82 Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Comforting Casseroles

By Cooking Light
February 12, 2019
These healthy casseroles supply all the comfort and heartiness of classic recipes, but they contain a fraction of the calories and fat. From comforting tettrazini to cheesy spaghetti pie to veggie lasagna, our ultimate collection of crave-worthy casseroles has the perfect recipe for every occasion. 
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Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Comforting Casseroles

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Healthy Casserole Recipes

Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chicken Tetrazzini

Few meals satisfy like a hearty casserole. Whether you're hosting a friendly gathering or serving a weeknight family dinner, one of these casseroles is sure to be just right for the occasion. The best part? Many of these recipes are great make-ahead options. Batch cook before a busy week, or freeze one to keep on on hand for unexpected guests.

First up, you'll want to add this flavor-packed chicken tetrazzini to your weeknight rotation. If you’d like to make this comforting classic baked pasta dish ahead of time, you can freeze the unbaked casserole up to three months. Let it thaw completely; top with Parmesan and panko, then bake at 350°F until browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

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Broccoli-Artichoke Casserole

Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Broccoli-Artichoke Casserole

Nothing says autumn like a hearty casserole—something you can make on a weekend afternoon, and have for leftovers over the next couple days. Here, rich Gruyere cheese marries with the bright acid of a dry white wine (try a Sauvignon Blanc) to bring a touch of elegance to this yummy comfort food.

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Tuna Noodle Casserole

Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Tuna Noodle Casserole

A comfort-filled classic, the traditional dish features a cast of hefty characters—cream, cheese, and noodles—and delivers nearly 700 calories and a day’s worth of sat fat with just one helping. Canned tuna is a pantry staple that takes center stage in our remake (with just as many beneficial omega-3s as fresh). In lieu of a breadcrumb or potato chip topper, we use fresh dill and sharp cheddar to round out this dinner with bright flavor and cheesy goodness for less sodium.

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Extra Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole

Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Extra Creamy Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole

This fresher take on the traditional casserole is loaded with vegetables and comes together with a homemade sauce instead of sodium-heavy canned soup.

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Breakfast Hot Dish

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Breakfast Hot Dish

If you're not from the Upper Midwest, you may not be familiar with hot dish. Traditionally, it's a casserole of starch (often French fries or tots), meat, and vegetables held together by a creamy sauce. "It's an easy way to feed a crowd," says blogger and cookbook author Molly Yeh, "and it's perfect for the dead of winter because it's so hearty and warm and comforting." Her update uses sweet potatoes flavored with Aleppo pepper. To get a head start, you can roast the potatoes and brown the sausage a couple of days ahead.

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Creamy Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Creamy Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole

Wild rice is wonderfully fragrant; it’s the perfect counter to the creamy, earthy mushroom mixture and has enough texture that the grains won’t bloat or fall apart in the casserole. Serve with simply sautéed green beans or a mixed greens salad.

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Pumpkin-Poblano Casserole

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Pumpkin-Poblano Casserole

This oven-baked side couples the earthiness of poblanos with the sweetness of red bell peppers. Combine those with rich pumpkin and you have a new fall-weather classic you'll make time and again.

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Buttermilk Potato, Chicken, and Cheddar Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Buttermilk Potato, Chicken, and Cheddar Casserole

In this cheesy chicken casserole, leftover mashed potatoes form the base, rather than the topping, as they do in shepherd's pie. Poaching bone-in chicken breasts in stock yields tender, juicy meat—use this method for enchiladas and chicken salad. We love the texture and concentrated flavor of dried minced onion as the casserole topper, but you could skip it or substitute toasted, coarsely ground breadcrumbs.

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Ground Beef and Pasta Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Ground Beef and Pasta Casserole

This quick and easy recipe delivers a family-friendly dinner to the table in just under 45 minutes. 

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Skillet Vegetable Lasagna

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Skillet Vegetable Lasagna

The best part of this vegetable lasagna—aside from the flavor—is the low-cleanup: Vegetables take turns cooking in a single cast iron skillet, not several. A stovetop simmer quickly cooks the noodles through, so there's no need for a separate pot to boil them. Then the pan shifts easily to the oven for a last-minute broil to melt and meld the cheeses. Perfection!

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King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

Leftover quinoa, rotisserie chicken, and canned tomoatoes help this dish come together in less than an hour. Throw it in the oven for 25 minutes, and dinner is served.

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Mushroom and Bacon Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Davick
View Recipe: Mushroom and Bacon Casserole

Very few things embody comfort food as well as this hearty, warming mushroom and bacon casserole.

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Lower-Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole

Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Lower-Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole

The classic sweet potato casserole often straddles the line between side and dessert (indeed, we've enjoyed the leftovers both ways). Our delicious version has 5 fewer teaspoons (20g) of added sugar per serving than traditional recipes. 

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

These enchiladas are a cinch to assemble and easy to freeze—just cover one of the pans with foil. If you plan to serve a crowd, bake in one (13 × 9-inch) baking dish. The chicken stays moist throughout baking and reheating, thanks to a gentle poach and a creamy verde sauce. Fresh cilantro stems have tons of favor; make sure to include them in the sauce.

