You’ll find “vegetable casserole,” a swamp of canned onions, frozen peas and carrots, cream of celery soup and a splash of milk. With good ingredients, a little technique, and respect for the inherent generosity of the dish, a rice casserole moves from nostalgic relic to weeknight star. Choose your shortcuts wiselyPart of the appeal of casseroles in the first place was how they collapsed dinner into a symphony of shortcuts: canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meat, instant rice. Season, season, seasonThe biggest mistake is thinking of a casserole as a single dish when, really, it’s an ensemble cast. In the end, rice casserole is less about nostalgia than about inheritance.