My mom's 45-minute veggie casserole with fried onions and gooey cheese is a cheap lifesaver and an easy holiday meal

Lauren Edmonds and her mom in Orlando, Florida.Lauren Edmonds/Business Insider

• I made my mother's vegetable casserole for the first time in 10 years.
• The recipe includes three types of vegetables, fried onions, and water chestnuts.

I've never liked casseroles, but my mother's recipe with fried onions and gooey cheese is the only exception.

The veggie casserole recipe has been in my family for at least three generations, starting with my grandmother, who passed it along to my mother. While my mother followed the recipe closely throughout the years, she later added in her own secret ingredient: water chestnuts.

"The water chestnuts add a nice texture and crunch," she said, adding that the neutral flavor doesn't overwhelm the other ingredients.

It's been about 10 years since I've tasted her casserole recipe, and with the holidays cutting into everyone's time and cash, I thought I'd share the joy.

Keep reading to learn how to make Amy's Gooey Veggie Casserole.