Customer Reviews

The Big Book of Casseroles: 250 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These recipes are great because most of them are very easy and can be prepared ahead of time then popped in the oven a 1/2 hour or so before you eat. As a stay-at-home mom - I can put the dish together while the kids are napping, then am free to play with them during that cranky time before dinner. And every recipe we've tried is delicious!

I love this cookbook. The recipes are very easy to make with ingredients most of us have in the pantry. The only tools you need are a knife and casserole dish or dutch oven. While the book features comfort food for home or a friendly potluck, many of the recipes are fancy enough for special company. Very east to read -- each recipe gets its own page. One warning, though -- a number of the recipes feature cheese/sour cream, so it isn't exactly a low-calorie cookbook. For a recent potluck, I used the reduced fat cheese and sour cream, and no one who ate it could tell the difference.

I have mixed feelings about this book ... some of the recipes are really great, like sweet and sour pork chops, and tangy baked shrimp. But there are some big-time duds in this book, which makes me wonder if all the recipes were really tested before the book went to press.

The directions give it away: in Gourmet Meatballs, you're supposed to make one-inch meatballs, put on a baking sheet and brown for ten minutes at 400 degrees. Then you're supposed to move the meatballs to a casserole, along with any drippings.

Drippings? On a baking sheet? Were they paying attention when they typed this one up? Why not put the meatballs in a casserole to begin with?

Anyway, after 10 minutes at 400 degrees, the meatballs, baking sheet or not, are done. Then why put them in a casserole and bake for another 40 minutes, along with a little beef broth?

This particular one gets the Martha Stewart Award For Recipes That Don't Work. This book is worth buying, but choose your dinner carefully.

I was interested in casseroles because I wanted recipes for dishes I can make ahead and freeze. This book exceeded my expectations. It has all the old favorites like tuna noodle and new ones like Osso Bucco. It even has a section on lower fat casseroles and a section on making recipes healthier. Every recipe I've tried has been a winner and have received lots of compliments. Some of the recipes are one dish suppers like Salmon and Peas, very tasty and easy to prepare. What it lacks in photos it makes up for in creativity.

I thought I would be getting a cookbook that included easy recipes. You know the kind, where you put all the ingredients in the casserole and turn on the heat! Not so here, for many of the recipes. Many require you to cook various ingredients before you put them in the casserole to be baked. Extra work for busy people. I must say, though, that many of the recipes are tasty.....just not timely.

Additionally, several just did not work out, eventhough I followed the directions to a "T". Did they test all these recipes first? They tended to be short on moisture and long on dryness. That being said, there is enough good stuff in this book to recommend it.....just use your head. If it sounds like it will be dry, add more moisture to begin with!

Not a cookbook for beginners.

You'll strike exciting, easy one dish meals with this book loaded with various ingredients and styles.

They're all here--from chicken pot pies to seafood to Mexican to Pizza casseroles to Moroccan influenced. This is broad in its scope and rich in its diversity, from entrees to side dishes such as the nice section of rich gratins.

I'm especially fond of the Orange-Hazelnut Chicken and the Beer Beef Stew with Parslied Buttermilk Dumplings, Greek Chicken and Rice.

This is a prime candidate to get the kids in the cooking mode. Good place to have them join the fun and experience of cooking.

I must admit that I was not expecting much from this book. However, I have been pleasantly suprised to say the least (these are not the boring 1975 style casseroles that our mothers served to us). The recipes I have made so far were so good, they could be served to company! Many of the recipes call for wine - which really brings the dish up to a whole new level. The recipes are easy, and for the most part uncomplicated. I have made both the Country Chicken Stew and the Chicken Italian - both FABULOUS! One note about the Country Chicken Stew- I suggest using the brown "crimini" style mushrooms, as they are so much better than the boring white generic supermarket mushrooms. (I made the stew both ways - and the brown muchrooms made it classier and soooo much better)

One comment on the Tuna Casserole - I have made it twice...very quick and easy. However, it is dry - so I recommend making it with twice the amount called for of the basic white sauce.

Overall - a verrrrrry nice book. It is an unexpected find!

I have been looking for good casserole cookbooks for some time, and was delighted to find so many 5 stars for this one. For me, it was far from a 5-star rating.

When I do a Tuna Noodle Casserole, I don't expect to start from scratch, cooking a white sauce, beforehand. Can of Mushroom Soup is a no-no in this book, as are other can quickies. This book is devoted to the concept of healthy from scratch--- which is okay. However, the author has completely lost the fact that for many cooks, not all canned goods are bad -- especially when they save time in getting family meals out on time.

My personal peeve: There are many Tex-Mex dishes in this book, which is fine. However, they are the Oregonian's version of what Tex-Mex is. Kidney beans abound, a Tex-Mex no-no. Black beans are also specified, which is okay. But pinto beans, the Tex-Mex favorite are completely missing.

In addition, although the author mentions several different grains in one paragraph, there is no variety in her recipies. Rice and pasta are all that you find, with an ocasional use of yellow corn meal.

Buy this book if you love one-pot dishes for serving. But beware--- you will be using several pots before you are through, preparing ingredients--- instead of the old-time use of cans or other ready-to go ingredients.

Don't expect color photos here, but the dishes are quite simple to put together and contain a complexity in flavors which challenges the traditional image of the overcooked and under-flavored casserole result. From Beer Beef Stew with Parslied Buttermilk Dumplings to Baked Tandoori Chicken on Lentils, Big Book of Casseroles is filled with appeal.

I borrowed this book from my local library and started marking the recipes I wanted to keep. It was about half the book! I decided to buy it instead. I cook with fresh, healthful ingredients - no canned soup in my pantry. This cook book has so many interesting recipes - I can't wait to try them all. I am a working mom, and need dinner to be on the table in 30 minutes or less during the week. This book has dishes for my cramped schedule during the week, and fancier recipes I can save for the weekend too. I can't wait for my very own copy to arrive. If you consider yourself a cook, you will be happy with this book.