Her winning casserole has roots in a different cultural crossover, however. Sullivan remembers watching Dinah Shore make tamale pie on her talk show in the 1970s. “It wasn’t like on the Food Network or even with Julia Child, where you have backup stuff. She made her recipes in real time,” Sullivan says. With no internet to fall back on, she scribbled notes and began experimenting. Fifty years later, her version now includes some smart store-bought swaps, like rotisserie chicken, jarred salsa, and the pièce de résistance—Doritos.
When our editors recreated the dish, they found it was not only delicious but also practical. One editor’s 10-year-old daughter even made it herself! Sullivan rethought the cornbread base, leaving out eggs to mimic the tender texture of masa-filled tamales. “Not too many people keep masa in their pantry, so I thought I could combine the cornbread mix and chicken stock, and I was happy with the way that came out,” she explains.
Sullivan’s decades of tinkering remind us why casseroles endure: They’re memory, creativity, and comfort, all baked into one dish. That’s the spirit behind World Casserole Day—a celebration of everyday home cooks who turn pantry staples into family traditions. On Sept. 24, let’s raise a fork to Sullivan—and to casseroles everywhere that honor the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the next dish you’ll pass along.
