Spending more time making dinner than eating it isn’t worth it. These casseroles take ten minutes to put together and cook on their own while you focus on something else. Everything goes straight into the oven or slow cooker with no extra steps. Once the timer goes off, you have a hot, homemade meal without any extra effort.
Cheddar Chicken Bake
Leftover rotisserie chicken gets new life in this cheesy, hands-off casserole. Quinoa adds some extra texture, and everything bakes together into a no-effort, family-friendly meal.
Get the Recipe: Cheddar Chicken Bake
Mexican Ground Beef Casserole
A cheesy, beefy, oven-baked dish loaded with tomatoes, peppers, and black beans. It’s fast, filling, and just the kind of thing you want when you need a low-maintenance, high-payoff dinner.
Get the Recipe: Mexican Ground Beef Casserole
French Onion Chicken Bake
All the rich, cheesy, caramelized goodness of French onion soup, but baked into a no-effort casserole. Just toss everything into a dish, let the oven work its magic, and come back to golden, bubbly perfection. No standing over a stove stirring onions for an hour—this one’s got all the flavor without the hassle.
Get the Recipe: French Onion Chicken Bake
Sourdough French Toast Casserole
Skip the flipping and let the oven take care of breakfast. Sourdough soaks up a sweet custard, baking into a soft, slightly crisp, fork-ready dish that feels fancy but requires zero extra effort. Perfect for lazy mornings, brunch guests, or when you just don’t feel like babysitting a skillet.
Get the Recipe: Sourdough French Toast Casserole
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Chicken, rice, and cheese—reliable, easy, and practically cooks itself. No pre-cooking, no extra steps, just throw it all together, let the oven do its thing, and come back to a bubbly, golden, spoon-ready dinner. Great for busy nights when standing over a stove is not on the agenda.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Creamy Tuna Casserole
Pasta, tuna, and a creamy sauce loaded with sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and Parmesan—this one’s a no-brainer for a fast, low-effort meal. Just mix, bake, and come back to a hot, cheesy dish that feels like you actually tried (even though you didn’t).
Get the Recipe: Creamy Tuna Casserole
BBQ Beef Cornbread Casserole
The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting here. Tender BBQ beef bakes under a soft, golden cornbread topping, giving you a full meal with about five minutes of effort. Perfect for nights when you need something hearty but don’t have the energy to do much more than dump ingredients into a pot.
Get the Recipe: BBQ Beef Cornbread Casserole
Denver Omelet Breakfast Casserole
Eggs, ham, cheese, onions, and bell peppers—all the flavors of a Denver omelet, but without the flipping and stress. Just toss everything into the slow cooker, set it, and go about your morning. Great for holidays, busy weekends, or feeding a crowd with minimal work.
Get the Recipe: Denver Omelet Breakfast Casserole
Chicken Broccoli Stuffing Casserole
Chicken, broccoli, and stuffing mix team up to create a ridiculously simple dinner. No complicated steps, no extra dishes—just layer it up, pop it in the oven, and let it turn into the kind of meal that makes you feel like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Broccoli Stuffing Casserole
Gingerbread French Toast Casserole
All the warm, spiced flavors of gingerbread wrapped up in a no-effort French toast bake. Perfect for a holiday breakfast or just an excuse to make your kitchen smell amazing with minimal effort. Throw it together, bake, and let everyone think you spent way more time on it than you did.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread French Toast Casserole
Hashbrown Casserole
A crispy, cheesy, creamy hashbrown casserole that takes all of five minutes to assemble. Once it’s in the oven, your work is done. Great as a side dish, but honestly, it’s good enough to eat straight out of the pan with a fork.
Get the Recipe: Hashbrown Casserole
Cornbread Casserole
This isn’t the dry, crumbly cornbread you regret making. This one bakes up soft, moist, and just the right amount of sweet. It’s from scratch but still easy enough to throw together on a busy night—no box mix needed.
Get the Recipe: Cornbread Casserole
Walking Taco Casserole
All the flavors of a taco, layered into a no-effort casserole. Doritos, seasoned beef, beans, sour cream, and cheese bake together into a crunchy, cheesy, ridiculously easy meal. If tacos and nachos had a baby, this would be it.
Get the Recipe: Walking Taco Casserole
Dutch Oven Sausage Tortellini Casserole
This one’s as easy as it gets. Toss sausage, tortellini, sauce, and cheese into a Dutch oven, cover it, and let the oven do the work. No boiling, no draining, no stress—just a great, filling dinner with almost no effort.
Get the Recipe: Dutch Oven Sausage Tortellini Casserole
Creamy Jalapeno Poppers Chicken Casserole with Bacon
Take everything you love about jalapeño poppers, mix it with tender chicken, crispy bacon, and melted cheese, and bake it into a ridiculously good casserole. Minimal prep, maximum flavor, and exactly the kind of comfort food you want at the end of a long day.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Jalapeno Poppers Chicken Casserole with Bacon
Polenta Casserole with Sausage & Spinach
Layers of creamy polenta, sausage, and spinach bake together into a hands-off meal that somehow feels fancy but takes almost no effort. Throw it together, bake, and let the oven do all the work.
Get the Recipe: Polenta Casserole with Sausage & Spinach
Canadian Bacon Breakfast Strata
Eggs, cheese, and Canadian bacon bake into a fluffy, satisfying casserole. The best part? A crunchy topping made from toasted cereal that adds the perfect bite. A no-fail breakfast that basically cooks itself while you get everything else done.
Get the Recipe: Canadian Bacon Breakfast Strata
Chicken Pasta Bake
No need to boil the pasta first—just mix everything together, pop it in the oven, and let it do its thing. The chicken stays juicy, the pasta cooks perfectly, and you barely have to lift a finger.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Pasta Bake
Cheesy Ham and Macaroni Casserole
This no-boil mac and cheese is loaded with ham and baked until golden and bubbly. It’s the kind of meal that feels homemade without actually requiring much effort. Perfect for weeknights when you just need dinner to be easy.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Ham and Macaroni Casserole
Broccoli Casserole With Ritz Crackers
Broccoli gets a creamy, cheesy upgrade in this simple bake. A buttery Ritz cracker topping adds crunch, and the whole thing comes together with minimal prep. Just mix, bake, and serve.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Casserole With Ritz Crackers
Reuben Casserole
Everything you love about a Reuben sandwich, baked into an easy casserole. Corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese come together with a layer of rye bread, so every bite has that classic flavor without the need for assembly.
Get the Recipe: Reuben Casserole
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
