Hot Dish Heaven: Classic Casseroles from Midwest Kitchens

What do you get when you mix Tater Tots, ground beef, and cream of mushroom soup? Tater Tot Hot Dish, of course! Retired Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste section editor—the delightful auntie every discerning foodie wants to call their own—Ann Burckhardt brings back the comfy casseroles of the fifties and sixties with modern updates for busy families, swingin’ singles, and twenty-first-century potluckers in Hot Dish Heaven.

A veritable geography of the best-of-the-best hot dishes, this handy cookbook features seventy kitchen-tested recipes collected from casserole connoisseurs across the Midwest. Emphasizing the use of fresh, nutritious ingredients without losing sight of the importance of a good can of soup in the right bake-and-share meal, Burckhardt balances delicious down-home selections like Texas Hash, Football Stew, and Reuben Bake with such wholesome one-dish wonders as Whole Grain Pilaf and Tian of Rice and Zucchini.

You too can dine like the stars with such dazzling feasts as Phoebe’s Peach Noodle Kugel from the childhood kitchen of comedian Al Franken and the Cedric Adams Hot Dish, named after the late Broadcasting Hall of Famer once known as the “voice of the Upper Midwest.” Burckhardt gives us the history of each dish, the classic variations, and ideas for cooking and sharing in today’s busy world.