One thing that we love during winter is baking, mostly because the cold weather is an amazing excuse to fire up the oven and let it warm you up while delicious smells waft through your home. As the weather gets more and more chilly, we crave warm, hearty dinners that will keep us full, satisfied and toasty. Enter the casserole, one of the most underrated dinners out there. Casseroles get a bad rap sometimes, but we're pretty sure that after trying a couple of these, even haters will have a new fondness for the nice warm, crunchy on top, creamy on the inside quick dinner.
1. Easy Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
If you love all things baked potato, you will adore this easy-to-customize casserole that you can top with absolutely anything you like. Leftover chicken? Olives? Crispy fried onions? Have it all.
2. Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Spicy. Cheesy. Buffalo-y. Low carb. Need we say more?
3. Hawaiian-Style Sushi Bake
Whoever decided to turn a California roll into a casserole is a complete genius. A GENIUS.
4. Taco Bake
Love Tex-Mex? Make this delicious and super-easy taco casserole, which is basically just another name for nachos that are so fully loaded with cheese and meat that you'll need a fork to properly devour them.
5. Loaded Cauliflower Bake
Don't eat noodles? Pour mac and cheese sauce over some cauliflower for a slightly healthier version that will 100% make you want to eat your vegetables on the regular.
6. Fabulous Fried Chicken Casserole
This is the best use ever for leftover fried chicken. If you're using yesterday's dinner in this, just pop the chicken into the oven for a bit and toast until the skin gets crispy again, and you'll be all set to enjoy this crispy, creamy chicken bake.
7. Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
We love the white cheddar and Gruyere cheese in this recipe, but feel free to switch it up and use anything you have on hand. You can even add some chopped cooked chicken for a protein boost. However you make it, this crispy on the top, gooey in the middle creamy casserole will have you singing its praises for sure.
8. Gooey Chocolate Peppermint Bread Pudding
You didn't think we'd forget about dessert, did you? How about a nice festive and EASY baked chocolate dessert? If mint isn't your thing, feel free to swap out the peppermint extract for your favorite flavor, like vanilla or hazelnut, or mix in a dab of raspberry jam, peanut butter or even a bit of toffee. You can't go wrong!
9. No Bake Chocolate Lasagna
Another dessert option, just in case you want something easy and sweet without firing up the oven. All you need to do is mix up a few ingredients, layer them and then forget about it in the fridge for a few hours until you're ready to dig in.