This Carrot Casserole is a great side dish for Easter or any holiday celebration. I love it because it's unique, delicious and it's two dishes in one!
This recipe combines carrots and stuffing in one easy dish. But because it uses Stovetop stuffing mix, it's quick and simple to throw together and the melted cheese is the crowning glory! It's the perfect side for Easter dinner, Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, or any holiday meal.
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This cheesy casserole recipe is another one of my Auntie Carol's famous veggie recipes that she always makes for holiday family gatherings. Her Green Beans & Mushrooms is my other favorite - it adds a fresh splash of color to your dinner plate, as does this dish.
🥘Ingredients
- fresh carrots
- condensed cream of celery soup
- water
- Stovetop stuffing mix
- butter
- onion
- cheddar cheese
- green onions (optional)
🔪Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and spray a small round roaster or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Peel and chop carrots into small pieces.
Cook in boiling water until a fork can easily go through them. Drain carrots.
Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, cook 2 tablespoon of butter and onions in microwave for 2 minutes. *This is a quick way to make sauteed onions
In a small roaster or casserole dish, add soup, cooked carrots. water and stove top stuffing (dry mix) then mix in onion in butter.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the carrot mixture.
- Top with remaining (3 tbsp) of melted butter.
- Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven.
📖Variations & Substitutions
This is the perfect side dish for Easter because a lot of people opt to have ham instead of turkey for this holiday dinner. And you don't necessarily want to go to all the trouble to make stuffing for every single holiday meal anyway. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Homemade Stuffing but if I'm not making a turkey, it's really a lot of extra work!
However, for this recipe, you can use:
- Stovetop stuffing or your favorite stuffing recipe or leftover stuffing
- Regular carrots or baby carrots (although regular carrots taste much better!)
- Low-fat or regular sharp cheddar cheese
🐖Easter Dinner Ham
If you are looking for the perfect ham recipe to go with this dish at your Easter dinner, then give my Picnic Ham with Orange Glaze a try! My recipe has step-by-step instructions and it's as easy as can be. Picnic hams are also quicker and easier to make because they are already partially cooked!
Stovetop stuffing is a quick and easy way to make this carrot casserole. You throw it in dry and it cooks to perfection because of the moisture from the other ingredients. And it's a great Easter side dish because carrots just scream Easter!
🥕Why are carrots associated with Easter?
During WWII carrots were promoted as a sweetener by Britain's Ministry of Agriculture in the absence of sugar, which was rationed to 8 ounces per adult per week. The 'carrot on a stick' was actually offered as the alternative to ice cream when supplies of sugar to make ice cream ran low.
But the carrot on a stick was not only the official wartime substitute for ice cream, it was what kids got for Easter instead of chocolate egg! You can read more about why kids got carrot on a stick for Easter HERE. Fortunately, these days kids only have to eat carrots as a side dish and get chocolate eggs too!
💭Make-ahead
I love carrots as a side dish with my Easter Dinner. But getting all your dishes prepared for an Easter dinner can be a lot of work, so I prefer to do my preparation in stages. I love this cheesy carrot casserole because it can also be made a couple of days in advance and reheated.
🌡️Storage
Store leftover carrot casserole in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This cheesy carrot casserole recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🍽Equipment
You'll need a large pot, cutting board, sharp knife, 1 quart round or oval casserole dish or baking dish, and cheese grater, (affiliate links) to make this carrot casserole.
🐇Easter Desserts
If you're looking for Easter Desserts to go with this, then give my Healthy & Light Carrot Cake a try! However, if you don't want to eat carrots for your dessert too and you're looking for something a little more indulgent, then I recommend my Easter Creme Egg Chocolate Swiss Roll or the traditional Pumpkin Pie.
📋 Carrot Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups cooked carrots *about 7-8 medium to large carrots
- 10 oz - can condensed cream of celery soup
- ¼ cup water
- 120 g -package of Stovetop stuffing mix
- 5 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup sharp/old cheddar cheese, shredded
Garnish (optional)
- green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and spray a small round roaster or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Peel and chop carrots into small pieces.
- Cook in boiling water until a fork can easily go through them. Drain.
- In a microwave safe bowl, cook 2 tablespoon butter and onions in microwave for 2 minutes.
- In a small roaster or casserole dish, add soup, cooked carrots. water and stove top stuffing (dry mix) then mix in onion in butter.
- Sprinkle on shredded cheese.
- Top with remaining (3 tbsp) of melted butter.
- Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven.
Garnish (optional)
- Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve warm.
Ayngelina Brogan
This is a great recipe for Easter weekend, and I have 5 lbs of carrots in my fridge.
Wendy
Unlike the other reviews, I actually made this dish. It is rich, salty (yum) and comforting but we found it a bit bland. The green onion garnish at the end is a must. I made it in a 2 quart casserole dish so it had more cheese coverage. Will try fresh garlic, pepper, Mrs. Dash next time.
It's a flexible recipe which is fun. Thank you 😊
Terri Gilson
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Wendy! Great idea to spice it up a bit if you find it a little too bland for your taste 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to share your review!
Terri
Cynthia
This looks simple to make! My family loves carrots. I will have to save this recipe to try. Looks easy enough to make!
Kelly Neil
Oh man, I lovvveeeee StoveTop stuffing! What a fun and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing!