Looking for casserole recipes with plenty of cheese or a golden topping? Broccoli and rice, baked macaroni and pecan-covered sweet potatoes give you plenty to choose from.
These pictures offer inspiration for your next dish rather than full recipes, with a few prep photos and a pasta idea included too.
You can keep things simple or go all out with toppings. I especially love the browned potato tops and colorful taco garnishes.
Start with whichever one catches your eye!
Casserole ideas worth saving
broccoli and rice with cheese
We’re starting off strong with this cheesy broccoli and rice bake. I love the bright green florets tucked between the rice and chicken pieces.
Just look at those cheese strands stretching from the spoon!
If you’re choosing a serving, I’d go for one with a little of that golden top.
golden tater tot topping
Who else goes straight for the topping? These tater tots cover the dish from edge to edge, with orange cheese showing between them. The browned edges are my favorite part.
Save this topping idea if you’d rather have potatoes than a layer of pasta.
green beans and browned onions
This green bean casserole may just be one of my favorites here. I love the generous layer of browned onion pieces over the pale sauce.
The spoonful at the side gives you a better look at all those green beans underneath.
garlic butter beef pasta
Want a pasta idea without a blanket of cheese? This picture is labeled garlic butter beef pasta, with long noodles, browned meat crumbles and chopped green herbs.
Read also: 20 Cozy Dinner Ideas for a Night In
It’s a pasta dish rather than a confirmed casserole, so keep this one as a separate dinner idea. The photo doesn’t establish a baked version.
pecan-covered sweet potatoes
How gorgeous is this topping? The candied pecan sweet potato casserole has glossy pecan halves and smaller pieces scattered across its orange base.
If you’re saving ideas for a holiday side, this is a pretty one to keep. I especially love that the sweet potatoes still peek through.
cheesy lasagna casserole
I am obsessed with this golden cheese topping. The scooped-out middle reveals wide, ruffled pasta pieces with red sauce underneath.
The image calls this a dump-and-bake lasagna casserole. You’ll still need the original recipe for the method, but that cheesy spoonful is plenty of inspiration.
enchilada skillet with avocado
If you love lots of toppings, this one is for you. Avocado slices, lime wedges and halved tomatoes sit over tortilla pieces, black beans and corn.
I love how colorful this enchilada skillet looks. For your own serving, you could keep the lime wedges on the side so everyone can add their own squeeze.
chicken and vegetable prep
Here’s a look at the dish before everything comes together. Shredded chicken sits beside peas, carrots, corn and green beans, with yellow and pale mixtures still in separate patches.
This is a preparation photo, not the finished casserole. The colors are lovely, but the exact sauces and baking method need the accompanying recipe.
shredded potatoes and golden flakes
That golden topping is hard to ignore! The lifted spoonful shows pale shredded potatoes underneath a layer of browned flakes.
If you like a casserole with a distinct top and filling, save this one. I’d choose a scoop with plenty of both.
noodles with a crumb topping
I love this noodle bake with its scattered golden crumbs. Wide noodles, green peas and pale sauce show through the spoonful, with little green flecks across the top.
This is a lovely direction if you want something other than a solid cheese topping.
small-batch mac and cheese
Don’t want a giant tray of macaroni? This picture is labeled small-batch mac and cheese, with elbow pasta beneath a browned orange cheese layer.
Not gonna lie, that spoonful looks especially good. I’d keep the serving simple and suggest a green salad alongside it.
walking taco casserole
There’s so much to love about this walking taco casserole. Curled corn chips surround a strip of lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeño slices and white dollops down the middle.
You could serve extra toppings separately if you want everyone to finish their own plate. I’d definitely keep the sliced jalapeños as an option.
cheeseburger macaroni
This is another macaroni idea, but it’s a little different from the one above. The cheeseburger casserole has browned meat crumbles mixed through elbows coated in orange sauce.
There’s no separate browned crust visible here. It’s all about that saucy pasta spoonful.
cheesy zucchini rounds
Looking for a vegetable-focused bake? This one has green-edged zucchini rounds under patches of melted cheese, with golden spots across the top.
I love that you can still see the individual slices. You could serve a portion alongside your favorite main dish.
chicken with ham and cheese
That lifted portion gives you such a good look inside. Pink ham slices sit between chicken pieces, with melted cheese draping over the top and pale sauce underneath.
If you’re after something more structured than a scoop of pasta, this is a lovely idea to save.
corn casserole ingredients
This one takes us back to the ingredients rather than the finished bake. A box of corn muffin mix sits beside eggs, corn kernels and bowls of pale and yellow mixtures.
Thinking about a corn casserole for your next side dish? Use this as inspiration, but follow a complete recipe rather than guessing quantities from the picture.
mashed potato topping
I love this thick mashed potato layer with its little browned ridges. Underneath, you can see ground meat, carrot pieces and peas in a brown sauce.
Read also: 20 Comfort Food Recipes to Inspire Your Next Cozy Meal
The chopped green garnish is a pretty finishing touch. This is the one I’d save when I’m choosing between a potato topping and more cheese.
curly pasta and green herbs
Don’t want a heavy crumb topping? This pasta bake has a pale melted layer with curly noodles poking through.
The chopped green herbs are scattered right across the dish.
Read also: 20 Brussels Sprouts Recipes and Ideas for Your Next Dinner
I especially like how the pasta shapes stay visible instead of disappearing under the topping.
cabbage and rice bake
Here’s something a little different from all the cheesy pasta. The lifted serving shows pale cabbage pieces beneath rice, ground meat and chunky red sauce.
Read also: 20 Crockpot Dinner Recipes and Ideas for Your Next Meal
If you like cabbage-roll-style dishes, this is a good picture to save for inspiration. The cabbage is in loose pieces rather than individual rolls.
golden cornbread-topped skillet
Last but definitely not least, we have this gorgeous golden-topped skillet. The opening at the side reveals beans, corn, tomatoes and browned meat beneath the cornbread layer.
Read also: 14+ Legendary Cookout Side Dishes Black People Swear By
I love how the topping stretches almost all the way to the rim. You could offer a little bowl of sour cream alongside your own version.