This Hamburger and Potato Casserole transforms humble ingredients into a hearty, soul-warming meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights or casual gatherings. Layers of seasoned ground beef, tender potatoes, and melted cheese create a satisfying one-dish dinner that pleases even picky eaters. The beauty of this casserole lies in its straightforward preparation and versatility—customize with your favorite vegetables or seasonings while maintaining its comforting essence. With make-ahead convenience and budget-friendly ingredients, this casserole delivers homestyle goodness that makes it a treasured family favorite, proving that sometimes the simplest dishes bring the greatest satisfaction to the dinner table.
Hearty Hamburger and Potato Casserole: Comfort Food at Its Finest
Hamburger and Potato Casserole embodies everything we love about home cooking – it’s satisfying, adaptable, and brings people together around the table with minimal fuss. This humble yet delicious dish represents the beautiful intersection of convenience and comfort, transforming simple, affordable ingredients into a meal that feels like a warm hug on a plate. The magic lies in how ordinary components – ground beef, potatoes, and cheese – combine to create something extraordinarily comforting.
What makes this casserole particularly special is its remarkable versatility. It serves as the perfect canvas for using seasonal vegetables or whatever happens to be in your refrigerator. The forgiving nature of this recipe allows for endless variations while maintaining its soul-satisfying essence. For busy families juggling hectic schedules, this one-dish wonder offers precious simplicity – protein, vegetables, and starch all baking together in perfect harmony.
The layered texture profile is another reason to fall in love with this casserole. The creamy, tender potatoes provide a velvety base, while the seasoned ground beef adds savory depth. The golden, bubbling cheese crust that forms on top delivers that irresistible combination of crispy edges and gooey stretchy goodness that makes casseroles so beloved.
Why This Hamburger and Potato Casserole Deserves a Place at Your Table
From a practical standpoint, this casserole excels as a meal prep champion. It reheats beautifully, actually improving in flavor as the ingredients have time to meld together. Leftovers can be repurposed for lunches throughout the week, providing excellent value for both your time and grocery budget. For hosts, it offers the convenience of advance preparation – assemble ahead and simply slide it into the oven when guests arrive.
Hamburger and Potato Casserole: One-Dish Wonder
Perhaps most compelling is how this unpretentious dish consistently earns a place in family recipe collections, passed down through generations with personal tweaks and variations. It represents the kind of honest, unfussy cooking that nourishes both body and soul – the type of recipe that becomes a trusted standby in your culinary repertoire, ready to provide comfort whenever needed.
Storage Options
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze individual portions or the entire casserole (once cooled) for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or use freezer-safe containers.
- Reheating: Thaw overnight in refrigerator if frozen. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven until heated through (approximately 20-25 minutes) or microwave individual portions on medium power.
- Make-Ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours before baking and refrigerate. Add an extra 10-15 minutes to baking time if cooking from cold.
Summary
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50-60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10-20 minutes
Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Budget-friendly
Equipment
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- Large skillet
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cheese grater (if using block cheese)
- Aluminum foil
- Potato peeler (optional)
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds ground beef (80/20 lean to fat ratio)
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4-5 medium potatoes), thinly sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
- 1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and diced bell pepper to the beef mixture and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Drain any excess fat from the skillet and return it to the heat.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, dried Italian herbs, paprika, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the condensed cream of mushroom soup with milk, whisking until smooth.
- Layer half of the thinly sliced potatoes in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Spread half of the ground beef mixture over the potatoes.
- Sprinkle half of the corn kernels and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over the beef layer.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining potatoes, beef mixture, and corn.
- Pour the cream of mushroom soup mixture evenly over the top.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil, sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese over the top, and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- For faster preparation, you can use pre-sliced refrigerated potatoes or slice them thinly (about 1/8 inch) to ensure they cook completely.
- Feel free to substitute cream of chicken or cream of celery soup if you prefer.
- Add more vegetables such as mushrooms, carrots, or peas for extra nutrition.
- For a spicier version, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a diced jalapeño to the beef mixture.
- For a richer flavor, use half beef broth and half milk instead of all milk when mixing with the condensed soup.
- Russet potatoes work best for this recipe, but you can substitute Yukon Gold for a creamier texture.
- To make this dish gluten-free, use gluten-free condensed soup.
- For a lighter version, use lean ground turkey or chicken instead of beef and reduced-fat cheese.
- If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the remainder of the baking time.