- 7 weeks ago
Hosting Easter brunch or bringing a dish to share? These 5 easy Easter casseroles are guaranteed to steal the show. From creamy, comforting classics to fresh spring-inspired bakes packed with veggies, these crowd-pleasing dishes are perfect for feeding family and friends — and might just disappear before you grab seconds. This lineup has something for everyone: a hearty Ham & Potato Casserole, a bright Green Bean & Artichoke bake, a savory Mushroom & Asparagus Strata, a colorful Squash & Zucchini casserole, and a rich, Creamy Corn favorite that belongs on every holiday table. Whether you’re planning ahead or pulling something together last minute, this recipe video will make Easter entertaining simple, cozy and delicious.
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00:00I've got five easy upgrades to your favorite Easter sides.
00:04We're gonna start today
00:05with creamy, cheesy ham and potato casserole.
00:08Cause look, you got your ham and your potatoes in one dish.
00:12Maybe no one wants to stand over there and slice the ham.
00:14That's why my mission today was to keep it easy.
00:16Now we usually get the honey baked spiral ham.
00:20For this casserole, we're taking a shortcut.
00:22They have the sweet honey sliced ham in the deli.
00:27And then you're just going to take some russet potatoes,
00:29almost a whole bag, peel them, and then thinly slice her.
00:33So that's the extent of the prep
00:34and we just have to make the creamy sauce.
00:36What I love about this casserole
00:37is that it's full of pantry stables.
00:39We're not using any canned items here,
00:41no cream of in this casserole.
00:43So you can keep it really affordable.
00:45All you have to buy is the ham, the potatoes,
00:47most everything else you have on hand.
00:49So I'm gonna start by melting butter.
00:50We're making our own cream of,
00:52and then I'll add in some onions
00:53and just cook them until they're soft.
00:55Once those are soft, add in a little flour.
00:57You know the drill, this is nothing new here.
01:00Cook the flour for about a minute,
01:01and then go in with your liquid.
01:02For the liquid, I've got a combination
01:04of heavy cream and milk.
01:06So this is gonna be really rich, but it's a holiday.
01:09So I'm gonna bring this up to a simmer
01:10and then why in our seasonings.
01:11The seasonings are pretty classic.
01:12We've got some cayenne pepper, a little nutmeg,
01:15and then salt and pepper,
01:16and then I'll finish it off
01:16with a little Worcestershire and fresh thyme.
01:18I'm gonna give it a taste to really check the salt level.
01:21You know, potatoes are gonna suck up a lot of salt,
01:24so don't be scared to flavor your food.
01:29That is so good.
01:31I am gonna go up in the salt.
01:33All right, now we build.
01:35So we're gonna take about a quarter of the sauce
01:38and just put it into the bottom of the casserole.
01:41This is also one you could totally make the day before.
01:43And then a layer of your potatoes.
01:46I feel like if you didn't want to cut your own potatoes,
01:49you could do this with the cubed up hash browns
01:51that are in the freezer section,
01:53but don't take a shortcut on that sauce.
01:55That is too good.
01:56So we're gonna have three layers of potatoes.
01:58There's one, and then you could still give it
02:00a little sprinkle of salt on this layer.
02:02And now we're gonna use about a third of what's left.
02:06I'm gonna take a third of the cheese.
02:08This is a sharp white cheddar cheese.
02:10And then half of the ham.
02:11It's already sliced,
02:12so I'm just gonna kind of tear it and lay it down.
02:16And then I'm gonna repeat that whole situation.
02:18And then the final layer is one more layer of potatoes.
02:22This is gonna feed a ton of people.
02:24Even if you're not thinking about Easter,
02:26this makes just a good dinner.
02:28One pan dinner.
02:29You've got your meat and potatoes all in one dish.
02:31And this is a Chef John recipe,
02:33so you know it's gonna be good.
02:34Had to add a little more heavy cream to the sauce
02:36because I wanna have plenty to put on top.
02:39If you find yourself a little short,
02:40you could just add in a little more heavy cream.
02:42And then the final bit of cheese.
02:44You could do this part ahead of time.
02:46Keep it covered and then bake it when you're ready.
02:49This goes in now, 350 degrees for about an hour and a half.
02:53Something this simple shouldn't be allowed on Easter.
