Casseroles from the 1950s & 60s - Beef Noodle Casserole Recipe - Venture1105 (2024)

FAQs

What is the oldest known casserole? ›

Macaroni and cheese is the oldest written casserole recipe found in 1250.

Casseroles provided affordable sustenance during the Depressions of the 1890s and 1930s and the shortage of food items during both World Wars. In the 1950s, the widespread use of oven-proof cookware and canned foods made casseroles a simple, quick and inexpensive way to feed the whole family.

The binder, a liquid that holds the other ingredients together. – Fat-free milk, broth, fruit juice, soup, eggs, or a thickened Béchamel/White sauce.

Baked dishes have existed for thousands of years. Early casserole recipes consisted of rice that was pounded, pressed, and filled with a savoury mixture of meats such as chicken or sweetbread. Sometime around the 1870s the casserole seems to have taken on its current definition.

Uncovering the foods promotes browning and crisping, and reduces the amount of liquid in the finished dish. If a casserole looks soupy when it's ready to bake, bake it uncovered unless the ingredients include pasta or rice, which absorb liquid.

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

Casseroles are made by combining a variety of starches, meats, vegetables, and other ingredients, sometimes raw and sometimes cooked, into the dish and baking them in a casserole dish. Casserole dishes are traditionally square or rectangular baking pans, usually made of Pyrex, aluminized steel, or earthenware.

The glazed ham became the ultimate main course during the 1950s and everyone looked forward to grabbing a slice of this nostalgic favorite. Whether the flavor brings back a classic Easter meal or just a regular night in, this American staple can make anyone feel at home. Get our recipe for Glazed Ham.

What was the typical daily menu in the 1950s? ›

There was no such thing as the keto diet in the 1950s—meat and potatoes reigned supreme. You'd find hearty main dishes like Salisbury steak, beef stroganoff and meat loaf on a '50s dinner menu, plus scrumptious sides. Casseroles were also popular, particularly those featuring seafood or ham.

The 1950s saw a return to prosperity and consumerism. Even as the Cold War raged, Americans turned their attention to domestic issues and exhibited a general sense of optimism. But by the 1960s underlying discontentment rose to the surface. Americans demanded rights they had been long denied.

Carbohydrates/starch - add substance/body; used as an extender; add energy through carbohydrates. Undercook rice and pastas so they can continue to cook during the baking process. Vegetables - add contrast in color, texture and adds nutrition. The binder is the sauce, which holds ingredients together.

Meat know how

If you coat it too early, the moisture in the meat absorbs the flour and spoils the texture of the casserole. Begin by browning the meat or chicken, separately, before adding vegetables, liquids and herbs. This seals in the juices and adds flavour.

It protects your food from drying out or burning and helps keep in the heat and moisture, ensuring a perfectly cooked meal. Loosely covering your dish with foil can prevent uneven browning while baking. However, tightly sealing your bakeware with foil is the way to go for more steam.

And a piece by Langdon Reid in a Staunton, Virginia, newspaper says: “History tells us that a French Canadian immigrant Elmire Jolicour is credited with inventing the casserole, this wonderful dish of culinary breakthrough, in Berlin, New Hampshire, in 1866.”

Bread. Bread is one the very first foods made by mankind. It is believed that bread was first made some 30000+ years ago.

The earliest known written recipes date to 1730 BC and were recorded on cuneiform tablets found in Mesopotamia. Other early written recipes date from approximately 1600 BC and come from an Akkadian tablet from southern Babylonia. There are also works in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting the preparation of food.

John Wayne first wrote the casserole recipe, but it looks a little different today. John Wayne Casserole was first popularized by the 1979 cookbook, "Cooking with Love from Cara and Her Friends," a collection of different celebrities' favorite dishes.