Dump and Bake Casserole Recipes for Easy Family Dinners

These dump and bake casserole recipes take the stress out of busy weeknights, and the notes below cover swaps, equipment and the mistakes that cause most failures.

Dump and bake casseroles are what I make on nights when the oven has to do the work while I deal with homework, laundry, or both. Everything goes into one dish, mostly uncooked, and the oven finishes it. There’s no browning meat first and no boiling pasta in a separate pot.

The catch is that raw rice and pasta need exactly the right amount of liquid and a tight cover, or you end up with a crunchy middle. Below are six casseroles that work, with quantities, and a short section on the ratios so you can adapt your own.

How dump and bake works

Uncooked rice or pasta sits in liquid (broth, sauce or a mix) and cooks as the dish bakes, soaking up the flavor of everything around it. Meat, if you use it, goes in raw and cooks at the same time. You need a 9×13 inch baking dish, a sheet of foil, and about an hour. Most of that time you’re doing something else.

Six dump and bake casseroles

1. Chicken and rice

Spread 1½ cups of uncooked long grain white rice in a greased 9×13 dish. Whisk a can of cream of chicken soup with 2½ cups of chicken broth, a teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of onion powder, then pour it over the rice. Lay 1½ to 2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs or breasts on top and season them. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for about an hour, then uncover for 10 minutes. The rice underneath cooks in the broth and the chicken juices.

2. Baked ziti

Mix a pound of uncooked ziti with a 24-ounce jar of marinara, 2 cups of water, a cup of ricotta and a cup of shredded mozzarella in the baking dish. Make sure every piece of pasta is under the sauce. Cover tightly and bake at 400°F for 40 minutes, then stir, top with another cup of mozzarella and some parmesan, and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes until bubbling. Add browned Italian sausage if you have it, though it’s filling without.

3. Taco casserole

This is the one exception where I cook the meat first, because raw ground beef releases too much fat into the dish. Brown a pound of beef with a packet of taco seasoning, drain it, and mix in a can of drained black beans and a cup of salsa. Layer half a bag of lightly crushed tortilla chips in the dish, add the beef, then the rest of the chips and 2 cups of shredded cheddar. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 20 minutes. Top with sour cream, lettuce and tomato.

4. Chicken enchilada casserole

Instead of rolling individual enchiladas, layer them like lasagna. Spread a little enchilada sauce in the dish, then corn tortillas, shredded chicken (a rotisserie chicken is perfect), more sauce and cheese. Repeat two or three times, finishing with sauce and cheese. Cover and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes, then uncover for 10. It takes about ten minutes to put together, where rolling a full tray takes half an hour.

5. Sausage and potato bake

Cut 2 pounds of potatoes into ¾ inch cubes and a pound of smoked sausage into coins. Add a sliced onion and a chopped bell pepper, toss everything with 3 tablespoons of oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and spread it out in the dish. Bake uncovered at 400°F for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring once. Potato size is what decides whether this works. Big chunks stay hard while the sausage dries out.

6. Broccoli cheddar rice bake

Combine 1 cup of uncooked long grain rice, 2½ cups of broth, a can of cream of mushroom or cheddar soup and 3 cups of small broccoli florets (frozen is fine) in the dish. Cover tightly and bake at 375°F for 50 minutes. Stir in 1½ cups of shredded cheddar, top with a little more, and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. It works as a meatless dinner or as a side with grilled chicken.

Liquid ratios for raw rice and pasta

For long grain white rice, use about 2 to 2½ cups of liquid per cup of rice, counting any liquid from canned soup. Brown rice needs about 2½ to 3 cups of liquid and 20 to 30 minutes more time. Instant rice turns to mush in a long bake, so I don’t use it here.

For dried pasta, count on roughly 2 to 2½ cups of liquid per 8 ounces, including the sauce, and make sure it’s all submerged. Short shapes like ziti, penne and rotini work best. Long pasta clumps.

