If you are looking for a hearty soup, this hamburger potato soup is the one to make!
❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE
We love this Hamburger Potato Soup, it’s hearty, versatile, and delicious! Add our wonderful fried cornbread for a real treat. You can make this dish on top of the stove or in the crock pot. It would be perfect for tailgating or any cold-weather activity. This soup will keep for a few days and reheats really well.
SWAPS& ADDITIONS
You can swap out the hamburger for ground beef or Italian sausage. You could also add in green beans, okra or celery. Leave out the spinach if you like and you can easily switch up the spices.
⭐TIP
If you want a creamy cheese that actually melts, it’s best to shred your own from a block of cheese. It’s significantly better and works great in this recipe!
OTHER DELICIOUS SOUP RECIPES:
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This Hamburger Potato Soup is wonderful comfort food! Great to enjoy with family and friends.
Prep Time 15 minutesmins
6 hourshrs
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, southern
1poundground beef
1cupchopped green onion or 1 medium onion
2teaspoonsminced garlic
1cupchopped or sliced carrots
1/2cupfrozen corn
1cupchopped fresh spinach
214.5 ounce cans beef broth
3 to 4medium potatoespeeled and cut up
1/2cupwater
1/2teaspoonblack pepper
1/2teaspoonsalt
2teaspoonsdried basil
3teaspoonsdried parsley flakes
1/2cupshredded sharp cheddar cheese
1cupmilk
2teaspoonscornstarchoptional, used to thicken soup only
Brown the hamburger, onions and minced garlic in a skillet on top of the stove. Remove, drain and put in soup pot or crock pot. Add remaining ingredients to soup pot or crock pot and if cooking on top of the stove, cook until potatoes and carrots are soft.
Cook in crock pot for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
Once cooked, garnish with cheddar cheese.
If you want the soup thicker, whisk the cornstarch into the milk before adding to pot. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese.
Dinner made easy with this delicious Italian Casserole, loaded with cheese and super versatile.
❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE
his cheesy Italian hamburger casserole makes a wonderful meal for family on a busy weeknight or make it anytime along with a salad for a dish you can throw together and put in the oven and forget it until done. You could cut this recipe in half or double for a large group. If you like Italian food, you will love this dish.
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SWAPS& ADDITIONS
You can switch out the pasta for any you like! If you are not a fan of green peppers or onions, you can simply leave them out. You could use low-fat cream cheese and low-fat sour cream in this recipe. We love it with the mozzarella, but you could easily use an Italian blend too.
This Cheesy Italian Casserole will quickly become a family favorite. The combination of spices and pasta makes this a great dish.
Prep Time 20 minutesmins
Cook Time 30 minutesmins
Total Time 50 minutesmins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, southern
1poundground beef or you could use Italian sausage
2cupsuncooked rotini pastacooked
1cupchopped green onion or regular onion
1cupchopped green pepper
1(14.5 ounccan diced tomatoesundrained
1(8 ounccan tomato sauce
1(4 ounccan sliced mushroomsdrained
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
1teaspoondried basil or could use fresh
1(8 ouncpackage cream cheesesoftened
1/2cupsour cream
1/2cupshredded mozzarella cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Brown ground beef, onions and green pepper in skillet on top of the stove and drain if needed. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sliced mushrooms, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and basil to skillet and heat for about 10 minutes.
Spread pasta in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Cover with hamburger mixture. Combine softened cream cheese and sour cream by mixing together with a spoon and then spread over top of hamburger in casserole. Sprinkle on cheese. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Eden, the farm-to-table restaurant off the Chicago River in Avondale, and Irving Park’s JT’s Genuine Sandwich Shop were the big winners over the weekend at Chicago Gourmet’s Hamburger Hop, the annual competition that crowns the best burgers in the city.
Eden chef Devon Quinn took home the competition’s Judges Award, given out by an eight-member panel including former Tribune critic Phil Vettel, Chicago dining editor Amy Cavanaugh, and Mott St chef Edward Kim.
JT’s Genuine Sandwich Shop earned the People’s Choice Award, determined by votes from the event’s sold-out crowd. Fourteen chefs competed in the event on Friday, September 27, part of Chicago Gourmet, the food festival created by the Illinois Restaurant Association.
The competitors were bound by ingredients from sponsors, like beef from Sysco and cheese from Kerrygold. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t get adventurous with add-ons.
Quinn and Eden chef de cuisine Brian Shim blended two cheeses — Dubliner and Reserve cheddar; and MontAmore, a Parmesan-inspired cheese from Wisconsin — into an American cheese. They also topped their burger with dill pickle-corn slaw (Quinn’s favorite pickle Claussen with grilled corn and onions bound together with black garlic aioli), flatwater arugula, and roasted tomatoes. It was served on a potato bun from sponsor Turano Baking.
