini casserole is creamy, hearty and low-carb! The whole family will love this easy casserole, plus it's a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies.

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Cheesy Ground Beef & Cauliflower Casserole

Cheesy ground beef & cauliflower casserole recipe with one tortilla chip scooping casserole out, a bowl of more chips is on the side of the casserole skillet

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.

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Shrimp and Cauliflower Bake

Shrimp and Cauliflower Bake

This quick and easy seafood casserole gets bright flavor from fresh dill and feta cheese.

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Loaded Broccoli & Chicken Casserole

a recipe photo of the Loaded Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Stacy k. Allen, Props: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ana Kelley

This delightfully creamy broccoli and chicken casserole is a satisfying dinner that is sure to please a crowd. To keep prep simple, look for bags of pre-cut broccoli florets. If you like a little spice, swap out the Monterey Jack cheese for pepper Jack instead.

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Cabbage Roll Casserole

Cabbage Roll Casserole on a plate

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

This casserole has all the elements of cabbage rolls—ground beef, onion and rice cooked in tomato sauce—and skips the fuss of rolling. The cabbage is chopped instead and layered with the saucy filling, then topped with cheese for a satisfying and easy casserole.

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Chicken Fajita Casserole

overhead view of a pan with a cheesy casserole inside

Rachel Marek

This chicken fajita casserole combines classic fajita veggies and chicken thighs with corn tortillas and spices in one skillet for an easy dinner. Chicken thighs are tender and flavorful, but chicken breast or leftover chicken will work well too. Serve this easy casserole topped with your favorite fixings, like sour cream, avocado, salsa and/or chopped tomato.

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Creamed Spinach & Chicken Casserole

a recipe photo of the Creamed Spinach & Chicken Casserole
Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Creamed spinach and chicken combine in this crowd-pleasing, comforting casserole. Crushed red pepper packs some heat, so add less or leave it out completely if you want a milder version. You can cook long-grain brown rice ahead of time or look for packaged microwaveable brown rice to use instead.

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Cheesy Black Bean & Quinoa Skillet Casserole

Cheesy Black Bean & Quinoa Skillet Casserole
Rachel Marek

This Southwestern-inspired one-skillet casserole is stuffed with quinoa and plenty of fresh vegetables. Sharp Cheddar cheese flavors the filling and adds a layer of ooey-gooey melted cheese on top.

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Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

vegetarian enchilada casserole

Think of this vegetarian enchilada casserole as a veggie-packed Mexican-inspired lasagna with corn tortillas standing in for the noodles! If your peppers are mild and you like heat, opt for spicy pico de gallo. This easy vegetarian dinner recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.

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Spinach, Feta & Rice Casserole

Spinach, Feta, Rice Casserole

This one-pan recipe is the casserole version of spanakopita! It's hearty enough to enjoy as a vegetarian lunch or dinner, yet versatile enough to serve alongside just about any protein. To make it extra creamy, top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

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Cheesy Ground Beef & Broccoli Casserole

a recipe photo of the Cheesy Beef and Black Bean Skillet Casserole

Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

This cheesy ground beef and broccoli casserole is comfort food the whole family can get behind. It's assembled and baked all in one skillet and finished in 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal.

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Chicken Enchilada Skillet Casserole

a Chicken Enchilada Skillet Casserole

This simplified take on cheesy chicken enchiladas only requires one pan for cooking and eliminates the need to stuff and roll corn tortillas. Charring the veggies in a cast-iron skillet adds depth of flavor. Don't worry if you don't have one, because you can use any oven-safe skillet instead.

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Kale & White Bean Potpie with Chive Biscuits

Kale & White Bean Potpie with Chive Biscuits

In this vegetarian white bean potpie recipe, kale and hearty white beans are topped with easy, homemade chive biscuits. If desired, add a little shredded Gruyère or Cheddar cheese to the biscuit dough.

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Seafood Chowder Casserole

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New England seafood chowder inspired the flavors here, but we've enhanced them further with Gruyère cheese and a crispy crumb topping. We like the combination of shrimp, cod and crab, but feel free to experiment with other types of seafood--scallops, clams and mahi-mahi would also work well.

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