Last Updated on December 4, 2019

Casseroles are a classic one-dish meal. They’re a welcome staple on any dinner table, especially in the winter, because they’re so warm and hearty. In Minnesota and other parts of the Midwest, it’s often called “hot dish.”

The magic of casseroles is that they contain all the components of a full meal. Most casseroles contain meat, starch, vegetable, and some type of cheese or sauce. With only one pan used to prepare them, you won’t have much to clean up. You can spend more time with your family and less time in the kitchen.

This casserole is modeled after the flavors of the famous Denver omelet. The Denver omelet contains ham, hash brown potatoes, sweet bell peppers, onion, cheese, and eggs. Most people really enjoy a good Denver omelet but it can be a challenging dish to make. Omelets require standing over the stove as you make each omelet individually, making sure not to burn it.

In casserole form, you still get all of the delicious flavors of a Denver omelet. You don’t have to reserve it only for breakfast, although you can also serve it for breakfast or dinner! But this casserole is a lot less effort than standing over the stove making omelets for everyone in your family. You’ll love how quickly this comes together.

Pork Potato Casserole

Because a casserole can contain any combination of meat, starch, and vegetables, a Denver potato casserole is just the starting point for a whole lot of other tasty meals. Making a good pork potato casserole just requires a little bit of imagination.

You could make this with ham and potatoes, but add some sour cream and broccoli instead of the bell peppers and cheese. But you could also switch the ham for some bacon or sausage instead to make another variation on pork potato casserole.

The amazing thing about casseroles is that your imagination is the limit for what you can put in them. Still want some cheese even though you’re adding sour cream, for example? Go for it. Although it may not be the healthiest choice, you can certainly do it.

The traditional Midwest way to make a casserole is to use canned cream soup as the base that holds everything together. Popular choices include cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup because both have such adaptable flavors.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Diets that give up either cheese or potatoes are incredibly tough to stick with, because both cheese and potatoes are some of the best-tasting foods around. Both foods are warm and comforting. Cheesy potato casserole is a great way to combine these two magically delicious ingredients. But like the other recipe ideas, there are tons of ways to use cheese and potatoes to come up with a tasty casserole.

One popular type of cheesy potato casserole is the recipe sometimes called “funeral potatoes.” They’re called that because they’re the type of comforting dish you take to feed a crowd. Funeral potatoes use cheese, sour cream, and shredded or diced frozen potatoes. The recipe also usually calls for a can of cream of chicken soup, a diced onion, and a top layer of crushed potato chips.

You can make cheesy potato casserole with a bit of a Southwestern kick by adding a chopped, de-seeded jalapeno and a teaspoon of cumin. Ham goes well with this too, but you can also add other meats like sausage or ground beef. If your family likes a little bit of a mildly spicy flavor, you can kick it up a notch without losing the comfort food factor of cheese and potatoes.

If you prefer, you can also go in more of an Italian-inspired direction. You can use either sour cream or cream of chicken soup and add a packet of Italian dressing mix. Chopped broccoli or asparagus would go well in this dish. Instead of using Colby-jack or cheddar cheese, you can use shredded mozzarella cheese. It might even turn out better if you use cubed chicken instead of ham.

Whether you make a Denver potato casserole or a creative variation on baked cheese and potatoes with other ingredients added, you’ll still have a dish that will keep your family happy. It’s not an expensive meal and it doesn’t require a lot of time spent in the kitchen, which are my two biggest criteria in what to cook. So what are you going to make today with cheese and potatoes? The choice is up to you.

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to check out our Chicken Pot Pie with Cheese Sauce and our Scalloped Chicken and Pasta.