# Food terminology v1. What is Casserole? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508 "2011-06-15T00:06:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/1 "2011-06-15T00:06:34Z")
What does the term ‘casserole’ mean to you? (this is a poll, not a debate) If it describes something specific, be as detailed as possible. If it describes a whole category of stuff, try to define the boundaries (and mention what things that lie beyond those boundaries are called) If it describes multiple categories of things, explain whether they are related only by the term ‘casserole’, or are related in some other, non-semantic, actual way… To me, casserole means specifically, a rich, thick stew-like dish, usually containing diced meat, onions, chunky vegetables and possibly whole pulses in a thick, usually dark-coloured gravy. Casserole is almost always cooked slow and long - the meat should fall apart under the fork. It is distinct from: **Stew** , which is more like a chunky soup, and not usually slow-cooked. **Hotpot** , although hotpot is really just a specific recipe of casserole, not stirred during cooking and cooked with a topping of potatoes. (Other food terms to be explored in due course, in separate threads, if this one is a success) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/2 "2011-06-15T00:09:20Z")
Casseroles as I know them usually include noodles or pasta of some kind. I’d say a dish with noodles, meat and/or cheese, minimal sauce, baked in an oven, covers the topic pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/3 "2011-06-15T00:20:57Z")
I would not consider a stew a casserole. A casserole is a dish cooked in the oven (although I grant there are “stovetop casseroles,” which mimic classic oven baked casseroles) with protein, pieces of a starch (usually noodles or rice) and a binder of some sort (often egg, cream and/or mayonnaise) in a homogenous mixture, which is served as an entree or side dish. Vegetables may or may not be present. Baked macaroni and cheese, tuna noodle casserole and chicken rice casserole are all casseroles, while lasagne (not homogeneous), stew (no binder, cooked on stovetop), souffle (no starch) and quiche (not homogenous, no starch in the filling) are not. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/4 "2011-06-15T00:21:32Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Casseroles as I know them usually include noodles or pasta of some kind. I’d say a dish with noodles, meat and/or cheese, minimal sauce, baked in an oven, covers the topic pretty well. Heh. And to me, a casserole specifically does not include noodles or pasta. It’s the same as a stew, except cooked in the oven, usually for longer than a stew. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/5 "2011-06-15T00:27:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > To me, casserole means specifically, a rich, thick stew-like dish, usually containing diced meat, onions, chunky vegetables and possibly whole pulses in a thick, usually dark-coloured gravy. Casserole is almost always cooked slow and long - the meat should fall apart under the fork. Sounds like what I’d call “stew” (which to me is practically by definition “slow-cooked”). I agree with WhyNot’s definition, with the cooking and serving in a covered casserole dish being the key (and to the list of commonly used “binders” I’d add “nasty canned mushroom soup”). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/6 "2011-06-15T00:27:22Z")
A casserole is anything cooked in a casserole dish. I usually think of lame food at a church event. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/7 "2011-06-15T00:28:48Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Heh. And to me, a casserole specifically does not include noodles or pasta. I can’t think of a casserole that doesn’t. I make tuna casseroles (noodles, tuna, cream sauce, other stuff), turkey casseroles (leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner, pasta, sauce, other stuff), spaghetti casseroles (tomato sauce base, pasta, ground beef, mushrooms, cheese, other stuff), and refrigerator leftover casseroles (whatever, pasta, sauce, cheese, other stuff). I guess you could substitute rice for noodles, but it wouldn’t be the same. Not a stew. Stew is done usually in a slow cooker and never has pasta. Probably more meat, tho. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/8 "2011-06-15T00:33:05Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I can’t think of a casserole that doesn’t. I can actually think of one, but only one, so I’m going to count it a poorly named anomaly: [Green Bean Casserole.](http://www.campbellkitchen.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipeId=24099&fbid=rKqkhcecxGU) No starch, no protein, just green beans, mushrooms and glop. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/9 "2011-06-15T00:46:19Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I can’t think of a casserole that doesn’t. > > I make tuna casseroles (noodles, tuna, cream sauce, other stuff), turkey casseroles (leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner, pasta, sauce, other stuff), spaghetti casseroles (tomato sauce base, pasta, ground beef, mushrooms, cheese, other stuff), and refrigerator leftover casseroles (whatever, pasta, sauce, cheese, other stuff). > > I guess you could substitute rice for noodles, but it wouldn’t be the same. > > Not a stew. Stew is done usually in a slow cooker and never has pasta. Probably more meat, tho. Beef casserole, lamb casserole, all other meat casseroles with the variety depending on the herbs and veggies involved, lentil casserole, veggie casserole, etc etc. Rice is also not involved. It’s potatoes, possibly wheat (usually in the form of dumplings), possibly bulgar wheat or something else, but not usually pasta, noodles or rice. I have heard of tuna casserole, but I’ve more often heard it called a tuna bake and I’d consider a tuna casserole with pasta to be more exceptional than a normal casserole. And stew is usually done on the stove top, IME; most people don’t have slowcookers. I was actually going to say that a casserole could also be cooked in a slow-cooker, but stew works for that too. This is probably a UK/US thing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/10 "2011-06-15T00:58:54Z")
I agree with **WhyNot**. Casseroles are very distinct from stews. Mainly for the reasons listed, They are also much less “liquidy.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/11 "2011-06-15T03:04:24Z")
