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Jazzed Up Meat & Potato Casserole Easy Recipe

My Jazzed Up Meat & Potato Casserole is a newly remadeĀ old family favorite. Ground beef, potatoes, lots of cheese and crispy bacon come together for a tasty weeknight meal.

This ground beef and potato casserole recipe has been made in my family for so many years. My children grew up eating it and are now preparing it for their families!

My family loves this wildly popular recipe because it is delicious and I love how easy it is to make.

Meat and Potato Casserole Recipe with bacon

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My favorite Aunt brought this casserole to our home when my baby girl was born way back in 1987. It was our first time ever tasting any hamburger potato casserole recipe.

Of course, she was kind enough to share her cheesy hamburger casserole recipe with me and the rest is history as they say. Both of our girls are grown and this dish makes regular appearances on their dinner tables too.

Potato Casserole with hamburger meat

You may have heard of this dish also called; Hamburger Potato Casserole or beef and potato casserole. No matter what it is called, it is a must-have casserole recipe for families. Print the recipe card below and save it to make for your family on casserole night.

Ingredients for Hamburger Potato Casserole
Ingredients for Hamburger Potato Casserole

Ingredients

You have to love a family favorite casserole with only a few simple ingredients. You can find all of these ingredients at your local grocery store.

  • 1 lb. Ground turkey or Ground beef, browned and drained
  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cans sliced or diced potatoes, drained, I like this brand
  • 8-10 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1 Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 Cup French Fried onions, I prefer this brand

Substitutions

  • You can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for ground beef.
  • Substitute cream of broccoli or cream of potato soup for the cream of mushroom.
  • Yes, you can substitute russet potatoes if you want to peel and slice or dice them. You will need to boil them for a few minutes to soften the potatoes prior to adding them to the recipe.

Also, see the list of Optional ingredients below that you can use to jazz up your meat and potato casserole recipe.

Jazzed up meat and potato casserole easy recipe. Meat and Potato Casserole aka Ground Beef Casserole or Cowboy Casserole is one of the most versatile casserole recipes you will ever need. We added bacon. You can add almost any veggie to this casserole to suit your family's taste. #casserole #comfortfood #groundbeef #easyrecipe

Everything is better with bacon, right? So let’s jazz up a plain ground meat and potato easy casserole with bacon.

How to Make A Meat and Potato Casserole

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350Ā°

In a large skillet over high heat, brown the ground meat. Drain excess fat and set the browned meat aside.

Step 2

Use the same skillet to cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper toweling.

Chop the bacon either using a knife or in a small electric food chopper like this which is my preferred method.

Divide the chopped bacon in half between two small bowls.

Step 3

In a bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, half the bacon, the browned meat until blended, and the seasonings. We like this casserole heavy on black pepper. Stir until well blended. Then add the drained potatoes and fold them into the mixture gently.

Step 4

Prepare a large casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Pour the meat mixture into the casserole dish and spread evenly using a wooden spoon.

Step 5

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30-45 minutes until this delicious casserole is hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining bacon, then the cheese and French Fried onions.

Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and serve piping hot.

Print the full recipe below.

Jazzed up meat and potato casserole easy recipe. Meat and Potato Casserole aka Ground Beef Casserole or Cowboy Casserole is one of the most versatile casserole recipes you will ever need. We added bacon. You can add almost any veggie to this casserole to suit your family's taste. #casserole #comfortfood #groundbeef #easyrecipe

Through the years this Hamburger and Potato Casserole recipe has evolved. I have added mushrooms and onions at times and sometimes just made it plain even without the bacon.

This cheesy hamburger potato casserole is an easy and affordable dinner idea for any night of the week.

Save this delicious comfort food recipe for when you need cheap dishes to feed the family. The original recipe from my aunt was very basic with no bacon or French fried onions.

This casserole can be made in a variety of different ways depending on what you have on hand at the time.

Optional Ingredients for Hamburger Potato Casserole

  • Mushrooms
  • Onions
  • Celery
  • Corn
  • Garlic
  • Bell Peppers
  • Mixed frozen Vegetables (Corn, Peas, Carrots)
  • Rotel
  • Corn Flake topping instead of French Fried Onions
  • No topping just melted cheese

Skip the salt! The canned cream of mushroom soup and the canned potatoes already have salt in their ingredients. 

This easy ground beef recipe makes a delicious meal any night of the week and it is great for a pot luck dish too. Because the basic recipe is so versatile, you can tweak this recipe to suit your own family as I have for mine.

Cheesy meat and potato casserole on a white dish

Jazzed Up Meat and Potato Casserole

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

How to make a Hamburger Potato Casserole with bacon for a delicious weeknight meal to fit the budget.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Ground turkey, browned and drained
  • 2 Cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 can diced potatoes, drained
  • 8-10 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup French fried onions

Instructions

    In a large skillet over high heat, brown the ground meat. Drain off the fat and set the browned meat aside.

    Use the same skillet to cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper toweling.

    Chop the bacon and divide equally between two small bowls.

    Preheat the oven to 350°

    In a bowl, stir together the soup, half the bacon and the browned meat until blended. Then add the drained potatoes and fold them into the mixture gently.

    Prepare a large casserole dish with non-stick spray.

    Cover with foil and bake for about 30-45 minutes until this delicious casserole is hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining bacon, then the cheese and French Fried onions.

    Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

    Remove from the oven and serve piping hot.

Notes

We enjoy this dish heavy on the black pepper.

You can make this casserole in a shallow oblong or deep round casserole dish. With the oblong dish, you get more space for the crunchy topping.

Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 595Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 126mgSodium 1429mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 2gSugar 7gProtein 37g

Nutrition information is estimated and may not be exact based on uncontrolled variables in home kitchens used by each individual cook.

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9 Comments

  1. This definately would be a favorite at our table. Give my boys meat, potatoes any day and bacon and cheese would only be a bonus. I love that it is a printable too

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