Why the foil matters

Cover the dish tightly with foil for most of the bake. Without it, the liquid evaporates before the rice or pasta can absorb it, and you get a dry top layer over a crunchy center. Crimp the foil around the edges of the dish so steam can’t escape. Take it off only for the last 10 to 15 minutes to brown the cheese.

Ingredient swaps that work

You can change a lot in these casseroles without breaking them, as long as you keep the liquid and the main starch the same. Boneless chicken thighs stay juicier than breasts in the rice casseroles, so choose thighs if you tend to overcook. Cream of chicken soup can be swapped for cream of mushroom or cheddar soup in the same size can, and a homemade white sauce works too if you want to avoid canned soup.

In the baked ziti, penne or rotini can stand in for ziti with no other changes. Cottage cheese can replace ricotta, and a mix of mozzarella and provolone gives a sharper flavor. For the taco casserole, ground turkey or a plant-based mince works in place of beef, and pinto beans can replace black beans. Broccoli can be swapped for green beans or cauliflower florets in the rice bake. If you change the type of rice or pasta, go back to the liquid ratios above, because that is what decides whether the dish cooks through.

Equipment notes

A metal or glass 9×13 baking dish is all you need. Glass holds heat longer and browns the edges well, while metal heats faster and can brown the bottom sooner, so check metal pans a little earlier. Use heavy duty foil, because thin foil tears when you crimp it around the rim. A light coat of nonstick spray makes cleanup much easier, especially with melted cheese and rice. A meat thermometer is the only reliable way to be sure chicken is cooked through, and it is worth owning for this style of cooking.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Peeking too often. Every time you lift the foil, steam escapes and the rice or pasta takes longer to soften.
• Leaving dry pasta above the sauce. Anything sticking out of the liquid stays hard, so press it down before covering.
• Using the wrong rice. Long grain white rice behaves best here, and instant rice turns to mush.
• Seasoning only the top. Salt and spices need to be mixed into the liquid, or the rice underneath tastes bland.
• Serving straight from the oven. Let the dish rest for a few minutes so the liquid settles and the cheese sets.

What to serve with a casserole

Most casseroles are filling on their own, but something fresh on the side balances the richness. A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette suits the baked ziti and the chicken and rice. Steamed or roasted green beans go well with the sausage and potato bake, while the taco casserole is good with a crunchy slaw or sliced avocado. For another low effort oven dinner, try our sheet pan dinners, or browse the easy chicken dinner recipes when you want more family friendly options.

Make-ahead and storage

The baked ziti, taco casserole and enchilada casserole can be assembled in the morning and refrigerated until dinner. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time if the dish goes in cold. The raw rice casseroles are best put together right before baking, because rice that sits in liquid for hours cooks unevenly.

Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat covered with a splash of broth or water, since rice and pasta keep absorbing liquid as they sit. Most of these also freeze well for up to three months. Our freezer meal prep recipes explain how to wrap and thaw them.

For the pasta-only version of this method, see our dump-and-bake pasta recipes. If you’d rather cook on the stove, our one pot meals follow the same idea with a single pan.

A quick food safety note for leftovers: get them into the fridge within two hours of cooking, divide large portions into shallow containers so they cool quickly, and reheat until steaming hot all the way through. If you like to batch cook, our beginner meal prep guide shows how to plan a week of dinners around dishes like these.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my rice stay crunchy in a dump and bake casserole?

There usually wasn’t enough liquid, or the dish wasn’t covered tightly enough and the liquid evaporated before the rice finished cooking. Check that you have at least 2 cups of liquid per cup of rice and seal the foil around the edges.

Can I put raw chicken in a dump and bake casserole?

Yes. Boneless thighs or breasts cook through in the time it takes the rice to cook. Check that the thickest piece reaches 165°F before serving.

Can I assemble these ahead and bake later?

Most of them, yes. The exceptions are the casseroles with raw rice, which are best assembled right before they go in the oven.

Can I use a different size dish?

You can, but the depth changes the timing. A smaller, deeper dish needs longer and may leave the center undercooked, so check it at the stated time and give it another 10 to 15 minutes covered if needed.