3. Par-Cook the Ingredients
Not all cooking times for ingredients are equal. For instance, if you plan on adding shredded chicken breast to your corn casserole, it’s a wise idea to cook the chicken beforehand partially. Par-cooking refers to “partially cooking,” ingredients before adding them to the dish.
This strategy works well to help all of the contents of the casserole cook through before serving. Root vegetables like onions, carrots, and beets take a lot longer to cook than beans or broccoli, and the last thing you want is a casserole where the corns perfectly cooked, but the broccoli is mushy and tastes horrible. Par-cooking places all of the ingredients on an even playing field and gives them all the perfect cooking time.
When preparing your casserole, pay attention to the ingredients list and follow all directions for par-cooking correctly. Merely adding all the ingredients to the casserole dish and slapping it in the oven will leave you with a meal no-one wants to eat.