02:58Look at that.
02:59Now here's the deal.
02:59You can see it's really saucy around the edges.
03:02That's gonna reabsorb into those potatoes
03:03and make this the creamiest, best casserole ever.
03:07You just have to let it sit.
03:08So it's perfect if you're entertaining with this one
03:10because you can pull it out right when people get there
03:12because you know you're gonna talk for a little bit.
03:14The longer this sits, the better, and it will retain its heat.
03:17So at least 20 minutes or so, don't touch it.
03:20I mean, if Easter had a casserole, this is it.
03:23You can taste the richness right there.
03:26All right, I can't wait any longer.
03:28Creamy, ham, and cheese, and potato.
03:31The first taste of Easter.
03:38Mm-hmm.
03:40This must be what heaven tastes like.
03:41The richness is so good in here, but it's not overwhelming.
03:44The potatoes are tender.
03:45You get those tiny bits of salty ham and cheese.
03:49If you just wanted to make one thing for Easter,
03:51you could probably just make this.
03:52Maybe a salad to go with it.
03:54I mean, we started off so good,
03:56it's gonna be hard to beat this one, but I'll try.
03:59As promised, a new take on a familiar favorite
04:01when it comes to Easter casseroles.
04:03I bet you have some form of green bean on your table,
04:06but do you have the Italian green beans and artichoke casserole?
04:10I do.
04:10100% of the time, every Easter, this is what we have.
04:13I've shared a version of this before, the way my family does it.
04:16Now, I'm even kind of jazzing up our own family version
04:20and keeping it really easy.
04:21We usually use canned green beans for this,
04:24but I just love these frozen ones.
04:26And I've been cooking frozen ones in the oven lately
04:29as an easy side for my family,
04:31and they turn out perfect every time.
04:33I feel like I can combine that method
04:34with the old family recipe and make something delicious.
04:37And then I'm doing a bag of frozen artichoke hearts.
04:39You could also do two cans drained.
04:41All this is still frozen,
04:43kind of partially thawed a little bit,
04:44so it is gonna give off some moisture as it cooks.
04:47To that, a whole bunch of grated Parmesan cheese,
04:50some garlic powder, salt and pepper.
04:53So the flavor here is that of stuffed artichokes,
04:57the Italian stuffed artichokes,
04:58where you have lots of Parmesan cheese,
05:01lots of garlic, oh, and breadcrumbs.
05:03Gotta get the breadcrumbs.
05:05All right, and then you wanna moisten everything
05:07that's in here with a good bit of olive oil,
05:09and you wanna use the extra virgin olive oil here.
05:12And once everything is just kind of evenly coated,
05:14you're good to go.
05:15There's really no way to really screw it up, okay?
05:18Then pile it into your casserole dish.
05:20I wanna get a bigger dish.
05:24Sorry, friends.
05:25There's really no way to really screw it up.
05:27Okay, that's more like it.
05:29Now, I saw another recipe
05:30that had you top it with mozzarella cheese.
05:33I'm gonna let this get going
05:35and decide later if I wanna add cheese.
05:36I'm going into the oven, 400 degrees,
05:39probably for about an hour,
05:40and you wanna stir it maybe every 20 minutes.
05:43Bring out your inner Italian this Easter.
05:45This smells like everything we love
05:47about stuffed artichokes, but without all the work.
05:50I did go in the last 10 minutes
05:52and sprinkle with a little more grated parm.
05:55So you can see how it got all toasty
05:56with those breadcrumbs and olive oil.
05:58Hmm.
05:59This one doesn't have a creamy sauce,
06:00so it doesn't need to come together or anything.
06:03It's ready to serve as is.
06:05What I love about this casserole versus some of the others
06:07is that it's not overly creamy and rich.
06:10You just get those little perfect bites,
06:12a little still crisp tender on the green beans.
06:19Mm.
06:20I do love using the frozen green beans versus the canned.
06:23You just get more of that veggie bite.
06:25The flavor from the breadcrumbs with the cheese
06:28with that extra virgin olive oil, I mean, it's perfection.
06:31It may not be like the prettiest one on the table.
06:33Don't judge about that's cover.
06:35This right here is the something different
06:37you've been looking for.
06:39Mm.
