How To Make Bologna The Last-Minute Superstar Of Your Next Potluck

Casseroles are the unsung heroes of last-minute dinner plans. Sure, they must be compiled, and bake for an hour or so. But the flexibility offered by casseroles, hotdishes, and pasta bakes is nearly unparalleled. If you've got some veggies, cheese, and a carbohydrate or starch (could be pasta or rice, could be biscuit mix or boxed instant potatoes), you've already got the start of a tasty casserole. Throw in some broth or soup and whatever meat is on hand, and you've got all the important last-minute food groups. But there's another ingredient you may be overlooking: bologna. That's right, sliced, processed lunch meat. Chopped up and fried, it works as a base protein or a crispy accent.

Casseroles seem to be having a moment, and even TikTokers are on the trend. Between busy lives and wanting a creative dinner or potluck contribution, casseroles present as a complex dish with (generally) minimal heavy lifting. A box of this, a can of that, and you're good. If the humble leftover hot dog can dress up a casserole, then bologna can too. It's a kid-friendly ingredient that also holds nostalgic appeal for adults. And just because you're tossing in bologna doesn't mean the casserole isn't tasty. Besides, you can always upgrade from packaged, sliced bologna to fancy deli mortadella for more complex flavors and a fancier dish.

The word casserole first shows up in English print in the eighteenth century, referring to baked dishes of rice (and later potatoes) with various fillings, though one-pot cooking goes way back. Following WWII, companies like Campbell's — responsible for the all-American green bean casserole — pushed the concept of incorporating affordable, processed goods into classic casseroles. But according to at least one YouTuber, bologna casseroles were popular during the Great Depression, which makes sense: The deli meat's affordability factor helped make bologna sandwiches a lunch time staple in the 20th century. 

Bologna adds a familiar flavor and texture throughout a dish. While it can be layered into a casserole the way you might layer ground beef, that means cutting off hunks of tough meat with a fork while eating it, which could dismantle the whole thing. Dicing the meat, whether from an uncut chunk from the deli or pre-sliced Oscar Mayer slabs, then mixing it throughout the dish usually works best. Frying the bologna first also is recommended, as the meat caramelizes and gains both flavor and texture.

You can add bologna to almost any baked recipe in place of other proteins or as an accent, the way you might add crumbled bacon. Bologna works mighty well with tater tots and canned soup to make Minnesota's famous hotdish (though they'll be quick to tell you it's not simply a casserole).