34 Healthy Vintage Casseroles

October 18, 2020

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We’re celebrating the classics with these vintage casserole recipes. Whether you have fond memories of these casseroles from your childhood kitchen or grandma’s house, these casseroles are timeless. Make these dishes when you need a delicious meal that will yield plenty of leftovers. Recipes like Spinach & Tuna Noodle Casserole and Creamy Turkey and Rice Bake are healthy, filling and perfect for dinner.

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Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

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Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.

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Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

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Stuffing is not just for Thanksgiving with this easy chicken and stuffing casserole. And speaking of Thanksgiving, if you have leftover turkey, feel free to substitute it for the chicken in this comforting and healthy recipe. It's also a great use for extra carrots, celery, onions and day-old bread you might have on hand around the holidays. There's no boxed stuffing mix or canned soup in this lighter take on the comfort-food casserole, but it's still super-easy to make. Poultry seasoning helps humble bread to taste like stuffing, while thickened chicken broth takes the place of canned soup. There are plenty of veggies in this one, too, making this a healthy casserole you can feel good about serving year-round.

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Spinach & Tuna Noodle Casserole

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Homemade mushroom sauce kicks the can of soup out of the picture in this veggie-centric, healthy riff on a classic tuna-noodle casserole recipe. Serve with steamed green beans.

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Gluten-Free Eggplant Parmesan

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This cheesy baked eggplant Parmesan has no breading, which means it's easier to make than the traditional version. There's no dredging or frying--instead, the eggplant is roasted until tender before being layered in the casserole dish with a tangy homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. And without breading, this satisfying eggplant Parmesan is also gluten-free!

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Chicken-Noodle Casserole

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Flavorful Chicken-Noodle Casserole comes to life with this diabetic-friendly recipe. Select light sour cream to lower fat and calorie content.

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Easy Lasagna

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This classic beef lasagna recipe is easy to make and will be ready to eat in just over an hour.

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Creamy Turkey and Rice Bake

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This family-pleasing casserole features lean turkey tenderloin pieces, brown rice, zucchini, and mushrooms, all baked in a creamy sauce and topped with crunchy crumbs and cheese.

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Broccoli, Beef & Tater Tot Hotdish

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Hotdish may be a Minnesota tradition but everyone, everywhere, should add this cheesy casserole to their fall dinner rotation.

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

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All the delicious flavors of your favorite chicken Cordon Bleu--salty ham, melty cheese, tangy mustard--with no tricky assembly required. This healthy comfort food recipe would be perfect for a potluck.

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Baked Cavatelli Casserole

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This easy to make, comforting dish will keep you warm on a cold day.

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Greek Tuna Casserole

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Tuna casserole is a timeless comfort-food recipe; this one incorporates eggplant, artichoke hearts, oregano, olives and feta cheese for a Greek flair.

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Spinach Alfredo Lasagna

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This lightened-up lasagna packs in the nutrients with plenty of spinach, carrots, and mushrooms--plus satisfies cheese cravings with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

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Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole

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Use reduced fat soup and fat-free milk to make this favorite casserole lower in fat and calories. Adding a variety of vegetables makes it more nutritious than the traditional recipe.

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Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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Casseroles make perfect meal-prep dinners--this enchilada version is so easy to prep ahead. The whole casserole can be built and left to hang out in the refrigerator for up to three days. Then all you have to do is bake it off on a busy night and you have a healthy dinner on the table in a jiff. The quick homemade enchilada sauce in this recipe is great when you don't have any of the canned sauce on hand--just season crushed tomatoes with spices and salt for an instant enchilada sauce.

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Apple-Cheddar Ham and Egg Casserole

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This casserole featuring eggs, cheese, ham, and fennel would also make a perfect breakfast for a special day.

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Shrimp and Cauliflower Bake

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This quick and easy seafood casserole gets bright flavor from fresh dill and feta cheese.

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Baked Mac & Cheese

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Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber.

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Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

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Roasted vegetables add tons of hearty flavor to this easy vegetarian lasagna made with jarred pasta sauce.

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Ham & Potato Casserole

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This easy casserole is a kid-friendly recipe that the whole family will love. The simple flavor profile will complement just about anything and thanks to convenience products like preshredded potatoes, you won't spend hours in the kitchen mixing it up.

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Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

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Reduced-fat soup, semi-soft cheese and fat-free milk make this classic casserole recipe low in fat and calories.

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Salmon and Couscous Casserole

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Salmon is tossed with couscous, spinach, and roasted red peppers, then topped with toasted almonds for a light and easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

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Reuben Casserole

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This Reuben casserole recipe has all the delicious elements of a Reuben sandwich with much less sodium and calories. Thinly sliced angel hair cabbage cooked with a splash of vinegar stands in for the sauerkraut, and lower-sodium deli turkey adds a rich, meaty flavor in place of the traditional corned beef.

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Chicken Tetrazzini

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This retro dish will please kids and adults alike.

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White Bean Moussaka

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Moussaka is a Middle Eastern baked main dish, typically made by layering slices of eggplant with a seasoned ground beef or lamb mixture. This protein-filled vegetarian version replaces the meat with white beans but will still delight any and all meat-eaters at your table.

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Cheesy Meatball Bake

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Use leftover Italian meatball soup along with beans, reduced-fat cheese, tortillas and an easy tomato sauce to make a family-pleasing casserole that's great for weeknights.

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Two-Bean Enchilada Casserole

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This classic and comforting Mexican dish is easy to make on a busy weeknight.

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Creamy Hamburger Noodle Casserole

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The EatingWell Test Kitchen takes lean ground beef and combines it with whole-grain bulgur, egg noodles and a creamy tomato sauce in a baked casserole topped with Cheddar. With less fat and calories than the original skillet meal, this dish is sure to become a new family favorite.

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Baked Penne Florentine

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This comforting and flavorful vegetarian dish is packed with protein.

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Corn Bread-Topped Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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For a twist on the classic chicken enchilada casserole, this slow cooker recipe is topped with homemade corn bread.

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Sausage-Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

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Have a houseful of guests? Let them sleep in while you prepare this hearty breakfast strata. Cubes of a whole-grain baguette soak up the egg and milk mixture and are combined with smoked turkey sausage, sweet peppers, onions and mushrooms in this crowd-pleasing dish.

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Spicy Shrimp Casserole

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Shrimp takes center stage in this spicy Mexican-inspired casserole. It's loaded with corn, green salsa, and Monterey Jack cheese and topped with crunchy homemade tortilla strips.

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Turkey-Vegetable Bake

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Need to use up leftover turkey from the holidays? Make this low fat casserole. It's made with brown rice and lots of vegetables.

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Rigatoni & Spicy Sausage Casserole

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Mushrooms have the perfect meaty texture to complement a modest amount of spicy Italian sausage in this baked rigatoni that has less than one-quarter the fat of the original. Whole-wheat pasta rather than white pasta makes our version a fiber powerhouse with 7 grams per serving. This delicious and cheesy pasta casserole freezes well so you might want to make an extra to have on hand for a ready-to-heat-and-eat meal.

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Kielbasa-&-Swiss Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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Zesty sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and rye bread add Reuben-esque flavor to this surprisingly addictive spaghetti squash skillet recipe. If you can't find seeded rye bread, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon caraway seeds to the mixture in Step 2. Serve with a green salad tossed with red-wine vinaigrette.

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