The Best Dump-and-Bake Casseroles for Busy Weeknights

Casseroles are great family comfort food. But sometimes they get complicated with lots of precooking and pans required to bring the components together. That's where "dump casseroles" come in. The unusual name just means that you don't have to do anything besides dump the ingredients together and bake. So when time for whipping up dinner is short but you need a hot meal, try one of these simple casseroles. 

Do you have a favorite dump casserole that we don't mention? Let us know.

Tubes of biscuits used to be in every grandmother's refrigerator. Along with canned cream soup, frozen vegetables, and leftover chicken, you could have a full, hearty meal baking in just a few minutes.

Recipe: Campbell's

Crunchy potato chips give a contrasting texture to the chewy noodles and meaty tuna of this casserole, which lets cooks use any noodle they like with vegetables such as frozen peas. If there's cheese around, it can be a tuna melt casserole.

Recipe: AllRecipes

A lasagna lover's dream, this bake requires just frozen ravioli, frozen spinach, and pasta sauce covered in grated cheese. The individual raviolis ensure an abundance of crispy edges.

Recipe: Taste of Home

This recipe for ham casserole is so simple you mix it right in the casserole dish. It's creamy and pasta-based, so it's similar to mac and cheese. It's a great way to use up leftover baked ham, or you can buy a ham steak or thick-sliced deli ham from the store.

Recipe: Better Homes & Gardens

Hot chicken salad is a retro recipe that has all the ingredients of a good chicken salad, just in casserole form. Celery, slivered almonds, and water chestnuts give this version substantial crunch, along with a topping of potato chips.

Recipe: Spicy Southern Kitchen

Baked Tex-Mex casseroles are great, but sometimes you don't even want to go through the hassle of layering the ingredients like lasagna. This version mixes every ingredient in a big bowl, including torn corn tortillas, before dumping it all in the casserole dish and baking.

Recipe: Food Network

Shrimp is a great casserole addition because it cooks quickly and lends flavor to the other ingredients (plus can be a great bulk frozen food buy). This creamy casserole doctors up a can of cream soup with bell peppers, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce for a take on deviled seafood with a crunchy crumb topping.

Recipe: The Seasoned Mom

Many casseroles are heavy and creamy, but this chicken caprese version is light and fresh. The pasta is cooked right in the casserole dish in the oven, so you don't even need to boil water. Fresh tomatoes and lots of basil add tons of flavor.

Recipe: The Seasoned Mom 

This recipe tastes just like chicken noodle soup, except it's in casserole form. Curly egg noodles provide the backbone, while carrots, celery, and corn are classic soup additions. Thyme and parsley give it that traditional flavor. The crunchy panko breadcrumbs on top aren't traditionally part of chicken soup, but who can resist?

Recipe: Delish 

You begin with dry pasta and still-frozen shrimp in a casserole, and about a half hour later you end up with a full meal. Garlic and lemon flavor the pasta, and heavy cream and Parmesan are stirred in after baking to make a creamy, rich sauce. This is the casserole for people who hate thick, goopy casseroles.

Recipe: Food Network 

Always have a bumper crop of homegrown tomatoes at the end of the season? This is a great recipe to highlight their fresh flavor. Tomato wedges are baked with fresh bread cubes that get golden and crunchy on top. A drizzle of melted butter with Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese give the dish richness.

Recipe: Taste of Home 

Your favorite jar of pasta sauce makes this recipe for chicken Parmesan casserole really simple. The dry pasta, sauce, and diced chicken breast go into the dish and bake together. Then it gets topped with plenty of cheese and breadcrumbs to make it more chicken Parm-like. It's a good approximation of the dish with little effort.

Recipe: Kara Creates 

Baked corn casserole is like a cross between cornbread and creamed corn. It's got a little bit of a baked pudding consistency that you scoop out of the casserole. With plenty of whole corn, it's a great, lightly-sweet side dish to ham or other savory roasts.

Recipe: Delish 

"No peek" chicken is a popular internet recipe and it gets its name from the fact that you shouldn't lift the foil to peek at it while it's baking. This version has you mix everything right in the pan, so there's no other dirty dishes. If you're worried about the sodium content, use reduced-sodium canned soup and soup mix.