“There are lots of flavors, but each one comes through really clearly in the burger,” says Quinn.
The People’s Choice winner from JT’s used Kerrygold aged cheddar, Dijonnaise, pickled Granny Smith apples, and hickory-smoked bacon. It was served on a Turano French brioche bun. Before his win, Chris Cunningham, a first-time competitor at Hamburger Hop, was just happy to be invited: “It’s a competition, but we’ve already won meeting all these wonderful new faces. We’re having an absolute blast today.”
Post-award, Cunningham was planning to take his team out to dinner. “They did an awesome job dealing with the wind and everything back there on the grill, so I can’t wait to celebrate and share this with them.”
High winds were a problem Friday night, with the National Weather Service warning Chicagoans to be ready for winds between 30 to 35 mph as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
Creativity is a word that could also describe what some of this year’s judges, a mix of food media folks, hospitality purveyors, chefs, and restaurant owners, were looking for in a winning burger. Last year, a Seattle chef swept both awards. This year’s event featured one out-of-towner, but a repeat of 2023 didn’t occur. The 14 participants even included a vegan restaurant, Soul Veg City.
“I look for burgers that there’s something special about them,” says Chicago’s Cavanaugh. “They have something unique, but they don’t stray too far afield from what a burger is supposed to be.”
There were 14 competitors in the 2024 Hamburger Hop.Chicago Gourmet/Garrett Baumer
Cavanaugh’s technique for judging 14 burgers? “I usually take two bites. I feel like you need a second bite to confirm.” To prepare for the meaty onslaught, she ate a big breakfast and four crackers for lunch. She had some thoughts about her eating habits post-judging too: “I might turn my back on cows entirely for the next few weeks.”
Former Tribune critic Vettel has judged four Hamburger Hops, but he previously covered all the Chicago Gourmets while at the newspaper. “There’s an urban legend going around that I’ve correctly predicted the winner every single year,” he says. “It’s not actually true, but I go with it.”
While more of a friendly competition than, say, Top Chef, winning Hamburger Hop does come with benefits beyond bragging rights. “I’ve seen some restaurants that have won either the People’s Choice or the Judge’s Choice burger in the past, and they still have those burgers on their menus,” says Vettel.
Mott St’s Kim planned on keeping an open mind when it came to judging: “I’m trying not to have any preconceived notions.” He prepared by not eating too much the days prior to the event. “I’ve come in with a hungry appetite and whichever burger tastes best is going to win for me.”
For her Seoul burger, chef Kaleena Bliss of Chicago Athletic Association Hotel and Cindy’s leaned into Korean flavors. Housemade ssamjang and a white kimchi aioli added some heat, while cucumber, cilantro, shredded carrot, and calamansi juice brought freshness and acidity to the hefty burger.
“Who doesn’t want to be part of Chicago Gourmet?” says Bliss, who moved to Chicago last year and competed on Top Chef: Wisconsin. “Everyone cool is doing it.”
Another first-timer was chef Jim Torres, who along with co-chef Kyle Schrage is behind Edgewater’s Beard & Belly. For their Hamburger Hop burger, they did a version of one they have at their gastropub that includes onion jam, roasted serrano, housemade awesome sauce, and cheddar cheese. “It’s a real big one just like me,” says Torres.
For her first-time entry, chef Tigist Reda delved into the spices and flavors she often uses at Demera Ethiopian Restaurant but ones that are rarely found in a burger. That included berbere-seasoned onion jam, cardamom, and mitmita (a heat-forward Ethiopian spice blend) along with Angus beef steakburger, Kerrygold Dubliner, and a Turano French brioche bun.
While Reda didn’t receive an award at Hamburger Hop, her burger was already a big winner. “My son was the first judge at home, and he gave it a thumbs up,” she says. “He’s a very tough critic.”
Nothing says summer quite like a good burger! This time we are teaching you how to make a perfect smash burger and there’s one secret that is life-changing. If it’s a summer BBQ with friends, a family reunion or a 4th of July bash, this smash burger recipe is the way to go!
Look, I don’t know why smashing a burger, literally the one thing you should NEVER do to meat totally works in this recipe, but it does. Ok, I do actually know why, it’s because it caramelizes every single piece of that patty thus making for more flavor in each bite, but the point is, it doesn’t make sense and so therefore you should absolutely eat it.
It’s kind of like that crazy wedge salad story; it’s simple and therefore it’s the beeeeeest!
