This meat and cheese with potatoes casserole is a mainstay for families eating dinner at home. The simple recipe comes together quickly and bakes to a hot, cheesy rib-sticking meal.

Layers of ground beef, potatoes, and melted cheese, accompanied by a creamy mushroom soup gravy, make a delicious and reliable hamburger casserole. This dish is kid-friendly and easy on the grocery budget.

My family refers to this recipe simply as “The Casserole.” My cousin came to our home and prepared this recipe for us when my baby girl was born many years ago. It has been a family favorite since. Both of my daughters make their own variation of this recipe for their families now.

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The original recipe, ground beef and potato casserole, has transitioned through the years to include some favorite additions like mushrooms and onions sometimes. See this recipe I created for Jazzed Up Meat and Potato Casserole.

Meat Substitutions include: ground turkey, ground chicken, ground sausage, or ground venison.

Seasoning substitutions include: garlic powder, Rosemary, and Thyme combined, chili powder if you like a little heat, or paprika. However, this easy casserole is great with salt and pepper, heavy on the pepper.

Canned sliced Potato substitutions: you can use canned diced potatoes, or fresh potatoes. If using fresh, peel and cut into slices or dice, then boil until slightly tender. Drain, then add to your recipe.

Milk Substitution: You can use broth instead of milk. Either chicken, beef, or vegetable broth. This will make a slight change in flavor, especially is using beef broth. We prefer using milk.

Topping Substitution: The recipe calls for French Fried Onions. I have used crushed Funyuns that were quite good as a topping for this casserole. You can skip the crunch on top if you like.

Ingredients

Simple, common ingredients make this delicious ground beef potato casserole. We like ours heavy on the pepper. Scroll down for a list of ingredients you can use to make variations of the recipe.

• 1 lb. Ground beef, browned and drained (or ground turkey)
• 1 Can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can diced potatoes, drained (or sliced potatoes)
• ½ cup milk
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 cup French-fried onions

Directions

Step 1

Spray a large 2-quart casserole dish, like this one, with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Step 2

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the grease and pour the meat into a large bowl.

Step 3

In the large bowl with the cooked ground beef, add the cream of mushroom soup, salt and pepper to taste, diced potatoes, and milk. Stir to combine and pour into the prepared baking dish.

Recipe Note

I have used both sliced and diced potatoes in the recipe. We prefer the diced potatoes. I have also peeled and diced fresh potatoes, then boiled them until they are tender, and that is quite delicious too. If you boil your potatoes, reserve 1/2 cup of the juice when you drain the potatoes and substitute that for the milk in the recipe for added flavor.

Step 4

Place the baking dish into the oven on the middle rack and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the casserole is hot and bubbly.

Step 5

Remove the hot casserole dish from the oven and top with the shredded cheese and French fried onions. Then return the dish to the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt, which should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Cook this hamburger potato casserole for a weeknight dinner or take it to a potluck. It also makes good funeral food. If you take this dish to the home of a family experiencing a funeral, I recommend cooking it in a disposable foil pan so they don’t need to return a dish.

Other names for this meat and potato casserole include: Cowboy casserole, Hamburger casserole, and even Cheeseburger casserole. No matter what you call it, save this recipe so you can make it on a regular rotation for weeknight dinner at your house.

Variations

This meat and potato casserole with cream of mushroom soup can be flavored many different ways:

• Sliced fresh mushrooms or canned, drained mushrooms
• Diced fresh onions
• Bacon or Bacon bits
• Chopped peppers
• Cooked chopped bacon
• Freshly cooked potatoes instead of canned
• Cream of celery soup instead of cream of mushroom
• Chicken stock instead of milk

As you might imagine, this casserole is even better when you cook the potatoes from scratch. The beauty of a casserole is the simplicity and ease of preparation when using canned foods, especially for busy cooks!

More Casserole Recipes

• Cheesy Sausage Pasta Casserole Recipe
• 37 Family Favorite Casserole Recipes
• Pork Chop Casserole Recipe
• Slow Cooker Southwestern Breakfast Casserole Recipe
• Chicken Vegetable Casserole
• Crockpot Pierogi & Meatballs Alfredo Easy Recipe
• Mom’s Squash Casserole Recipe
• Easy Classic Lasagna Recipe
• Crockpot Broccoli, Sausage & Pasta Casserole

Originally published Jan. 7, 2014

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