As a lifelong Minnesotan I feel it’s my duty to clear up a misconception that’s plagued Minnesota-speak for decades. To wit: the term “hot dish” is usually defined as a quaint regional synonym for casserole.
That’s not entirely accurate.
Oh, hot dish can be a type of casserole. But as you can see from the highly-scientific diagram below, not every casserole qualifies as hot dish. For example, that Thanksgiving favorite, green bean casserole, is most definitely not a hot dish.
And while I suppose lasagna could be classified as a casserole or a hot dish, I’ve never heard anyone call it anything other than lasagna. Try it sometime. People will just look at you funny.
But I digress.
So what exactly is hot dish, anyway?
I’m so glad you asked.
Although there are dozens of hot dishes gracing any number of church basement potlucks on any given weekend throughout the Gopher State, they all possess some similar traits:
- They contain canned cream of something soup. This is usually cream of mushroom, but cream of celery (or even cream of chicken!) will do in a pinch.
- They contain canned or frozen vegetables. Most people use peas, carrots, or corn; however, any canned vegetable (with the possible exceptions of spinach, brussels sprouts, and beets) would work.
- They contain some kind of starch. This acts as a kind of suspension for the other ingredients. Rice, pasta, or even potatoes can be used.
- They contain inexpensive meat or canned fish. By far the champion hot dish meat is hamburger. Tuna and hot dogs are also used. I hear tell some folks use SPAM, although I’ve personally never done that.
- Hot dish isn’t always baked. Sometimes it’s simmered all day in a crock pot. Hot dish can also be put together in a good-sized cooking pot.
And what’s a casserole?
Good question. Casserole is much more free-form than hot dish.
- Casserole may or may not be saucy. Casseroles usually contain a sauce of some kind, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.
- Veggies are optional. Many casseroles contain vegetables, but they’re not required. That’s why macaroni and cheese could be classified as a casserole, but not as a hot dish. If you threw in peas and some kind of meat, it would be a different story.
- Meat/fish is optional, too. There are vegan casseroles. But vegan hot dishes? No self-respecting church lady would ever show up with that.
- Casserole is always baked. In a casserole.
So if you ever happen to be in Minnesota and find yourself attending a church basement potluck, take note of the difference and use the terms appropriately.
‘Cause no one wants church basement ladies to look at them funny.