06:40Mm.
06:40We're on a roll, but we can't forget about brunch
06:43because some people prefer a brunch menu over a lunch menu.
06:45So I've got you with this overnight mushroom
06:47and asparagus strata.
06:49It's gonna be easy and it incorporates Easter's
06:52most iconic vegetable, the asparagus.
06:54I've gone ahead and just sauteed some mushrooms in butter,
06:56so those are ready to go.
06:57Now I'm just gonna chop up our asparagus.
07:00Even if you are serving this for lunch,
07:02I think it's the perfect accompaniment
07:04to all the other casseroles and to your ham, Easter ham.
07:08And this casserole has got it all.
07:09It's got your veggies, it's got your starches,
07:12and your creamy cheesiness.
07:13Grease your casserole dish.
07:15Did I mention this was overnight?
07:17So this is your make-ahead side if you're looking for one.
07:20And then I've gone ahead and toasted some English muffins.
07:22So you're gonna place them toasted side up
07:25in your casserole dish.
07:26Put as many that will fit flat,
07:29and then you can tear the rest to fill in any open spaces.
07:33I love using English muffin instead of just regular bread.
07:36Something about those nooks and crannies.
07:38All right, and then on top of that,
07:39you're going to sprinkle in half of the cheese.
07:41And then in go our asparagus.
07:43The onion, this is half an onion.
07:45And some red bell pepper.
07:47So you've got all those really pretty spring colors in here.
07:49And then mushroom.
07:51And now we gotta make the egg mixture.
07:53All right, so it's eight eggs and two cups of milk.
07:56Of course, I'm gonna use full milk here.
07:58You could even use half and half if you want it a little richer.
08:01I'm gonna season it up with dried mustard, salt, and pepper.
08:04The dried mustard just kind of gives it that, like, subtle kick in the background.
08:07You wanna make sure it's really well blended so that it kind of gives you that custard look
08:11and not, like, bits of scrambled eggs so much.
08:13There, you want it to look like it's one homogenous mixture right there.
08:17I'm just gonna pour this all over.
08:20And this is an overnight casserole, so we wanna let it sit overnight or at least several hours.
08:25You just want all of this egg and milk mixture to absorb into those English muffins.
08:30I'm just gonna cover this and pop it in the fridge.
08:31And then just before we bake it, we'll top it with the rest of the cheese.
08:37Springtime vibes right here.
08:39I love the confetti of the red pepper and the green asparagus.
08:43Not only does this look comforting, it looks a little bit fancy.
08:46And you saw how easy it was to make.
08:48Why do we always have to let things sit?
08:51But I got to.
08:52I feel like we need a mimosa for this one.
08:54That's more like it.
08:57Now it feels like brunch.
08:58All right, let's see how we did.
09:00This one's a new one for me.
09:01Wow, that is pretty.
09:03If you're a fan of the omelet station, this is the one for you at your next brunch.
09:07Loaded with veggies, cheese.
09:09Oh, I love the way the English muffin got nice and toasty on the bottom.
09:17That is about 10 times better than I even thought it was going to be.
09:21The flavor is perfect.
09:23Seasoning the asparagus, I mean, they still have a little bite to them.
09:29Mmm, they taste so fresh.
09:32This really does taste like spring, like a fork full of spring right here.
09:37It's satisfying, but not too rich.
09:39Love the veggies.
09:40If you do brunch for Easter, you got to include this one.
09:45Mm-hmm.
09:47Serving up more spring veggies in this next one, squash and zucchini casserole.
09:51Probably in my top two or three veggie side dishes of all time.
09:56First, you want to start by slicing up a whole onion.
09:59Then, you're going to thinly slice your squash and zucchini.
10:01They're just starting to get good in the spring, but in the summer is when they're really good.
10:07And then they become really cheap, too.
10:09Total, you're going to have about three and a half to four pounds of squash.
10:14Looks like a lot, but it's going to cook down.
10:16As it cooks down, all the natural sweetness comes out.
10:19It's so good.
10:19Sip up all your veggies into a big pot with the onion.
10:24Then, I'm going to pour over just two to three cups of water and let it just start doing its
10:29thing.
10:29Even though we are cooking it in water, we are going to drain it very well.