Cade and I discovered smash burgers when we were in our first few years of marriage and I think it’s actually what kind of turned me from burger hater to burger enjoyer and now lover. I still loooove a crispy chicken sandwich, don’t you get me wrong, but a smash burger will always make my mouth water.
They are juicy, buttery, and have those crispy edges that are the star of this burger show. And the best thing about this is that smash burgers are simple and cook so fast…exactly what you want to feed the fam on a busy summer weeknight or to feed a crowd for your 4th of July festivities!
Ingredients for Smash Burgers
There’s nothing crazy going on with these ingredients. The crazy comes in the cooking technique, so your ingredient list looks like this:
Burger Patties
Canola Oil
Burger Buns: Potato buns taste great or brioche buns also work well.
Butter
Ground Beef (60/40): this probably sounds crazy, but just ask your butcher and trust me on this one…all the flavor comes in the higher fat content!
Salt
Pepper
Toppings
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below.
How to Make a Smash Burger
We have a post already on the secrets to the best hamburger, which is amazing and true, but throw all those rules out the window for these smash burgers. Your first step in making these burgers is going to be at the grocery store. As your butcher for a pound of ground beef that is 60% ground chuck and 40% ground brisket (or sirloin). It’s going to blow your mind how much flavor that combination of beef has!
Divide the pound of ground beef into loose 2″ balls and set them in the freezer on plate for 15 minutes.
PRO TIP: The less you handle the meat, the better. Keep the balls loose with jagged edges so that there are more edge area to get crispy and delicious!
Toast the buns on a cast iron skillet and set aside.
Pull the meat out of the freezer and flatten each ball on the skillet using a metal spatula or a burger press and season one side with salt and pepper.
PRO TIP: High heat at first so that you instantly char that meat but then turn it down a little to medium so you don’t burn the meat.
Place the burgers onto the cast iron pan seasoned side down and then season the other side.
Cook until it caramelizes and flip. Add the cheese slices.
Cover the pan with a lid to melt the cheese.
Place your burgers on the toasted hamburger buns and add your toppings.
All of the instructions in full detail can be found in the recipe card down below.
Why Do You Put the Meat in the Freezer Before Cooking?
This is the secret to making the smash burgers perfectly! With the meat nice and cold, it cooks a little slower while still letting the edges get caramelized and crispy. If the meat is too warm, it cooks too fast and dries out while the edges caramelize.
What to Eat with a Smash Burger
We love all the typical burger sides with this recipe. These are a few of our favorites:
Any of those recipes with be great with these burger, but you can seriously do any side you want! Just some simple french fries make my heart the happiest!
Variations on a Smash Burger
Feel free to top your burgers any way that you want. Here are a few ideas:
Grilled Onions
Jalapenos
Bacon
Avocado
Sauteed Mushrooms
I want to know what you choose to top your burger!
Can I Make this Recipe on the Grill?
Yes! If you want that smoky grilled flavor, then absolutely grill them up! You’ll want to put a griddle on top of the grilling grates so you can really smash the burgers down. Or if you have a Blackstone, that works awesome too!
When you think of burgers, you think summer, and you should, but with a smash burger, you can make it all year round right on the stove top. They are juicy and crispy and the best burger I’ve had in ages! I’m dying for you to try it!
More Burger Recipes:
Servings: 4burgers
Prep Time: 5 minutesmins
Cook Time: 15 minutesmins
Total Time: 20 minutesmins
Description
Nothing says summer quite like a good burger! This time we are teaching you how to make a perfect smash burger and there’s one secret that is life-changing.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Form ¼ pound beef into loose 2″ balls. Set aside in the freezer on a plate.
1 Pound Ground Beef Blend
Brush a 12-inch cast iron skillet with oil and set it over medium heat until shimmering.
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
Add the butter to the pan and place the buns, cut side down on the hot skillet. Cook just until the buns are nicely toasted and set the buns aside.
2 Tablespoons Butter, 4 Potato Burger Buns
Remove the meat from the freezer and season with salt and pepper. Place in a preheat, slightly oiled cast iron skillet and press down firmly and evenly to flatten the meat. Generously season the other side of the patty with salt & pepper.
Salt and Pepper
Cook until caramelization begins, about 1 minute. Flip and add the cheese.
American Cheese
Place a large lid over the burgers the last 30 seconds to melt the cheese. If you want the burgers more done wait a minute before adding the cheese.
Spread your burger sauce and lettuce over the bottom bun. Top with 1-2 patties and pickles and onion before enjoying.
