Serves: 5

Casseroles and potpies are ideal portable dishes to carry to a friend's house. These homey, baked one-dish meals are comfort food staples around the world. Tamale pie, shepherd's pie, and macaroni and cheese are just three of the recipes in this chapter that will warm the heart and sustain the body.

Casserole refers to both the food and the container in which it is served. The container may be made of glass (Pyrex), earthenware, or enamel-lined cast iron. Casserole dishes come in a variety of sizes and shapes, including deep-sided baking dishes and shallow gratin dishes.

Like soups, casseroles can be made ahead, frozen, and reheated. Baking and reheating times are approximate and will vary, depending on whether the casserole is at room temperature when it goes into the oven. You can assemble the casserole and let your friends bake it, or you can bake it, let it cool completely, cover it tightly, and store it in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, then reheat in a microwave or in a preheated 350°F oven until hot.

From From Our House To Yours. Compilation copyright © 2002 by Chronicle Books LLC. Foreword copyright © 2002 by Joyce Goldstein. Photographs copyright © 2002 by E.J. Armstrong. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

More Recipes from the From Our House to Yours Cookbook:
*Casseroles, Baked Pastas, And Potpies
Baked Conchiglione With Spinach-Ricotta Filling
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Baked Rigatoni With Four Cheeses
Chicken Potpies
French Sheperd's Pie With Celery Root And Potato Topping
Italian Risotto Frittata
Lasagna Casserole With Meat And Red Wine Sauce
Macaroni And Cheese
Noodle Kugel
Polenta Lasagna With Tomatoes And Peppers
Potato And Portobello Mushroom Casserole
Spinach And Mushroom Chilaquiles
Tamale Pie
Turkey Tetrazzini