Banish thoughts of potato sticks, limp green beans and cream-of-something soups. Casseroles finally are redeeming themselves.

"In the '70s and '80s, casseroles became synonymous with El Caminos, cheap beer and church basements," says Emily Farris, author of the recent cookbook, "Casserole Crazy."

That's changing. A new generation of Americans focused on better and more exotic ingredients is giving new life to casseroles.

As evidenced by the recent spate of casserole-themed cookbooks, today's recipes are jammed with fresh vegetables and bold flavors, such as cumin, sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp and fresh dill.

Even upscale food magazines such as Gourmet and Martha Stewart Living are making space for recipes, recently offering updated versions of shepherd's pie with stewed root vegetables and potato casserole.

"If you make them with great ingredients, they are great and not dowdy at all," says Pamela Mitchell, executive food editor at Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, which has run more than a dozen casserole recipes during the past year.

The renewed appeal is fueled by several factors, including that casseroles are an economical way to stretch groceries, including leftovers. It also helps that more people are taking advantage of better ingredients to produce better casseroles, says Mitchell.

Casseroles first became popular during the '50s, the heyday of processed foods - such as canned soups - that made it easier for cooks to be in and out of the kitchen quickly, says Mitchell.

The casserole was ideal because it required little more than mixing a few ingredients with a can of soup and an hour of baking. It also was an inexpensive way to stretch leftovers to feed the family.

The good news is that it's the ingredients, not the simplicity, that has changed.

Elizabeth Yarnell, author of this year's "Glorious One-Pot Meals," likes to create healthy casseroles. Using only fresh ingredients and spices, Yarnell turns out nutritious meals minus heavy sauces. And all in under an hour per recipe.

"Casseroles are full of processed foods," she says. "I wanted to eat healthy, but I don't like to cook. This lets me do both."

Her Moroccan chicken, for example, calls for couscous, onions, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, spices and chicken, but nothing more processed than a can of tomato sauce.

Need more reasons to embrace the new face of casseroles? They are easy and forgiving. They are simple to assemble, they require no special cooking knowledge and are  adaptable.

Here are some tips that will have you cooking up great - and contemporary - casseroles of your own.

• Use the right size baking dish. Your rice won't cook properly if you use a deep, narrow dish instead of a shallow wider one. Err the other way, and your cheese dish will dry out before your pasta is cooked.

• Your casserole dishes aren't marked with what size they are? To check the capacity, fill it with water one quart at a time.

• Don't be afraid to use frozen ingredients in place of fresh ones, especially when it comes to vegetables.

• Don't forgo the special ingredients. Casseroles are an economical way to stretch ingredients such as shrimp or lobster for a crowd. Both can be pricey as a main dish, but with a casserole each guest needs only a few bites.

• Adjust recipes to your liking. If one cup of cheese seems indulgent, cut it in half. Want a thinner sauce? Add water.

• Understand the basic ratios of a good casserole. This helps you create your own and change others. Generally, a casserole for two people would have 1Ú2 to 3Ú4 pound of meat, 1Ú2 to 1 cup of starch, plus vegetables to taste. If you want to bind the ingredients, you'll need more sauce, cream or stock than if you prefer a more layered meal.

Mini ham and egg casseroles

Start to finish: 30 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 4

8-inch baguette, cut into small cubes

4 ounces cream cheese, cut crosswise into 12 slices

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/4 pound thinly sliced ham, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 scallions, white and green portions, thinly sliced

Ground black pepper

11/2 cups fat-free half-and-half (regular also can be used)

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 pound plum tomatoes, cut into wedges

Salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

Fill each cup of the muffin tin halfway with bread cubes. Top each with 1 slice of cream cheese. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the ham, scallion whites and a pinch of pepper. Saute until the scallions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and bring just to a simmer, then remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and thyme, then whisk in the warm half-and-half mixture. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in each muffin cup, then bake until puffed and golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a cooling rack.

Drizzle the tomato slices with olive oil, top with the scallion greens and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the mini-casseroles.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 429 calories; 172 calories from fat; 19 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 316 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrate; 25 g protein; 2 g fiber; 907 mg sodium.

Enchilada casserole

Start to finish: 1 hour (25 minutes active)

Servings: 8

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cups salsa

15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Six 8-inch flour tortillas

3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Heat the oven to 400 F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium, saute the beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the meat, then stir in the salsa, beans, salad dressing, taco seasoning and cumin.

Arrange 3 tortillas in the prepared baking dish. Spread half of the meat mixture over the tortillas, then top with half each of the sour cream and cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas, then repeat the layering with remaining meat, sour cream and cheese.

Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 357 calories; 12 g fat (5 g saturated); 45 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrate; 23 g protein; 3 g fiber; 864 mg sodium.