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.
We have the best ground beef casserole your family will love! This cheesy ground beef casserole with potatoes has been an Easter side dish as well as a breakfast brunch item at our house. Try it and see what all the hype is about! Sponsored by Washington potatoes.
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.
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;
Ingredient Notes
In this case we used a few Washington russet potatoes that were peeled and sliced pretty thin so they would get tender in this sauce we created. Too thick and they will remain firm so using a mandoline is suggested.
To make the sauce inside creamy you want a can of condensed Cream of chicken soup. You could use any of their flavors really, there are mushroom, celery, and potato versions that would work fine for this as alternatives. Use a can of Evaporated milk and regular milk to thin it out.
What can I substitute for cream of mushroom soup?
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!
For the meat I typically use lean Ground beef because we have a lot of it. I like 80/20 because a little fat means more flavor, just drain the grease before adding so it has the right texture. And we love cheddar cheese inside and on top for gooeyness.
Can you use ground sausage instead?
You could use a roll of sausage that is ground too if you prefer. For that I highly suggest Jimmy Dean HOT style as it has a ton of flavor and will give it a bit of a spicy flavor.
Can you add vegetables?
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. Another easier option is 1/2 cup of frozen vegetables that are mixed and already diced fine. Suggested seasonings are in the recipe card below too. You can use your own favorites though if you prefer.
How Long to Cook Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes in Oven
It will take about 5 minutes once your pan is hot to brown your meat first. Put into a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Then you will need to bake for another 10 – 20 minutes to melt the cheese so a total of 1.5 hours is typical depending on the thickness of your slices.
When to Add Cheese
Cheddar cheese is a must of course, you can use any type or combination you love or just one type is fine too. I like to make it shredded pretty fine so it melts to ooey gooey and an additional layer can be added to the top.
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.
Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×13 pan
Ingredients
- 4 lbs potatoes, russets, peeled and sliced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can cream of chicken, 10 oz
- 1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz
- 1/2 c milk
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 4 c cheese, cheddar, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef, onions, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper together on your stovetop until meat is no longer pink. Drain grease and set aside. Peel potatoes and slice thin with a mandoline or knife to about 1/8" thick so they get tender.
- In a bowl whisk together cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk, milk, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and onion powder and set aside.
- In a greased 9×13" baking dish, layer 1/3 of your peeled and sliced potatoes, 1/3 ground beef mixture, followed by 1 cup of cheese. Then sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and repeat this 3 times.
- Pour your milk mixture over the top evenly. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.
- Check potatoes to ensure they are tender at this time, then keep uncovered and sprinkle remaining cheese on very top of dish.
- Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes so it melts.
- Take out and allow to sit for 15 minutes to thicken before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
Other Potato Recipes You’ll Love
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
This is really the best way to make baked potatoes without foil in oven 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.
This looks so easy and satisfying!! The perfect weeknight dinner for our family!
Less potatoes and more hamburger I put all the potatoes in the first layer then added the hamburger. Then I poured all the liquid and topped with the cheese. Covered for 1 hour and then removed foil and added more cheese
I ended up doing just 2 layers for my family of 4, and it was plenty. I only used 6 large potatoes. And I added in thyme, rosemary, and oregano. I also put the soup mixture between the two layers and on top of it all. Very tasty!!!
Awesome!
Can you use boxed cheesey potatoes in thi s recipe ?
Four pounds of potatoes doesn’t work for this casserole. Three layers can easily be made into two layers with less potatoes. One lb ground beef isn’t enough, oven time isn’t long enough. I added 1 tsp oregano and garlic. The final product was barely tasty. Next time will use 21/2 – 3 lbs potatoes.
Ok. So, at 350, the whole dish wash still cold in the middle…the potatoes had not even begun to cook. The milk mixture on top did not ” drip” down into the rest of the casserole. The whole timing was off. I had to put the heat up to 425 to get the potatoes to cook. The casserole was very dry. I am going to rework this recipe. I think there is hope, but just not this way.
I have the small creamer potatoes. Will they work?
Lactose intolerance. Can’t use creamed soups, otherwise it sounds delicious.
This recipe is AWESOME! So, so good! I made it with 1.5 lbs ground beef and 2 cups shredded cheddar (instead of 4 cups) and it was delicious. I might even use 2 lbs ground beef next time. Would definitely recommend – easy to make and delish!
So glad
Try boiling the sliced potatoes until slightly tender before baking. Also, cream of mushroom seems to go better with a meat dish. It cuts down the bake time for sure. Nice recipe, thank you.