Elizabeth Barbone

I received this e-mail the other day:

I want to make casseroles but I can't seem to find whether or not they are gluten-free.

Janice G.

Almost daily I get questions that don't really have an easy answer. Are casseroles gluten-free? They can be! See, casserole refers to a hot dish, often vegetable or meat, that is cooked in a sauce or liquid. There are almost endless variations of casseroles.

Since the writer did not provide me with a specific recipe, I will hazard a guess as to the type of casserole she is referring to in her e-mail.

Many American casseroles use condensed soup and noodles. Using the traditional ingredients of wheat-based condensed soup and noodles, the recipe would not be gluten-free. However, unlike a baking recipe where substitutions are hard to make, gluten-free ingredients can be substituted for the gluten-containing ones. Use gluten-free pasta in place of noodles and a gluten-free soup in place of the condensed soup. In addition, you can make a "homemade" condensed soup if you don't like/can't find a gluten-free canned soup.

So while most casseroles aren't naturally gluten-free, they can be made gluten-free by substituting a few ingredients. I promise, in most cases, you won't even be able to taste the difference!

Do you have a casserole recipe you would like to share? Let me know! Email me your recipe!

Elizabeth Barbone