Casserole (casserole dish), diminutive of casse, from the Provencal cassa, meaning “pan”, refers to a type of pan or large, deep container used to cook a variety of oven-baked dishes, but it is also a category of foods cooked in such a vessel.
There are both savory and sweet versions of the preparation, like this: Sweet potatoes casserole with sweet potatoes, pecans, and cream typical of Thanksgiving Day.
▶In the United States (and generally in English-speaking countries), a “casserole” is typically an oven-baked dish with three main components:
meat (like chicken or ground meat) or fish (like tuna) or other proteins (like beans or tofu),
vegetables (such as green beans or peas)
a starchy binder (like flour, potatoes, rice, or pasta)
and sometimes there’s also a crunchy or cheesy topping.
▶In the United Kingdom, the terms casserole and stew tend to be used interchangeably, although some distinguish them by saying that stews are cooked on a stovetop while casseroles are baked in an oven.
Another American dessert made with sweet potatoes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: Thanksgiving, All Seasons
Ingredients for Sweet Potatoes Casserole:
- 4 sweet potatoes (or yams)
- 3 eggs
- 0.85 cup heavy cream
- 0.5 cup sugar
- 0.44 cup butter
- 0.79 cup flour
- 1.76 oz pecans
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Casserole dish
Steps
Boil the potatoes.
Mash them and add the eggs, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, the salt, and 0.22 cup butter.
Mix well.
Prepare the “streusel” with flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 0.22 cup butter. Work the mixture into a crumbly texture.
Spread the mixture in a casserole dish and add the streusel on top, finally adding the pecans.
Bake covered with aluminum foil, in the oven at 356°F, for 35/40 minutes.
Optional: add marshmallows.
Casserole in Swedish Cuisine
The Janssons Frestelse, also known as Jansson’s Temptation, is a potato casserole traditionally served at Christmas in Sweden, but also in Finland, where it is known as janssoninkiusaus.
