Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes

Cheesy ground beef casserole with potatoes is perfect for breakfast or a potluck! Like cheeseburger scalloped potatoes, this will become a family favorite dish. Serve as a hearty main dinner or as a cheesy and delicious side dish.

Ground Beef and Potato Casserole

It’s super easy and is like an amped up scalloped potatoes dish you love making during the holidays. So hearty it can even be served as a main dish throughout the week. Love ground sausage? Use that instead! I love half spicy sausage and half hamburger meat to bring even more flavor to the dish. 

We are going to start with some peeled and sliced potatoes! Russet potatoes are best for this ground beef sliced potato casserole recipe. This is What to Cook with Ground Beef you can find at the store. If 80/20 is what’s on hand then use that. A roll of ground sausage works really well too though. You’ll need to precook it before you add it into you dish like you see here below.

Hamburger Potato Casserole

Suggested seasonings are in the recipe card below too. You can use your own favorites though if you prefer. Of course I always add garlic of some kind because it’s a fave in this house.

What can I cook with hamburger meat and potatoes?

This is the best we have ever come up with that is family friendly and everyone raves over. I have changed it up over the years depending on what I have on hand. After the holidays I have used leftover ham bits as well and that is great too. Ingredients needed are;

Ingredients

1. Washington russet potatoes
2. Ground beef or sausage
3. Cream of chicken soup
4. Evaporated milk
5. Milk
6. Onion
7. Cheddar cheese is a must of course, you can use any type or combination you love or just one type is fine too.

If you really wanted to add a veggie I might suggest fresh green beans cut in half with ends removed. They will keep their shape while baked.

What should I serve with ground beef?

This comes to mind a lot when I have a block in my fridge and want to make something different. I don’t always want a hamburger on a bun, that just doesn’t cut it as comfort food to me. 😉 Now add it in with some cheesy potatoes and now you’re talkin’!!

Scalloped Potato Casserole

Let’s get started with types of ground beef out there to choose from: The four main ones are “regular” which can be cooked like Crockpot ground beef, ground chuck, round, and sirloin. They all look pretty similar but the main differences are the amounts of fat in each and price.

We buy half a cow at the beginning of each year so ours is organic, grass fed, and quite low in fat. If you typically buy 80/20 that is totally fine too. Use what you have on hand I always say. If you have leftover ham you could use that instead too!

How many types of potatoes are there?

The main potato types are: russet, red, white, yellow, blue/purple, fingerling and petite. We are using Washington russet potatoes this time.  I suggest these or yellow if you prefer. Both are softer and make for a great base for our potato casserole here.

What are the most popular cheeses to use?

That certainly depends on what you are making but in this case American is the best, and I will say sharp is where it is at. There are a TONs of other varieties out there too but for this I suggest going with your favorite cheddar or a combination of this and maybe jack or mozzarella.

Can you Make Ground Beef Casserole without Soup?

You could certainly make your own condensed soup if you would prefer. If you don’t like cream of chicken you can swap out for cream of mushroom or celery instead. If you didn’t want to use it at all there are a few things you could use.

What can I substitute for cream of mushroom soup in a casserole?

Plain Greek yogurt is your best bet. Sour cream can work but may curdle in the heat so I usually won’t use that. Instead I would use the refrigerated onion dip! You know the one you grab to serve with chips, yep that will work. Yogurt won’t detract from the flavors though so it is best and comes in dairy free!

1. In a large skillet over medium heat add a bit of olive oil, ground beef and diced onions.
   1. could add some diced bell pepper too if you wanted
2. Cook until meat is no longer pink, then set aside.
3. In a bowl whisk together your can of condensed soup, evaporated milk, milk, garlic powder, any seasonings like salt and pepper to taste.

What do you cook a casserole in?

Once your potatoes are peeled and sliced lay a layer on the bottom of your 9×13″ baking dish. This is large enough to hold everything and not overflow. If you wanted to cut it in half you could use a 9×9 square pan. Then a layer of your beef mixture. Followed by 1 cup of cheese. Just keep going at this point basically. Use up what you have with the “sauce” at the top.

1. Then repeat with these layers so there are 3 total.
2. Pour your potato soup mixture on top of everything and cover with foil.
3. Put into a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Then remove foil, sprinkle on remaining cheddar cheese and continue baking for another 10 – 20 minutes longer until cheese is melted and potatoes are tender.

Should you cool a casserole before serving?

Cooling is important! Allow to sit on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes. I recommend this because as it cools slightly the sauce will continue to thicken and it is easier to serve as well (not so sloppy). Before serving with a dollop of sour cream on top! This will allow it to solidify a bit more and the sauce to thicken. I do the same with our slow cooker cheesy potatoes.

Your mouth is already watering isn’t it??!! I know, it is delicious for sure and perfect year round and with any company. Other easy potato recipe ideas we know you’ll love too are:

• Easy air fryer SPAM and potatoes is a great duo together
• Instant Pot sweet potato casserole is great during the holidays
• This is really the best way to make baked potatoes which go with everything

Looking for more easy beef recipes? If you love your pressure cooker you can give our beef and noodles Instant Pot recipe here. Use sliced steak or chuck roast, either way it comes out super tender and a one pot meal we just love.