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Cheesy Polenta Skillet

Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Cheesy Polenta Skillet

Thanks to its firm consistency, precooked polenta (usually sold in tube form) can be seared, toasted, or even layered and baked like a lasagna. We keep the slices on the thick side so they have a creamy texture when heated through. A little ground turkey goes a long way in this dish; stir the rest into chili, make burger patties, or use as a filling for lettuce cups. In addition to mushrooms, this dish is a great canvas for any vegetables you have on hand, such as sliced greens or chopped cauliflower or broccoli.

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Mom's Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Photo: Brian Woodcock
View Recipe: Mom's Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Traditional creamy chicken casserole can have more than 800 calories per serving, but we’re serving up this classic comfort dish with a fraction of the calories.

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Double Berry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

Sara Tane
View Recipe: Double Berry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

Rise and shine to a thoroughly red, white, and blue breakfast. This lower-sugar recipe is a great way to use up slightly hard baguette and any berries you have roaming around your produce drawer. You don't have to let it sit overnight, but a few hours in the fridge will only make the casserole creamier.

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Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti Pie

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sausage and Spinach Spaghetti Pie

Meet your new favorite casserole recipe. This budget-friendly dish (costing under $10) allows you to stretch a small amount of meat over several servings. It's family friendly, filling, and loaded with flavor--the perfect weeknight meal. The high heat on this recipe allows it to cook quickly, crisping the spaghetti slightly on the outside to make the perfect "pie crust" for this dish. You can use crumbled sausage in this dish, or start with Italian sausage and remove the casing, which is what the recipe calls for. Remove the casing by cutting up the side with a knife or kitchen shears, then crumble the sausage using a spoon in the skillet as it cooks.

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Marmalade French Toast Casserole

Photo: Randy Mayor

We swap hefty egg bread for sourdough and whip up a low-fat milk custard to replace heavy cream.

OURS 293 calories, 3.2g sat fat
CLASSIC 596 calories, 6.6g sat fat
SAVES 303 calories, 3.4g sat fat

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Smoked Salmon Breakfast Casserole

Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Smoke Salmon Breakfast Casserole

This multilayered marvel is loaded with crispy potatoes, hot-smoked salmon, and a smattering of fresh herbs. Cottage cheese naturally melds into the eggs, creating pillowy lightness throughout the mixture, while goat cheese creates dense pockets of creaminess. Hot-smoked salmon, unlike cured, is fully cooked—look for it in the fish case or packaged in the meat aisle of your grocery store.

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This bubbling hot casserole is the quintessential comfort food. Prep ahead and bake when you're ready to eat.

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Broccoli and Rice Casseroles

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Broccoli and Rice Casseroles

This cheesy casserole is bound to be a new favorite. The individual servings are fun and perfectly portioned.

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Eggplant Parmesan

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

This perfect version of a classic Italian meatless dinner, Parmigiana, will quickly become a family favorite. Add a glass of vino for a Sicilian-style date night or a scoop of gelato for a kid-friendly Italian night.

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Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Spinach Lasagna

For a complete meal, serve with a fresh salad of grapefruit and fennel, and sip our Pomegranate Fizz.

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Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

This casserole makes use of casarecce pasta—a short noodle with a curled edge that provides a large groove to hold the creamy sauce. If you can't find it, use fusilli, campanelle, or radiatore. Use a large, deep pot for the pasta so the spinach will fit inside, as well.

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Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Silky roasted butternut squash stands in for noodles in this more nutritious take on the starchy pasta casserole.

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Smoky bacon compliments the richness of butternut squash in this casserole to create a dish that can be enjoyed right away or prepared ahead for a party or weeknight meal.

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Cheesy Sausage, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Cheesy Sausage, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole

We traded white rice for whole-grain quinoa and kicked out any processed ingredients for a new take on this comfort classic. To add more flavor to quinoa, try toasting it. Serve with a simple green salad. You can freeze an extra pan of this whole-grain main for kid-friendly comfort or make it ahead of time for a busy weeknight.

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Egg and Hash Brown Casserole

Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Egg and Hash Brown Casserole

This dish is like enjoying an omelet stuffed with spinach, Swiss cheese, and mushrooms, with hearty sides of bacon and hash browns, all in one package.

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Quick Pastitsio

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Quick Pastitsio

This creamy baked pasta comes together quickly. Melted, gooey part-skim mozzarella cheese makes it even more decadent—without leaving you feeling guilty. Use any short pasta—ziti or rotini also work.

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Chicken Tamale Casserole

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Chicken Tamale Casserole

This casserole is a quick and easy swap for more traditional tamales—but just as delicious.

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Sweet Onion Casserole

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Sweet Onion Casserole

Onions, rice, and a creamy cheese sauce make this casserole a winner in our book. We're fairly sure you'll agree.

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Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce

Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce

These enchiladas are a fresh take on the enchiladas you grew up with. Most noticeable is the lack of canned enchilada sauce. Make your own delicious ranchero sauce and receive rave reviews.

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Green Bean Casserole with Madeira Mushrooms

Photo: Charles Masters
View Recipe: Green Bean Casserole with Madeira Mushrooms

Here's a deliciously updated version of the classic, with fresh green beans and wine-infused mushrooms. We just had to keep the fried onion topping, which is arguably the best part.

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