Food and Recipes Dish Casserole 5-Ingredient Casseroles That Make Busy Weeknights So Much Easier By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 3, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee On busy weeknights when we don't want to order take-out, but aren't willing to launch a full-scale cooking operation, we look to our favorite quick and easy casseroles to get the job done. There's just something too satisfying about turning out simple five-ingredient meals that are high on flavor, low on effort, and with none the wiser. In some of our favorite recipes with few ingredients, pantry staples—items like dried herbs, seasonings, oil, flour, and sugar—don't count. It's just those few extra standout ingredients, anything from smoked sausage to tender baby kale, that make the meal. Hearty Ham-and-Vegetable Cobbler, Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese, a Tater Tot Bake, and more ensure that everyone is full and happy. Plus, there are also breakfast-for-dinner options, like One-Dish Blackberry French Toast and Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole. A busy family on the go doesn't mean dinnertime has to suffer. Get supper on the table lightning-quick and generously cut your grocery list (and bill) with these delicious five-ingredient casseroles. We've even included a few 4-ingredient casseroles—it doesn't get much easier than that, folks. 01 of 21 Eggplant Rollups Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Eggplant Rollups Switch out the carb-heavy pasta for fresh and hearty eggplant. Filled with herbed ricotta and topped with marinara, these delicious little bundles come together in no time. 02 of 21 Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese Enter: our most popular macaroni and cheese recipe ever. It also happens to be one of our easiest. Go figure! 03 of 21 Tee's Corn Pudding Jennifer Davick Recipe: Tee's Corn Pudding With only eight ingredients (most of which are in your pantry, such as sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt) and very little hands-on time, this corn pudding recipe is a classic that always fits in at suppertime. 04 of 21 Mini Cheese Grits Casseroles Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Mini Cheese Grits Casseroles Keep these mini casseroles tiny or fit them all into a single two-quart dish—in any case, just make sure to serve them at your next brunch! You can make these grits ahead of time to make things even less stressful day-of. 05 of 21 Tater Tot Bake Jennifer Causey Recipe: Tater Tot Breakfast Bake When the star ingredients in a recipe are thick-cut bacon, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, and some hearty Tater Tots, need we really say more? It wins at every occasion, but doesn't give you any stress or break the bank beforehand. 06 of 21 Sausage Gravy Casserole With Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sausage Gravy Casserole With Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits Few things can beat sausage gravy on the comfort scale. But, add some Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits and we think that'll take it over the top. 07 of 21 Biscuits-and-Gravy Casserole Southern Living Recipe: Biscuits-and-Gravy Casserole Here's another breakfast-for-dinner winner. It uses store-bought biscuits to cut down on prep time—but we don't think anyone will complain. 08 of 21 Easy Cauliflower Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Easy Cauliflower Casserole If you're wanting to swap out the mac and cheese for something a little healthier, this is the ticket. 09 of 21 Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole This casserole is an easy way to feed a large, hungry crowd. Sausage and hash browns, who could resist? 10 of 21 Squash Casserole Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Sarah-Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Julia Levy Recipe: Squash Casserole This tried-and-true casserole only needs a little Cheddar and some buttery crackers to be a fan-favorite. We don't call it a classic for nothing. 11 of 21 Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole Alison Miksch Recipe: Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole Be sure to let the Gruyère brown for a rich, nutty flavor. You can prep this ahead of time and pull it out of the fridge or freezer on a busy weeknight. 12 of 21 Ham-and-Vegetable Cobbler Iain Bagwell Recipe: Ham-and-Vegetable Cobbler Put this cobbler on your list of weeknight warriors. The savory latticed casserole is made with frozen vegetables, diced cooked ham, and store-bought piecrusts, making it—oh, we don't know—the simplest prep ever. 13 of 21 One-Dish Blackberry French Toast Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: One-Dish Blackberry French Toast Wow at your weekend brunch with this simple berry-speckled French toast. This casserole version makes it a great choice when you have to feed a crowd. 14 of 21 Zucchini-Potato Casserole Iain Bagwell Recipe: Zucchini-Potato Casserole Showing up with this beautifully layered casserole makes you look like a true chef, but don't worry, you won't be weighed down by a hefty ingredient list. Let the colorful veggies do most of the work. 15 of 21 Spring Vegetable Frittata Iain Bagwell Recipe: Spring Vegetable Frittata A frittata is a quick and delicious dish that can be customized with your favorite in-season veggies. Serve it for breakfast, brunch, and lunch—or even dinner—with a lightly dressed salad. 16 of 21 Spinach Ravioli Lasagna Van Chaplin Recipe: Spinach Ravioli Lasagna For when you're low on time and energy, this easy and cheesy lasagna bake helps you cheat the system by using convenience items, like store-bought pesto sauce, jarred Alfredo sauce, and frozen cheese-filled ravioli. 17 of 21 Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese Hector Sanchez Recipe: Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese There's nothing like a comforting casserole dish of macaroni and cheese, especially when it's super easy but totally delicious. While there are fancier versions out there, this basic recipe that you can cook and transport in a slow-cooker never disappoints. 18 of 21 Chicken-and-Green Chile Enchiladas Southern Living Recipe: Chicken-and-Green Chile Enchiladas When you pack this much Tex-Mex flavor into a casserole dish, you'd expect it to be time-intensive and ingredient-heavy. Think again—because you'll have it on the table in less than an hour and after only using a handful of hard-working ingredients. 19 of 21 Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole Alison Miksch Recipe: Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole Breakfast for dinner, anyone? This casserole is like wrapping all of your favorite Southern breakfast foods into one package: smoky sausage, creamy grits, and plenty of cheese. Prepare to impress when making this super simple recipe for your next tailgate, brunch, or potluck. 20 of 21 Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake This comforting dinner recipe uses store-bought shortcuts to put something together that the kids will love. If you don't have ramekins, you can also use a greased 13-x 9-inch baking dish for this hearty supper. 21 of 21 Ravioli Lasagna Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Recipe: Ravioli Lasagna This quick recipe combines all the things we love in a dinner—our cast-iron skillets, cheesy ravioli, layered lasagna, and easy cleanup. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit