Food and Recipes Dish Casserole 27 Summer Casserole Recipes You'll Love All Season Long By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch All Southerners know that casseroles are truly one-dish wonders. Quick to prepare, easy to make ahead (and even easier to clean up), plentiful enough for a crowd, and portable. It's no wonder these comforting dishes have always been a regional favorite. Though casserole recipes frequent our holiday menus each fall, these delicious, easy-to-make dinners and side dishes often fall off our recipe radars when the weather turns warmer. But, with fresh zucchinis, tomatoes, corn, and more waiting at your local farmers' market, begging to be baked, it just might be time to crown summertime the new casserole season. With a house full of kids and their friends all summer, it's always good to have a made-ahead dish on hand. From our Zucchini-and-Spinach Lasagna to our Spinach-and-Herb Pastatta, some of our favorite summer casserole recipes will help you prepare for everything from last-minute summertime entertaining to a fun family dinner. To help you get started, here are some of our favorite reasons to start popping casseroles into your oven this summer. 01 of 27 Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Roasted Tomato Macaroni and Cheese Fresh plum tomatoes top this cheesy favorite and add rich, juicy flavor. 02 of 27 Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables Alison Miksch Recipe: Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables This vegetable medley will have you loving summer and its fresh flavors. 03 of 27 BLT Pain Perdu Casserole Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: BLT Pain Perdu Casserole Instead of making a big batch of sandwiches for a crowd, use fresh tomatoes to serve up the same flavors in casserole form. 04 of 27 Reunion Pea Casserole Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Reunion Pea Casserole In the summer, look for Whippoorwill, Lady Cream, and Pinkeye beans at the market and substitute them into this recipe. 05 of 27 Macaroni Corn Casserole Will Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Macaroni Corn Casserole This recipe calls for thawed, frozen corn kernels but you can use fresh kernels when in season. 06 of 27 Zucchini Lasagna Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Tina Stamos Recipe: Zucchini Lasagna Give lasagna a fresh makeover for summer by layering in fresh zucchini. 07 of 27 Old-School Squash Casserole Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Old-School Squash Casserole The key to this casserole is to make sure you get as much liquid as you can out of the squash during the initial cooking phase before adding it to the casserole dish. 08 of 27 Heirloom Tomato Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Pie While this recipe calls for a homemade Parmesan-Buttermilk Pie Crust, you can use a store-bought base in a pinch. 09 of 27 Okra and Rice Casserole Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Okra and Rice Casserole Sautéed okra, sweet corn, Cajun spices, and buttery garlic breadcrumbs make this summer casserole shine. 10 of 27 Cheesy Ham, Corn, and Grits Bake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Cheesy Ham, Corn, and Grits Bake This breakfast bake is here to prove that corn can be a great addition to the menu for your first meal of the day. 11 of 27 Zucchini Rice Gratin Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Looking for a way to use summer zucchini? This recipe calls for 2 pounds of the vegetable and serves 10 people. 12 of 27 Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie Choose whatever assortment of fresh tomatoes you would like for this tomato pie, but we love the look of mixed color varieties. 13 of 27 Tee's Corn Pudding Jennifer Davick Recipe: Tee's Corn Pudding You'll make use of a good amount of fresh summer corn in this casserole, 12 ears to be exact. 14 of 27 Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake Iain Bagwell Recipe: Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake With broccoli and red bell peppers, and even colored tortellini if you'd like, this casserole is full of summer color. 15 of 27 Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole Cheese crackers will entice every member of the family to eat this veggie-packed casserole. We're talking 3 pounds of squash and 2 pounds of zucchini. 16 of 27 Cheesy Broccoli-and-Rice Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cheesy Broccoli-and-Rice Casserole Fresh broccoli is the secret to this delicious and surprisingly good for you casserole. 17 of 27 Eggplant Rollups Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Eggplant Rollups Thinly sliced eggplants make the perfect rollups. They're filled with ricotta cheese to make Italian-style dinner. 18 of 27 New Tuna Casserole with Potato Chips Greg Dupree Recipe: New Tuna Casserole with Potato Chips Fresh veggies add pops of color while potato chips add the perfect crunch to this dish. 19 of 27 Squash and Green Chile Casserole Greg Dupree Recipe: Squash and Green Chile Casserole Green chiles and tomatillos add Southwestern flavor to this spin on classic squash casserole. 20 of 27 Zucchini, Squash, and Corn Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Zucchini, Squash, and Corn Casserole If you're looking for a true summertime trio, look no further than this side dish that is fulled with zucchini, squash, and corn. 21 of 27 Zucchini-Potato Casserole Iain Bagwell Recipe: Zucchini-Potato Casserole This pretty layered presentation is a wonderful vegetable addition to a summer menu. 22 of 27 Zucchini-and-Spinach Lasagna Jennifer Davick Recipe: Zucchini-and-Spinach Lasagna Did you fill your Farmers' Market basket to the brim with zucchinis? Pair your market picks with fresh basil and spinach, and bake with ricotta and flavored cream cheese for the perfect vegetarian casserole. 23 of 27 Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole This filling one-dish chicken casserole recipe is a flavorful twist on a classic chicken and rice dinner. 24 of 27 Spinach-and-Herb Pastatta Melina Hammer Recipe: Spinach-and-Herb Pastatta An original Southern Living creation, pastatta is a comforting cross between a frittata and baked pasta. 25 of 27 Two-Cheese Squash Casserole Jennifer Davick Recipe: Two-Cheese Squash Casserole This two-cheese combo lets your summer squash take center stage. 26 of 27 Texas-Style Enchilada Casserole William Dickey Recipe: Texas-Style Enchilada Casserole Fit for a summertime fiesta, this casserole will help your serve something with a bit of a kick this season. 27 of 27 Summer Squash Casserole Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Summer Squash Casserole This summer side dish is a cinch to prepare and pairs perfectly with fried chicken for a true, Southern summertime lunch or dinner. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit