casserole

American  

[kas-uh-rohl] / ˈkæs əˌroʊl /

noun

1. a baking dish of glass, pottery, etc., usually with a cover.

2. any food, usually a mixture, cooked in such a dish.

3. a small dish with a handle, used in chemical laboratories.

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verb (used with object)

casseroles, present (3rd person singular) casseroled, past participle, past casseroling present participle

1. to bake or cook (food) in a casserole.

casserole British  

/ ˈkæsəˌrəʊl /

noun

1. a covered dish of earthenware, glass, etc, in which food is cooked and served

2. any food cooked and served in such a dish

   chicken casserole

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verb

1. to cook or be cooked in a casserole

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• casseroling
  present
• casseroled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• casserole
  simple
• casseroles
  simple
• have casseroled
  perfect
• has casseroled
  perfect
• am casseroling
  progressive
• are casseroling
  progressive
• is casseroling
  progressive
• have been casseroling
  perfect progressive
• has been casseroling
  perfect progressive

Past

• casseroled
  simple
• had casseroled
  perfect
• was casseroling
  progressive
• were casseroling
  progressive
• had been casseroling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will casserole
  simple
• will have casseroled
  perfect
• will be casseroling
  progressive
• will have been casseroling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of casserole

First recorded in 1700–10; from French: “ladlelike pan,” equivalent to casse “small saucepan” (from Old Provençal cassa “large spoon,” akin to Medieval Latin cattia “crucible”; of disputed origin) + -role diminutive suffix

Explanation

A casserole is a large, deep baking dish that can be used both in the oven and as a serving dish. Casserole is also what you call the food baked inside it, which is often a complete, gooey, one-dish meal. You can use the word casserole for a ceramic, glass, or metal baking dish that goes right from the oven to the table, and you can also call the food that's cooked in it a casserole. Many casseroles are thick and warm comfort food, baked by thoughtful people in aprons. Cream of mushroom soup is a popular ingredient in a casserole. In French, casserole means "sauce pan," from the Latin root cattia, "pan" or "vessel."

Example Sentences

In the oven, the liquid reduces into something richer, the dumplings nestling into a creamy, deeply savory sauce that edges toward casserole territory.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

At a potluck, the assorted offerings—the masala potatoes, a church-basement casserole, a barbecue sauce perfected over decades—represent the best of individual traditions and stories of identity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

That includes mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie and casserole, or big pots of soup, chowder, gumbo and jambalaya.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

To attract increasingly discerning consumers, Kroger has offered a precooked holiday meal for eight of turkey or ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry and gravy for about $11 a person.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025

“So you can drop off your mom’s casserole at Miss Volker’s house, and I’ll just collect that and the cookies at her place and make my delivery to Mrs. Droogie.”

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos