Casseroles are an easy, go-to item that can feed plenty of people in all seasons at potlucks, backyard barbecues and pool parties. If you’re sick of green bean casseroles, check out 10 African recipes that will make you rethink casseroles.
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
You can still get your green bean fix in this recipe, but you also get the great chunky texture of the garbanzo beans, the sweet, nutty flavor of the peanut butter, and that oh-so-comforting sweet potato that you’d usually just be baking and browning a little on the grill during the summer.
Bobotie is a signature South African dish that has all the properties of a casserole: meat, carbs, veggies and a crispy top all baked in the oven. This tasty recipe is all vegan, while still retaining the authentic bobotie flavors from the raisins, apples and almonds.
This vegetarian casserole dish has all the warmth, gooey textures and awesome layers of a hearty meat casserole, but it gets that from the soft eggplant and cheddar cheese. Chopped, roasted peanuts and breadcrumbs give it a nice crumbly top.
With zucchini, yellow squash and carrots, this casserole turns out really colorful and beautiful. It’s seasoned with curry powder, cayenne pepper and some crushed dried herbs, sweetened with peanut butter and cooled down with Greek-style yogurt.
This list wouldn’t be complete without a traditional Bobotie recipe, and this one is very thorough with all the right spices such as nutmeg, cloves and cumin, a generous lineup of fruits including mango chutney, dried apricots, raisins and apple, and a delicious beef-lamb-pork combination.
If you like chunky, tender pieces of beef then you’ll love this recipe. With ginger paste and fresh cilantro, you’ll love it over mashed potatoes or rice.
Think of this as Ghana’s version of a tuna casserole. It’s simply yams, chopped onions, cayenne pepper and herring fillets. Herring is a super salty fish so it works with the sweet yams perfectly. If you want to Americanize it a bit, you can crumble cornflakes on top of the casserole before putting it in the oven.
Ethiopians are great at making vegetable dishes anything but ordinary, playing with the texture and adding amazing spices. This vibrant casserole is no different, with red beans, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes and carrots stewing in chicken stock, some spicy berbere mix and other great flavors. It’s served with Greek-style yogurt.
Nigerian lamb is said to be some of the most tender so, if you ever visit the country, don’t skimp on lamb dishes! This recipe has a nice smoky flavor from the mushrooms, a creaminess from the cooked down spinach, and a great texture and sweetness from the parsnip.
This casserole has a really dynamic list of ingredients. We love the salty, warm black olives, which coat everything in their flavor, paired with the zesty lemon juice and crisp white wine. The cherry tomatoes become sweet when cooked, tempering some of the other more intense ingredients and the chili pepper adds a great spice.