We have a guest room that faces movie star legend, John Wayne’s historic 26 Bar (Herefords) Ranch. We live in a community that values its John Wayne connection. His picture is hanging in several local businesses. When I saw an article about John Wayne’s Casserole, I thought, “Really? Did he inspire a casserole?”
Searching for John Wayne’s Casserole Recipe
After doing several internet searches, I initially found out via various recipe websites that the history of John Wayne’s Casserole popularity dates back to 1979 (the same year he died from cancer) when he supposedly contributed a recipe to a cancer fundraising cookbook titled “Cooking with Love from Cara and Her Friends.”
Did the recipe’s popularity start with a 10 year old girl?
Back in the late 70’s a cookbook was created by a 10 year-old girl named Cara and her mother, that was aimed to raise funds for the American Cancer Society after losing relatives to cancer. Their goal was to create a cookbook that featured different celebrities favorite recipes. Cara and her mother wrote letters to over 1,400 famous people asking them if they would contribute their favorite dish recipe for her cookbook.
Cara’s celebrity-inspired cookbook featured contributions from Alan Alda (whole wheat bread), Captain Kangaroo (pork chops with sauerkraut and apple), Ed Asner (noodle pudding), Golda Meir (chicken soup), Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (beef soup), President Jimmy Carter (5 recipes including strawberry cake and peanut brittle), John Wayne (egg and cheese casserole), Robert Redford (whole wheat bread), President Ronald Reagan (sweet-and-sour salad dressing, and veal scaloppine), and Walter Cronkite (meat loaf). Some of those who responded didn’t have a recipe to give her, but replied with greetings instead. George Burns sent in a tip “if there’s ketchup on the table, then I know the food is good”, and Pope John Paul II sent in a prayer. The book also included notes from David Bowie, the singer, and Mario Andretti, the sports car racer.
John Wayne’s Recipe?
Without having a copy of the original cookbook, I concluded that John Wayne’s original recipe contribution to Cara’s book was an egg and cheese casserole. I also determined the original cookbook is a rare find today (out of print), and I could not find a copy via eBook.
I did find several (unverified) versions of the “original” John Wayne Casserole recipe. I even searched my 80+ year old mother’s and my grandmother’s old cookbooks and recipes. My family did not have a copy of the recipe, despite the fact that we watched most of John Wayne’s movies.
1973 or 1979?
I happened to find a blog post with a picture of “John Wayne’s Cheese Casserole” recipe on a vintage McCall’s Great American Recipe Card with a 1973 copyright printed on the card. (I actually remember seeing some of these recipe cards back in the early 70’s!) Honestly, the picture of the casserole did NOT appeal to me at all. In other words, I would not have cooked this recipe back then. I found it interesting that the copyright date on the McCall’s recipe card preceded Cara’s cookbook date, making me wonder if it was Cara or McCall’s (or both) that contributed to the popularity of John Wayne’s Casserole.
The Original Recipe?
Below are three John Wayne Casserole recipe variations that are relatively similar to what I believe was the original recipe.
# One:
John Wayne Casserole
1 can (4 ½ ounces) chopped green chilies
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
4 eggs, separated
⅔ cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
Butter a 2-quart, oven-proof casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the chilies with the cheeses and place into dish. Combine the egg yolks, evaporated milk, flour and salt and cayenne, and beat thoroughly. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the yolk mixture. Pour over cheese mixture in dish and pierce with fork to allow liquid to absorb into cheese. Bake 40 minutes. Place tomato slices in a layer on top and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.
Reference: https://www.cooksinfo.com/john-wayne-casserole
# Two:
This recipe is closest to the McCalls’s 1973 recipe card.
John Wayne Casserole
2 (4-ounce) cans green chilies, drained
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
1 pound Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
4 eggs, separated (whites & yolks)
⅔ cup canned evaporated milk, undiluted
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 medium tomatoes sliced
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Remove seeds from chilies and dice (the) peppers. In a large bowl combine grated cheeses and green chilies. Turn into a well-buttered, shallow 2-quart, 12-by-8-by-2- inch, casserole (dish). In a large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. In a small bowl combine egg yolks, milk, flour, salt and pepper. Mix until well-blended.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold beaten whites into egg yolk mixture. Pour this mixture over cheese in casserole and, using a fork, help it “ooze” through the cheese. Bake 30 minutes and remove from oven and arrange sliced tomatoes, overlapping around the edge of casserole.
Bake 30 minutes longer or until a silver knife inserted in center comes out clean. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped green chilies if desired. Makes six to eight servings.
Reference: https://www.cooksinfo.com/john-wayne-casserole
# Three:
The shortest and simplest version of the recipe, probably written for an experienced cook.
JOHN WAYNE, Actor
CHEESE CASSEROLE
2 cans diced green chilies
1 lb. Jack cheese, coarsely grated
1 Ib. cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
4 eggs, separated
1 small can evaporated milk
1 TBSP flour
Beat evaporated milk and flour with egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Add stiffly beaten egg whites, folding them in gently. In a deep dish casserole, well buttered, mix shredded cheese with chiles; pour egg mixture over cheese and ”ooze” it through with a fork. Bake casserole 30 mins in a preheated 325º oven. Remove and top with slices of fresh tomato. Return to oven and bake 30 mins more.
Is it still John Wayne’s Casserole recipe today?
It is obvious the recipe has morphed over the years. If you do a Pinterest search today for John Wayne Casserole recipes you will often find a different version of a casserole supposedly made popular by the University of Mississippi Medical Center Cafeteria.
The Mississippi version is more of a Southwest Tex-Mex version (IMO) based on the ingredients. They added a biscuit based crust, ground beef and taco seasoning; they left out the eggs and use less cheese. The changes lead to my question, “Is it still John Wayne’s Casserole recipe just because of they use his name?” The university recipe version was nicknamed “The Duke.” I was unable to verify if this version is still served at the medical center, though several recipe websites report it is.
One thing is for sure, the history connected to the movie icon, John Wayne, lives on today despite time.
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