With simple ingredients and seasonings, Hamburger Potato Casserole is a delicious easy-prep meal (the ground beef doesn’t even have to be browned first)!
This easy recipe layers potatoes and onions with uncooked rice and ground beef for a delicious meal. Season it with your favorite herbs or even add in cheese if you like!
Hearty Casserole with Simple Ingredients
Who doesn’t love an easy-prep meal that comes together in one dish?
This recipe uses simple ingredients layered in a casserole dish and baked until tender. The perfect combination of comfort foods!
Ingredients
Hamburger Potato Casserole uses simple ingredients and can be substituted with other pantry staples!
MEAT Ground beef is used in this recipe, but Italian sausage is another great choice.
VEGGIES Onion, tomatoes & potatoes really bring this dish together, but you could also use shredded cabbage, sliced carrots, zucchini, or frozen mixed veggies! Keep the potatoes in with all the variations since it creates the thick bottom layer and soaks up the broth!
RICE Uncooked white rice is added to this casserole, but feel free to use any rice on hand.
ADDITIONS Fresh or dried herbs can really jazz this casserole up. Top with your favorite shredded cheeses, sour cream, or salsa!
How to Make Hamburger Potato Casserole
Making this dish is so easy, and the results are delicious.
- Prepare a casserole dish and toss potato slices with salt and pepper.
- Layer ingredients (per recipe below) including uncooked beef and uncooked rice. Be sure to season each layer with salt, pepper and spices to taste.
- Pour sauce ingredients over the top and bake for two hours.
Serve with green beans or roasted veggies and a side salad!
Tips to Make the Perfect Hamburger Casserole!
- Season each layer with salt & pepper to bring flavor to every bite
- Add spice blends like Italian seasoning, cajun or taco seasoning to switch up the taste
- Use uncooked beef as the juices from the beef seep into the potatoes adding flavor. I use a lean beef (80/20).
- Be sure to cover the dish so the steam can help cook the rice and potatoes.
- For a milder onion flavor, fry the onions with a bit of butter first (or use caramelized onions).
- Add cheese in the layers or on top for the last 30 minutes if desired.
- If stored in the fridge, hamburger potato casserole will keep for about 4 days.
More Ground Beef Casseroles
- Taco Stuffed Pepper Casserole – quick prep
- Easy Tater Tot Hotdish – kid favorite
- Frito Pie – Tex-Mex flavors
- Stuffed Peppers – classic recipe
- Easy Homemade Lasagna – make ahead meal
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole – low carb
Did you love this Hamburger Potato Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and sliced
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup white rice uncooked
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
- 10 ½ ounces condensed beef broth
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup water or broth
- salt and pepper to taste *see note
- dried herbs to taste *see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13 pan. Season each layer with salt and pepper.
- Place a layer of potatoes in the pan. Top with garlic powder and a layer of onions.
- Place uncooked ground beef over the potatoes. Sprinkle rice over top.
- Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Pour diced tomatoes with juices, tomato sauce, condensed broth and water over top.
- Cover and bake for 2 hours or until potatoes are tender.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Doesn’t it turn out greasy if yiu don’t cook the ground beef ahead of time?
We use lean beef so it does not come out greasy. The little bit of fat in the beef adds flavor to the potatoes.
What if I don’t have 80/20/beef? I have 73/27 beef. Will that be too greasy? Maybe I should partially cook it and then drain it? Would I then need to parboil the potatoes?
I know it defeats the purpose of a one-pan meal, but what if I cooked the rice, potatoes, and beef first, then assembled it and heated for half an hour? An hour?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Darryl. I don’t think precooking everything would give the dish the same flavor, because a lot of the flavor does come from the fat baking it all together. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
This was a major hit in my household. I sliced the potatoes pretty thick (0.25”) to keep them from getting soggy and they came out perfect. This will be a dinner staple moving forward!
I realized after I thawed my ground beef that I don’t have condensed beef broth. I was going to use bouillon cubes with 10 oz of water. Do you think that will make it too runny? Was going to omit the 1/2 cup of water.
Hi Jackie, that should work flavor-wise. We would love to hear how it turned out for you!
Turned out perfect!
