Pineapple Casserole and Other Unexpectedly Delicious Recipes

There are some foods that are straightforward recipes that sound delicious and, hopefully, are. Then there are meals that sound as if they'll taste terrible — and surprisingly don't. Here are some recipes you'd skip past but, honestly, you should give them a try.  

This is otherwise known as Killed Lettuce (the Kentucky accent accounts for the "kilt" name) and sounds awful. Wilted lettuce? When I find that in the fridge, I toss it. But wilting on purpose and adding green onion apparently changes everything. 

Recipe: Delishably

This has a variety of less-than-appealing names: poor man's soup, hangover soup, bachelor's stew, and more. But brown some hamburger with onion, add whatever vegetables you have on hand, and you'll create a hearty (and easy) meal.

Recipe: Spend With Pennies

These require just three ingredients — meatballs, grape jelly, and ketchup — but this sounds like a sick sugar bomb. However, people love them — and not just because they're easy to make.

Recipe: Spend With Pennies

While I'm not a big fan of canned tuna, mixing it into mac and cheese might be the right combination to make eating tinned fish more appealing.

Recipe: Allrecipes

Let's be honest that this sounds disgusting. But no less than the New York Times cooking section posted a recipe for this "underappreciated classic." There is some debate over dill pickles or bread and butter pickles in the comments, though NYT advocates for bread and butter. 

Recipe: New York Times

Cheddar cheese and pineapple? This is a weird one, but it's surprisingly simple to make and tasty. It's popular in parts of the South, particularly with Easter and Christmas ham.

Recipe: Southern Living

This sounds truly awful. Take tinned smoked fish, rice, curry, and boiled eggs and toss it all in a casserole dish. I'm still not convinced, but this has been a staple of British cuisine since soldiers brought the basic recipe (which emphasized lentils, not fish) back from India. 

Recipe: The Spruce Eats

This doesn't sound great — hot dogs and potatoes plus tomato sauce — but it's not only cheap and filling, the person who posted the recipe says it's a hit with her family and was a traditional part of the menu growing up.

Recipe: Spark Recipes

Mayo and cottage cheese? Sure, why not? I'll be honest, this doesn't sound that good. However, people love it. Go figure.

Recipe: ND Nation

Slapping a slice of American cheese on top of ramen noodles sounds like the stuff of late-night college study sessions, but Mike's Mighty Good is pretty convincing making a case for it. Pro tip: add a second slice and cool things off with a little milk.

Recipe: Mike's Mighty Good

This is a pretty simple recipe, so it might be a good way to use asparagus that's gone limp. But given that asparagus isn't cheap, you might not choose to put it in a casserole right away.

Recipe: Allrecipes

Potatoes cooked in sugar doesn't sound all that great, but this is well-loved in Denmark (Danes serve this for Christmas dinner) and you'd feel very internationally cool putting it on your table, maybe. 

Recipe: Daring Gourmet

While imagining a beef tongue and all those human-like taste buds may lack appeal, Tacos de Lengua can be melt-in-your-mouth tender and high in flavor. And in a taco, you may not think about it being tongue anyway.

Recipe: Allrecipes

While the thought of mayo in your cake may sound yucky, the truth is that mayonnaise adds extra moisture and a rich flavor to cakes. So, there's good reason to hold your nose and grab the mayo.

Recipe: Erren's Kitchen

While this sounds like an odd mash-up, knowing its a Persian recipe better known as Khoresht Rivas makes it more interesting. My hold up is not caring for lamb, so I'll have to pass even if it is amazing.

Recipe: Delicious

While you might find this mixture unappetizing, a little white wine always helps. Try Dijon mustard and pass on the ballpark stuff.

Recipe: Vikalinka

Sounds cute, doesn't it? But scrapple is organ meats mixed with cornmeal and buckwheat. However, people (mostly in the mid-Atlantic region) who love it, love it.

Recipe: Forager Chef