10:33We are trying to actually draw out all the moisture from it and then press it out.
10:37So, I'm also going to add in a little salt at this point to help draw out that moisture.
10:41This process takes a while, but it doesn't require a lot of babysitting.
10:44Just walk by your pot every few minutes and give it a stir.
10:48Once these are nice and tender, you want to drain it.
10:52And when I say drain it, I mean really drain it.
10:55Because you want every bit of water to come out.
10:57Our tender squash, zucchini, and onions go into a bowl.
11:02See how much it cooked down.
11:03This is another casserole that doesn't have a can of cream of anything.
11:07Made with pantry staples, mayonnaise, and sour cream.
11:12That's going to give you the perfect creamy balance because you've got, you know, that tanginess.
11:16And the sour cream also helps bring out some of the sweetness in the squash and zucchini.
11:20I'm also going to add in just a little bit of crushed red pepper.
11:23Some salt and pepper.
11:25And most of my cheese.
11:26I'm just going to add one egg to help bind it all together.
11:29A secret ingredient here.
11:32I'm going to add in just a little bit to here just to help kind of hold this casserole together.
11:36And that's going to help absorb any extra moisture that comes out of squash and zucchini.
11:42Into our springtime dish.
11:44Oh, I forgot the egg.
11:48Now time for the egg.
11:50Got carried away.
11:52Then we have the rest of our stuffing mix.
11:55Adding in some melted butter.
11:57And also these crushed up croutons here.
11:59And then the rest of our cheese.
12:01Besides the egg, everything in here is cooked.
12:03We just need it to all come together and get golden, brown, and bubbly.
12:06So I'm going in at 375 until that happens.
12:09About 45 minutes.
12:10And I covered it with foil halfway through.
12:13See what we got.
12:14It's puffed up nicely.
12:16Color equals flavor.
12:18I give you flavor.
12:20This would be one of those times where you want to let it sit again.
12:23For about, I don't know, 10 minutes at least before serving.
12:27It's the way I like it.
12:28I love the way the stuffing mix and the cheese made such a golden brown topping.
12:39It's so good.
12:40The vegetable is perfectly tender and slightly sweet.
12:45Combined with the crunchy, buttery, cheesy, everything else.
12:49This is the kind of casserole that I like to eat.
12:51Also for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
12:55For my final trick is a new casserole I'm bringing to the table this year.
12:58It is a creamy corn casserole.
13:01Maybe you always have had corn at your Easter table.
13:04I have not, but today's the day.
13:07Keeping it easy with a bag of frozen corn.
13:13To that, I'm adding in a can of creamed corn.
13:16I want this to really have the vibes of like a creamy macaroni and cheese,
13:20but instead of macaroni, it's corn.
13:21For more creaminess, I am bringing out the can in my final casserole.
13:25So what's a holiday without it?
13:26For this, I'm doing cream of onion and four ounces of softened cream cheese.
13:30To that, I'm adding in the bottom parts of some green onion,
13:34a little pop of color and freshness, and some salt and pepper.
13:38Kind of let me get all that mixed together.
13:41And then I'm going in with Monterey Jack cheese.
13:43Now, you could go into the oven just like this, or you can make a topping.
13:47We're going to make a topping.
13:49Melted butter.
13:50And now I bring out the Ritz cracker.
13:54Crush them up into the butter.
13:56Also, at this point, you could cover it and keep it in your fridge until you're ready to bake it.
14:00We're going in 350.
14:02Feel hot, brown, and bubbly.
14:06We've done it again, folks.
14:08We've done it again.
14:10Creamy corn casserole.
14:12Well, that is what I'm talking about.
14:14And this is not creamed corn.
14:16This is not the same thing.
14:17It's the cheese for me.
14:25That's what I wanted.
14:26Whether you're serving ham or lamb, this corn casserole is going to go perfectly.
14:31You get like those juicy pops from the corn.
14:33It's a little bit sweet, but then you have that super savory from that cream of onion and all of
14:38that
14:39cheese, y'all.
14:42I think we nailed it.
14:44If you're looking for something different, yet also sticking to the Easter traditions
14:47while keeping it easy, you got to give one of these side dishes a try.
14:52I'm casserole and happy Easter.
14:56Now casserole me out of here.
14:58Well done!
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