My grandma used to make this all the time,she was on a fixed income and fed 6 kids and numerous grandkids. It was called shipwreck though.
I have never heard it called that, but I love it, Sarah! Thanks for sharing that memory with us.
Can instant rice be used instead? I’m afraid regular rice won’t get done.
Hi Lisa, we use a long-grain white rice in this recipe. I have never tried instant rice in this recipe but I imagine it would cook too quickly for this casserole.
This is so delicious so easy just one dish to clean feeds a crowd and is budget friendly. I did a layer of carrots and cabbage. I will make this over and over. Thx
You’re welcome Shirley!
I also grew up with recipe, I couldn’t tell you measurements because I was kid,but I know we used crushed tomatoes and add old bay seasoning to it Worcestershire sauce,a splash of vinegar,I think cider vinegar,could be white and blended into crushed tomatoes. I know we always seasoned the beef also with salt pepper and Worcestershire and layered fresh tomatoes on top! This brought back fond memories,thank you for sharing this! It’s so versatile also,and you can add other fresh veggies or omit ones you’re not fond of. Thank you Again!
Thank YOU for sharing those memories! Food definitely brings back memories for me too. You’re very welcome Rand.
Want to try this, but first a few questions….
about how much Italian Seasoning (total) to add to each layer
How thick did you slice your potatoes
Thanks
Hi Debra, the recipe calls for 1 tsp of Italian seasoning and only says to sprinkle on one layer so you would use the whole tsp for the one layer.
For the potatoes, I would slice them approx ⅛ of an inch thick. There is a picture in the recipe that shows how thick the potatoes are sliced if you would like a visual.
Could you send me the hamburger potato casserole receipt
Hi Harriett, the full recipe can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the post or selecting jump to the recipe at the top! I hope that helps :)
I seasoned every layer with taco seasoning and it was still so bland that this is not what I call a “keeper” recipe. I’ve loved most everything I’ve tried of yours though!
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe Jeanette.
Could you use brown long grain rice for this recipe?
Brown rice would work but the cooking time may vary a bit!
Didn’t cook entire 2 hours and rice and potatoes were both too well done. It was mushy and didn’t taste great.
Oh no, sorry to hear that Julie! 2 hours was the perfect amount of time for us. Possibly your potatoes were sliced thinner? Did you use uncooked white rice?
I have this in the Oven now and it smells delicious. I’m not much of a casserole person but am at my elderly parents home trying to use ingredients on hand that were donated to them. I’ve also got celery and carrots in it, hoping it’s as good as I’m thinking it should be.
Pretty easy to follow… just not sure how thick the potatoes should be sliced
Can I use condensed French onion broth instead of beef broth?
I have not tried it with that broth but I imagine it would still work out fine. Obviously with a different flavor but sounds delicious to me.
Can I seasoned my tomato sauce and diced tomatoes before adding it in the dish. I like my sauce more seasoned.
Sure. That sounds delicious T!
Is the tomato sauce the ketchup kind or passata?
It would be the pasta kind, not ketchup Julie :)
Thank you xo
Can this recipe be done in a slow cooker?
We have not tried this recipe in a slow cooker yet Lily. But it should work, let us know how it turns out!
OMG my mom use to make this in the ‘60’s. I thought she made it up. We loved it though. After she was gone my brothers asked me how she made it. Do you use 5 minute instant rice or long grain cooking rice?
We used a long grain white rice in this recipe Glenda!
OMGosh! I thought the same thing too. Was thinking of my mom and somehow this dish popped into my mind. I couldn’t quite come of with an ingredient list but this looks awfully close. I plan to try it tonight!
I love the sound of this recipe. Would the cooking time be less using an meat alternative like, Boca, Morning Star, or Beyond Meat Crumbles?
Hi Jerone, we have not tried this recipe with a meat alternative. But the potatoes in the recipe will need the full cook time in order to be tender.
Why won’t you allow printing of this recipe: Hamburger, Potato casserole? Tried 3 different time and still am not allowed to print it. (Nothing is wrong with my printer).
There is a print button located just above the ingredients list. It seems to be working for me.
Can I make this in an electric skillet?
I haven’t tried it but this recipe is more slow-cooked than fried. It takes a couple of hours for the meat to cook and the juices to soften the potatoes.