Penny Casserole

Penny casserole is the kind of weeknight dinner that costs almost nothing and feeds a full table. Cubed red potatoes, sliced hot dogs, diced onion, and green peas get bound together in a cream of mushroom soup sauce spiked with mustard and butter. It’s retro comfort food that kids go crazy for.

The name comes from the coin-shaped hot dog slices scattered throughout. Sliced into rounds, the frankfurters look like little pennies mixed in with the potatoes, and kids have been picking them out and eating them first for decades.

Boiling the potatoes until tender before assembling is important. Unlike some casseroles where raw potatoes cook in the oven, these need to be fully cooked going in. The 25-minute bake is just to heat everything through and let the soup sauce bubble around the edges, not to cook the potatoes from scratch.

Kitchen Tips

• Use red-skinned potatoes. They hold their shape after boiling and baking, while russets tend to fall apart into mush in a casserole.
• Cube the potatoes small (about ¾ inch). They need to be bite-sized and similar in size to the hot dog rounds for even texture.
• Any cream soup works. The recipe says cream of mushroom, but cream of celery or cream of chicken are equally good here. Use what’s in the pantry.
• Don’t cover the casserole. Baking uncovered lets the top develop a slightly golden crust rather than steaming everything soggy.

Variations

• Cheesy penny casserole: Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking.
• Kielbasa upgrade: Swap the hot dogs for sliced kielbasa or smoked sausage for a smokier, more grown-up version.