Matthew McConaughey and Guy Fieri Shoveled Down This Texas Comfort-Food Casserole

Unless you’re attending a state fair in the Midwest or are a parent serving dinner to a table of picky eaters, chances are slim that a casserole recipe is earning any culinary crowns. And it’s certainly not winning any beauty contests.

Still, there’s something undeniably soulful, nostalgic and downright delicious about this entire category of cozy culinary delights. A flashback episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives that debuted on April 2, 2012, clued us in that we’re in very good company with this perspective. In fact, one casserole in particular is so craving-curing that it has a Food Network and a movie star in its fan club.

“You know, it's funny. On the East Coast, the restaurants that are serving breakfast, lunch and dinner — that make their own desserts in-house from scratch and make almost everything on the menu. What are they called exactly? Diners,” Guy Fieri said as he shut the door to his signature ruby-red Camaro. “But the farther you go west, they start calling different things like coffee shops or…

“Cafes,” Matthew McConaughey jumped in, as the actor strolled up to join Guy on this stop of his journey. “Exactly, Matthew,” Guy confirmed, kicking off the segment for this all-star Season 14 episode of Triple D. The dynamic duo is now just steps away from entering one delicious example of this concept: Monument Cafe.

Since 1995, this cafe has been a fixture in Georgetown, Texas, about 30 miles north of Austin. It was designed to tip a cap to the roadside cafes that were peppered across Texas from the 1920s to the '40s.

At Monument Cafe, the cooks source from local farmers as often as possible to round out what they grow in their on-site organic garden, and every menu item is made within the restaurant's retro-chic walls. Open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, Monument Cafe is renowned for its fried chicken and biscuits with sausage gravy, a pecan-crusted chocolate pie that fans call “pure bliss” and the aforementioned casserole with two famous fans.

King Ranch Casserole has roots in South Texas, where cooks would whip up a big pan to feed the cowboys at King Ranch, owner Rusty Winkstern said. Despite being born in Uvalde and raised in Longview (about three to four hours from Georgetown, respectively), Matthew admitted that he didn’t grow up with King Ranch Casserole as part of his culinary lexicon. “My mom was not a good cook,” Matthew laughed. “Sorry, mom — you know you weren’t!”

Before dishing up a serving for Matthew and Guy, Rusty walked (or should we say two-stepped?) them through how it comes together.

The humble recipe starts with the sauce: Rusty sauteed onions, green bell pepper and celery in oil before adding in sliced mushrooms and minced garlic. Once the veggies were tender, he deglazed the pan with white wine and sprinkled in salt, black pepper, chili powder and cumin. Next came canned tomatoes with green chiles, flour, chicken stock and milk. Within five or six minutes, this thickened up enough to act as the creamy casserole sauce.

“I don’t know if the word ‘casserole’ actually works,” Guy said, as he hinted at the fact that this hearty meal might be worthy of its own culinary category.

“Cashilada,” Matthew recommended, since it’s part casserole, part enchilada. (Honestly, we initially thought he suggested this because the dish is so “money,” as Guy often says!)

Guy was instantly sold on his Oscar-winning pal’s proposal, and said, “I’ll go and get the Sharpie and change all the menus by this afternoon.”

No matter what you call it, it was time for Rusty to assemble the King Ranch creation. To a large baking pan, he added a layer of sauce on shingles of corn tortillas, then scattered a couple handfuls of shredded dark and white meat chicken and grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. He repeated that process twice more, finished with a shower of shredded cheese and popped it into the oven to cook until golden brown and bubbly on top.

Once the King Ranch Casserole emerged from the oven, Matthew quickly called dibs on the corner piece. Guy gave him a bit of playful shade for securing a premium slice. Wasting no time, Matthew pointed to the pan and countered, “You have three more!”

Paired with a side of pinto beans and roasted root vegetables, a single slice makes for a seriously appetite-taming feast. One bite was all Guy needed to be sold. He celebrated the way the green chiles popped through the cream sauce, offering just enough relief from the richness — without being overly spicy.

Matthew also went back for forkful after forkful, praising the “real good consistency; not too wet and not too dry.”

Noticing his enthusiasm, Guy asked Matthew, “Would you shovel down a plate full of that?”

“Easily,” Matthew replied with a huge smile, just before taking another big bite. All three agreed that this is the epitome of Texas comfort food.

Although King Ranch Casserole is no longer a mainstay on the menu, they serve it on select weekends while supplies last. (Follow @monumentcafe on Instagram to find out when it’s available as a dine-in option.) Whenever this dish is available, servings don’t last long ever since Matthew and Guy shined a bright spotlight on this Tex-Mex main.

If you want to be sure they’ll save you a slice, call ahead to order the catering size. It’s a half-pan that the team said feeds nine to 12 … or about six if you invite Matthew, Guy and us!