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

See Examples For:

casserole casseroles casseroled

Some Ohioans were adamant that I try their state’s Johnny dish, the Johnny Marzetti, a decadent casserole with ground beef, sausage, pasta, tomato sauce and cheese.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

It worked to pare down menus and offer dinner deals, and rolled out items like slow-braised pot roast and hash-brown casserole shepherd’s pie.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

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

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

From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026

She mopped up the last bit of her casserole with a heel of dry bread.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Mention French onion soup mix and they tend to think of casseroles, slow cookers and other recipes that begin with the phrase “family favorite.”

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

She said for some its about "relaxing" and prepping things such as casseroles, taking the pressure off cooking a big roast on the day.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

Like tuna casseroles and they’re very into hearty, grandma type food.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025

Once the soups are happily bubbling, I turn to the casseroles and pasta bakes.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2025

“We need to bag up some cookies,” she said, “and you can take them over to the Community Center and then add them to your mother’s casseroles for the old folks.”

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

Blancmange — which means ‘‘white food’’ — referred to a family of recipes in which pale mixtures were casseroled together into a pap, often with rice and almond milk.

From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2015