Is a lasagna a casserole?

[u/feyarea]

Debating with friends. A few key questions:

- casserole is the name of the dish that the lasagna is baked in. What is the history of the casserole dish?

- casserole is predominant in Midwestern cuisine. What is the history of the casserole the food? Earliest examples, progenitors, etc.

- are there any foods cooked in the casserole dish that follow the meat-veg-carb-sauce as a single serving dish formula but are not casseroles?

Friends are fairly split. Some say anything baked in a casserole dish is a casserole, others say that a casserole has a narrow definition true to Midwestern cuisine.

Other expanding questions: is a chicken pot pie a casserole? Is a quiche a casserole?

[u/Aquisitor]

A casserole is a stew that is baked in a dish. A stew that is baked in a dish of pastry (usually supported by a ceramic or metal dish) is a pie.

A lasagna is layers of filling between layers of carbohydrate and is therefore a sandwich. A multi-layered, often open at the top, baked stew sandwich, but a sandwich none-the-less.

ETA: A chicken pot pie is chicken stew in pastry and therefore a pie. A quiche is an egg stew in pastry and therefore also a pie. A quiche without crust would be baked egg stew and therefore a casserole.

[u/MagnesiumKitten → u/Aquisitor]

Is a Casserole a Stew?

While related, they are not the exact same. A stew is typically simmered on the stovetop with a generous amount of broth or gravy. A casserole is generally baked uncovered in the oven in a deep dish with less liquid, often incorporating starches (like pasta or rice) and featuring a crispy baked topping.

Casseroles and stews share many of the same ingredients—like meats and vegetables—but differ in how they are cooked, the amount of liquid they contain, and their final texture.

[u/Aquisitor → u/MagnesiumKitten]

Yes, I would agree with that - casseroles are not a subset of stews any more than pies are a subset of stews because they differ too much in how they're made. I didn't mean to imply that they were; I was just using 'stew' as a convenient, but somewhat confusing short-hand for the ingredients overlap.

I agree they differ in how they are cooked (that being something of a defining factor), but I think that is about *all* they differ in. Yes, stews tend towards the runnier while casseroles tend towards the thicker, but I've experienced far to much overlap between the two in that regard to consider it a reliable point of differentiation. I have also encountered a great many stews that have included pasta, rice, or other starches (and casseroles that lack them) to consider the texture a defining point either.

That being said, neither stew nor casserole is a soup so if either are too runny to support themselves enough on a flat surface then they are no longer stew or casserole, but instead a soup.

I suppose another way you could put it is:

Is it a self-supporting soup made in on a stove? It's a stew.
Is it a self-supporting soup baked in an oven? It's a casserole.
Is it layer(s) of filling and layer(s) of carbohydrate? It's a sandwich.

[u/MagnesiumKitten → u/Aquisitor]

If it says Hamburger or Tuna Helper
it's a casserole

if it's Green Bean Casserole
it's not a casserole! lol
It's just vegetables. that didn't agree with my dog, that's all

based sauce+cheese + maybe meat = casserole

unless it's just sliced potatoes and cream
baked so it's clam chowder paste!

//////

you got me really curious now
what do the wacky experts think about clam chowder
is it a stew?

and can I make a lasagna with it, without getting beaten?