> [@](#): > > I can actually think of one, but only one, so I’m going to count it a poorly named anomaly: Green Bean Casserole. No starch, no protein, just green beans, mushrooms and glop. I also have a recipe from my grandmother for a broccoli-cauliflower casserole that’s basically veggies and cheese. The only starch is a layer of breadcrumbs on the top. I would say that a casserole is a more-or-less homogenous mix of ingredients baked in a shallow pan, and firm and dry enough to be piled on a plate. Beyond that, I wouldn’t stipulate much of anything about it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/12 "2011-06-15T03:38:54Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I can’t think of a casserole that doesn’t. There’s all sorts of layered vegetable casseroles (layered potato casserole, layered cabbage casserole, etc.) that I consider casseroles. Casserole is a very inexact term for me. It certainly doesn’t require pasta or even starches, although you’ll probably find one. I would definitely call lasagna a type of layered casserole. It’s pretty much anything cooked in a casserole dish in the oven. I tend to think of it as a “one-pot meal,” but it doesn’t necessarily have to be (as in the case of green bean casserole). And it doesn’t have to be a homogenous mixture at all (see, again, layered casseroles.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/13 "2011-06-15T03:42:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There’s all sorts of layered vegetable casseroles (layered potato casserole, layered cabbage casserole, etc.) that I consider casseroles. Casserole is a very inexact term for me. It certainly doesn’t require pasta or even starches, although you’ll probably find one. I would definitely call lasagna a type of layered casserole. It’s pretty much anything cooked in a casserole dish in the oven. I tend to think of it as a “one-pot meal,” but it doesn’t necessarily have to be (as in the case of green bean casserole). And it doesn’t have to be a homogenous mixture at all (see, again, layered casseroles.) I can’t recall having met a layered casserole, but I’m intrigued with the idea. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/14 "2011-06-15T03:52:27Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I can’t recall having met a layered casserole, but I’m intrigued with the idea. Eastern Europeans especially like 'em. [Here’s a video recipe for Hungarian layered potato-and-egg casserole](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmpNgpf9sB4) [And here’s a recipe](http://www.food.com/recipe/kolozsvari-rakott-kaposzta-159325) for Transylvanian style layered cabbage casserole. I do something similar when I don’t feel like making _gołąbki_ (aka golumpki, cabbage rolls, pigs-in-a-blanket [in some areas], etc.) I make a gołąbki casserole by layering cabbage leaves with a cooked pork and/or beef and rice mixture, along with some broth and tomato sauce. Kinda like Polish lasagna. Or, if you prefer your casseroles homogenous, you can chop up the cabbage finely and incorporate it with the other ingredients. Plus, if you’ve had moussaka, that’s a type of layered casserole, too. Just happens to have a nice Greek name that people use instead. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/15 "2011-06-15T03:57:49Z")
I agree that this is about a US/UK thing. Starting off with “what is casserole”(UK)? rather than "what is **a** casserole.(US) ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/16 "2011-06-15T04:14:28Z")
Casserole to me is anything made of multiple ingredients oven-baked in a deep and flat dish, which is either scooped like extremely thick stew or cut into squares to serve. I’d therefore count lasagna as a casserole, and the casseroles I am most used to making involve all the ingredients of a typical sunday dinner positioned and cooked in a similar manner to lasagna. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/17 "2011-06-15T04:58:25Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I can’t think of a casserole that doesn’t. > > I make tuna casseroles (noodles, tuna, cream sauce, other stuff), turkey casseroles (leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner, pasta, sauce, other stuff), spaghetti casseroles (tomato sauce base, pasta, ground beef, mushrooms, cheese, other stuff), and refrigerator leftover casseroles (whatever, pasta, sauce, cheese, other stuff). > > I guess you could substitute rice for noodles, but it wouldn’t be the same. > > Not a stew. Stew is done usually in a slow cooker and never has pasta. Probably more meat, tho. > [@Chronos](#): > > I also have a recipe from my grandmother for a broccoli-cauliflower casserole that’s basically veggies and cheese. The only starch is a layer of breadcrumbs on the top. > > I would say that a casserole is a more-or-less homogenous mix of ingredients baked in a shallow pan, and firm and dry enough to be piled on a plate. Beyond that, I wouldn’t stipulate much of anything about it. I agree with these descriptions. I absolutely categorize lasagne as a casserole. My mom also has a tuna casserole recipe she makes with no pasta, just layers of potato chips with tuna, peas and cream of mushroom/celery soup. Casseroles are cooked in shallow square/rectangular dishes (always Corning around here) and may or may not include layering with a starch of some kind. They can usually be cut or scooped with minimal puddling in the dish. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/18 "2011-06-15T05:31:49Z")
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casserole#Use_of_term_in_the_US_and_Canada), the key seems to be that a casserole must involve condensed cream of mushroom soup. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/19 "2011-06-15T05:38:32Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > This is probably a UK/US thing. I suspect so - indeed, I was already aware there existed _some sort_ of terminology difference, which was my motivation for starting the thread. (just remember, it’s a poll, not a debate, everyone) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508/20 "2011-06-15T06:04:33Z")
My two cents: 1. A casserole has to have a mixture of ingredients - not something like a roast 2. It has to be cooked by a dry heat - it can’t be fried or boiled 3. It can’t be too wet - not a stew or chili 4. It has to be a single unit - not something like stuffed peppers or enchiladas 5. It can’t have a crust - not something like chicken pot pie [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-terminology-v1-what-is-casserole/585508.md?page=2)