As you might expect, a dish named after a famous actor is bound to have a story behind it, and John Wayne Casserole is no exception.
Back in 1978, a 10-year-old girl named Cara Connery wanted to raise funds for cancer research. She had lost several members of her family to the disease, and was determined to find a way to help. She came up with the idea of creating a cookbook featuring the favorite recipes of celebrities, and with help from her mother sent letters to about 1,400 people asking them to contribute. She received responses from enough of her letters to publish "Cooking with Love from Cara and Her Friends" in 1979, with contributions from Alan Alda, Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo), President Jimmy Carter, Walter Cronkite, Golda Meir, Robert Redford, and many others... and of course, John Wayne.
The recipe in Cara's cookbook, however, is very different from what we call a John Wayne Casserole today. His original recipe was basically an egg and cheese casserole topped with sliced tomatoes that did not contain any meat or a biscuit crust. It has a very different consistency and appeal, more akin to that of a breakfast or brunch type dish.
So, where did the casserole we know today come from?
For that, we have to go to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. Or rather, their cafeteria. The staff came up with a completely different type of casserole that emphasizes a strong connection to Southwestern flavors. It is their version that most people recognize as John Wayne Casserole today.
But even with this knowledge, there are a myriad of variations in ingredients. Some of the variations will be listed in the notes on the recipe card... but basically, this recipe has enough leeway for anyone to "make it their own" to suit their family's tastes. Even I made a couple of changes from the base recipe I used because it was more convenient for the ingredients I had on hand.
Adapted from She's Not Cookin'