Recipe: Half Scratched

This recipe is vegan, has only a dozen ingredients, and is packed with flavor. Thai red curry paste, which you can buy in small cans, is complex and fragrant. Mix it with coconut milk, chickpeas, rice and vegetables for a surprising and colorful casserole.

Recipe: Okonomi Kitchen 

Though it doesn't include tortillas like huevos rancheros usually does, this casserole includes a fun substitute: tater tots. Arrange them in the bottom of your casserole dish, then pour on a mixture of eggs, chili powder, cumin, and garlic on top. Once it's baked, top it with salsa and sour cream.

Recipe: Better Homes & Gardens

This Indian-spiced casserole is vegan and full of healthy ingredients. Chickpeas stand in as the protein, though you could use chicken if you like, and cauliflower florets and spinach adding a nutrient punch. The rice on the bottom cooks in a flavorful mixture of curry powder, coconut milk, ginger, and garlic.

Recipe: Food Network 

Chicken, bacon, and ranch dressing is a crowd-pleasing combination. This pasta casserole includes jarred alfredo sauce and ranch seasoning for a simple, creamy sauce. This recipe calls for lots of cooked and chopped bacon, and making it would be a great time to use pre-cooked bacon strips to save a step.

Recipe: The Gay Globetrotter

If you love Reuben sandwiches, you'll love this recipe that takes no time to put together. It's got all the components of a Reuben — rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing — but in casserole and not sandwich form.

Recipe: Taste of Home

A riff on another deli classic, this everything bagel casserole is a unique way to serve brunch or a light supper. Chopped everything bagels are layered with cherry tomatoes, cheese, red onions, and cubes of cream cheese, and a simple, savory custard poured over the top holds everything together after baking.

Recipe: Delish

Pineapple and chicken is a much less controversial combination than pineapple on a pizza. This rice-based casserole includes Hawaiian-inspired flavors such as soy sauce, red bell peppers, and pineapple. A sprinkle of crispy bacon on top is always welcome.

Recipe: The Seasoned Mom 

This simple casserole is great for using up leftovers. It calls for cooked rice and cooked chicken, which bake in prepared Alfredo sauce. Peas, jarred roasted red peppers, almonds, and basil lend color and flavor, but you can include whatever leftover vegetable bits you've got hanging around.

Recipe: Better Homes & Gardens 

Stuffed cabbage rolls are an amazing comfort food, but take so much time to make. Try this recipe that layers all the ingredients into a quick casserole instead. It's one of the few recipes that uses raw ground meat, so make sure you spread it evenly around the dish by pinching off small pieces.

Recipe: The Seasoned Mom 

Bottled teriyaki sauce makes this fast meal easy to prepare. Just mix it up with sesame oil, ginger, chicken, and rice, and top it with fresh broccoli and bell peppers. It bakes up into a sweet and savory fried rice-like meal.

Recipe: Food Network

Frozen meatballs are a great way to add protein to a pasta bake. This simple baked ziti casserole includes jarred marinara sauce, frozen meatballs, some spices for extra zing, and of course a top layer of melty mozzarella cheese.

Recipe: Tastes Better From Scratch

This rice and chicken casserole is full of Tex-Mex flavors. It's a little bit creamy thanks to a can of cream of chicken soup, but canned tomatoes with chiles and taco seasoning make it interesting. Corn and black beans are optional but fit well with the other ingredients.

Recipe: Cookies and Cups

Orange roughy is a white, flaky fish that you can stock in your freezer whenever you want a quick meal like this one. It bakes on a bed of minute rice, frozen veggies, tomatoes, and lemon pepper seasoning. A sprinkle of cheddar cheese at the end of cooking brings it all together.

Recipe: Taste of Home

Poppy seed chicken is a favorite Southern casserole that's dead simple. Cubed cooked chicken is mixed with a creamy blend of cream soup and sour cream, plus extras like garlic or lemon, if you like. Then it's topped with an irresistible, buttery Ritz cracker and poppy seed crust. Serve it with rice or egg noodles, or just a big salad on the side.

Recipe: The Girl Who Ate Everything

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