My mom and my uncles used to call my grandmother "the casserole queen." I don't think they meant it entirely as a compliment. I, however, think casseroles are nearly the perfect food (the sandwich, of course, being the perfect food)...all your food groups...or what we used to consider the food groups...in one dish, and one you can make ahead and bake later.
I try to make one or two every weekend, because it makes work night dinners so much easier. I am nothing if not lazy.
And speaking of lazy...I really like golabki (Polish stuffed cabbage), but stuffing cabbage leaves is a pain. At least I think it's a pain; the hot cabbage leaves burn. You can probably guess where I'm going with this:
Golabki casserole (unstuffed cabbage...meat or vegetarian)
About 3/4 pound of ground beef or mushrooms (cremini, which I think are the same as "baby" portobellos)
Olive oil
One onion, chopped
One clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of cooked rice (I prefer brown rice)
1 can of condensed tomato soup
~1 teaspoon each of oregano and basil
~1/2 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper
Shredded cabbage (I use a bag of cole slaw mix...you need a bit less than a pound)
Brown and drain the ground beef, or, if you're doing the vegetarian version, chop up the mushrooms.
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, then add the meat or mushrooms. (If you happen to have a nearly empty bottle of red wine sitting next to the stove, throw in a splash.) Cook until the mushrooms have softened. Mix in rice, seasonings, and soup.
Let that simmer while you spray a casserole or baking dish with cooking spray (makes cleanup easier), then put the cabbage in the dish. In a 9 x 9 baking dish, I fill it about 3/4 with cabbage. Pour the meat/mushroon/rice/soup mix on top, cover, and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Serve with pierogis.