What defines the dish as a casserole?

I have always wondered if my dish really is a casserole. Per Merriam Webster dictionary:

• a dish in which food may be baked and served
• food cooked and served in a casserole

I have to laugh because mine follows neither but yet per my mother-in-law who introduced me to the recipe she calls it sausage rice casserole. Yet its all mixed together in the end in a big pot where its then topped with cheese to melt. Its never baked or moved into a glass pan or dish to serve. It would be weird to call it sausage rice dish so casserole it is. 

It's been raining the last few days and I have been itching to make something yummy. Cookies take too much time and I hate cleaning up the mess, which isn't really a lot but still it creates dishes and I am done doing dishes today. 

So I saw that Flux had put a thing of sausage in the fridge to defrost so I was like perfect, I will make sausage rice casserole. I cracked open the window so I could smell the air of the rain storm while I was cooking. Oh the kitchen smells SO yummy right now. 6 o'clock can't get here any sooner. 

Recipe- super simple to make (20 minutes tops). Caution though if you are trying to watch your carbs this is not for you lol!

4 servings of cooked instant short grain rice- this way we can have left overs

1lb of sausage (original flavor jimmy dean)

5 cups of medium shredded cheese (don't get finely shredded)

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

While your rice is cooking (be sure to use a bigger pot so you can mix all ingredients together) cook the sausage. After the sausage is all cooked set it aside. Once the rice is done take it off the burner and scoop half the sausage into the pan with the rice also open one can of the cream of mushroom soup and add it as well to the mix. Put 2 cups the cheese in as well. Mix well. Now add the rest of the sausage, the other can of soap and 2 cups of cheese and mix well. Be sure to get all the soup into the mix. Now take your last cup of cheese and spread it over the top of the dish. Put your pot lid back on and let the cheese melt until you are ready to eat!

Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite rainy day dishes?