I would go with a baked pasta dish. They can eat it right away or wrap and freeze for later. You can tailor what you put into to their dietary restrictions or likes. And pasta always seems to be comforting.
Aside from the food choice, one of the best things that someone ever did for my family was bring the casserole with a note that the pan didn't need to be returned. Later, she told us that she gets dishes from the thrift shop so that the family doesn't need to worry about what dish came from whom. I thought it was brilliant (and now do it myself with flower vases as well - much nicer to bring someone flowers in a vase and not have to pay an arm and a leg for the vase!)
Black bean chili (freezable). Asopao de pollo(soupy chicken rice). Green salad (so many carbs come in!). Beef stew. Roasted chicken. Chicken soup(my new fave is Healthy Soup from River Run Roots). Cookies for kids. Jello salads are traditional in the Midwest, as are hot dishes with tater tot toppings. A meal a month for a few months is a lovely gift.
Roast a whole turkey. They will eat it for days. Make a chocolate cake. Add a salad or green vegetable, a potato dish that can be reheated, and cranberry sauce. If you can, also stuffing/dressing. Put a bottle of wine in the box/basked. They will remember you forever. No holding back!
Although this is straying a bit from the original poster's question, here are a few items that were very welcome when our family experienced a loss: beverages (beer, wine, soda); paper goods; cookies; a bag of apples; cut-up vegetables. In particular, the fruits and veggies were welcome as we did end up with a LOT of casserole-type things.
How about a meal when everyone else has taken their lasagna pans back home? When one is the bereaved, it seems that all of the attention comes at once, and then the world resumes. It is nice to know that someone is thinking about you several weeks or even months later. The "what" is less important than the gesture.
i think a nice, light, easy on the stomach and comforty quiche with a bagful of fresh, washed whole butter lettuce leaves is a nice alternative. some cupcakes or cookies for dessert would be appreciated. i find that when i don't feel too well, that salt and sweet perk up my appetite and behavior. i have belatedly found out that many of my friends do not like marinara sauce or oregano. i was surprised at how many there were. also, i am finding that marinara can be kind of acidy/stomach upsetting under certain stressful circumstances. condolences.
Most of the time I take non-perishable items, like a basket with plastic silverware, napkins, paper towels, paper plates and bowls, toilet paper, Kleenex, water, and shelf stable fruit and snacks. People run out of room for storing perishable foods and have to discard things and feel a little guilty when they have to do it. Being from the country in the South, tons of fried chicken, potato salad and ham shows up!
Along the same line, I have taken dog food to friends when I knew brand/type they used and realized that getting to the animal supply store might be low on list of priorities.
If you can find them near you, Reynolds makes paper disposable casserole pans. These can go in the oven AND the microwave.
I'd like to add an idea for a different kind of casserole (assuming they are omnivores): chicken and rice. They can be as creamy and/or cheesy as you want for comfort food factor and I find they reheat better than noodle based dishes when you get into reheating multiple times. A layer of shredded dark meet chicken in the middle of creamy rice and veggies will keep the chicken from overcooking.
As opposed to a lasagna, I make large stuffed shells and freeze them on a cookie sheet, and then bring them in a ziploc with some sauce. That way they can make up as much as they need, when they need. Shells can be stuffed with cheese, meat, or veggies.
I second the lasagna idea although I would bake it first (the less they have to do the better, and if they are taking condolence calls all day long it will be difficult to get up and cook).
During my recent mourning people brought pasta dishes which as Nancy says were very soothing (and popular with my family); they got finished first. Caesar salad also got finished up (my kids always liked it even when young but I would make it without eggs). A Persian meal of rice dishes and kebabs was also eagerly consumed but that depends on the child's age and preferences ... Spaghetti and meat balls or roasted chicken and potatoes are also good options.
Lisanne - my idea and experience of giving the unbaked lasagna is so the family gets a freshly-made casserole. I alsio see the convenience of giving them one already cooked.
Sometimes the family is overwhelmed with food gifts and can't eat everything before it spoils, so something for the freezer is good.
Also, carbs are soothing and almost everyone loves them.
I have found an unbaked lasagna in a freezable/oven-proof container works beautifully in this situation. Include directions for cooking now, and for freezing now and cooking later.
If you know they have dairy or wheat allergies, make some other casserole to accommodate them, but still in the cookable or freezable set-up.
Season to taste but - given the child's taste buds - err on the side of no hot peppers.
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I'd like to add an idea for a different kind of casserole (assuming they are omnivores): chicken and rice. They can be as creamy and/or cheesy as you want for comfort food factor and I find they reheat better than noodle based dishes when you get into reheating multiple times. A layer of shredded dark meet chicken in the middle of creamy rice and veggies will keep the chicken from overcooking.
During my recent mourning people brought pasta dishes which as Nancy says were very soothing (and popular with my family); they got finished first. Caesar salad also got finished up (my kids always liked it even when young but I would make it without eggs). A Persian meal of rice dishes and kebabs was also eagerly consumed but that depends on the child's age and preferences ... Spaghetti and meat balls or roasted chicken and potatoes are also good options.
Also, carbs are soothing and almost everyone loves them.
I have found an unbaked lasagna in a freezable/oven-proof container works beautifully in this situation. Include directions for cooking now, and for freezing now and cooking later.
If you know they have dairy or wheat allergies, make some other casserole to accommodate them, but still in the cookable or freezable set-up.
Season to taste but - given the child's taste buds - err on the side of no hot peppers.