Killer Burger Sauce, Lettuce, Pickles, White Onion
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If you love sloppy joes you must try this recipe! It has wonderful reviews, super easy to make and can be made in the crock pot or on the stove top.
If you love simple dishes, you will want to check out our Lazy Lasagna! It’s only 4 ingredients, super simple and a delicious recipe.
❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE
There are a few reasons why we love this recipe. It’s super easy to make which is always a plus, the flavor is incredible and it’s versatile. The meat really has a great taste and we also love it served over a sweet potato. Something about the sweetness of the potato with this recipe is really good. We love to serve this for family gatherings, we will make it up and put it in the crock pot and anyone can make a sandwich when the want. Just add some potato chips and you have a simple and delicious meal!
🍴KEY INGREDIENTS
Hamburger
Onion
Tomato sauce
Ketchup
Yellow mustard
Minced garlic
Worcestershire sauce
Brown sugar
🍽️HOW TO MAKE
This is recipe is very easy to make and comes together really quickly. It’s great for a busy night if you want to make it on the stove or put it in the crock pot and let it cook for a bit.
COOKING STEPS
Step 1 Crock Pot Method: Brown the ground beef and onions in a skillet on top of the stove and drain. Place hamburger and onions along with the tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, garlic, Worcestershire and brown sugar in the crock pot on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Step 2 Skillet Method: Brown ground beef and onions, drain. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
⭐TIP
You can easily double or triple this recipe for a larger group. We like to make this one in the crock pot because it gives the ingredients time to marry and adds to the flavor.
Also you can make any of our sloppy joe recipes with ground turkey or ground chicken. We have made it with both and love it.
OTHER SLOPPY JOE RECIPES
Smokey BBQ Sloppy Joes – This is a different version and really good. The smoke flavor with the bbq sauce is delicious. We added cheese too, which is totally versatile.
Steak Sauce Sloppy Joes – These are made with a delicious steak sauce and these are great! Really unique but oh so good.
Sloppy Joe Pasta Casserole – Love sloppy joes and pasta.. try this combination! The same flavor of our favorite sloppy joes but in a skillet with pasta. DELICIOUS!
Cheesesteak Sloppy Joe Sliders – This recipe is wonderful and one you should definitely try. It’s a twist on a classic and always a hit!
STORING, REHEATING & SERVING SIZE
This makes about 6 servings, we reheat in the microwave or in a skillet and store in the refrigerator. This meat will keep for a few days!
This recipe for homemade sloppy joes can be made on the stove top or in the crock pot. It has wonderful reviews! Add some chips and you have a simple yet delicious meal.
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 15 minutesmins
Total Time 25 minutesmins
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
1poundhamburger
3/4cupfinely chopped onion
18 ouncecan tomato sauce
1/2cuptomato ketchup
1tablespoonyellow mustard
1teaspoonminced garlic
1teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
2tablespoonsbrown sugar
Crock Pot Method: Brown the ground beef and onions in a skillet on top of the stove and drain. Place hamburger and onions along with the tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, garlic, Worcestershire and brown sugar in the crock pot on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Skillet Method: Brown ground beef and onions, drain. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Keyword crock pot sloppy joes,, Homemade Sloppy Joes
Elevate your burger game with this delicious killer burger sauce recipe. Made with a secret blend of ingredients, this sauce will take your burgers to the next level.
This is it, the killer burger sauce recipe. If you don’t want dry, flavorless burgers, look no further for the best classic hamburger sauce.
I’ll make this short and sweet since we’ve already talked about our two secrets for the perfect burger. We live by those secrets and sure enough our burger turns out every time. Dust off the grill and let’s make perfect burgers and then top with the best burger sauce you’ve ever had!
Burger Sauce Ingredients
So you’re probably wondering what goes into the best burger sauce. Well, let me tell you! Think Big Mac Sauce, In-N-Out’s special sauce or thousand island dressing, but made in the comfort of your own home. It’s easy and comes together in no time!
Mayonnaise
BBQ Sauce
Ketchup
Mustard or Dijon Mustard
Sweet Pickle Relish
Worcestershire Sauce
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
To make the sauce, whisk all the ingredients together and set aside until the hamburgers are ready to assemble. The measurements of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Assemble the Perfect Burger
Forget the ketchup and mayo and go for a really good burger sauce. I am a huge fan of sauces and condiments but in the case of the burger, keep it simple, burger, sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Besides the burger sauce, these are the other items you will want to make a drool-worthy burger…
Brioche Buns: Always toast your buns. Always. Whether or not you use butter brushed on the inside and outside is up to you, but always toast those babies.
Special Meat Blend: Burgers don’t want to be slow cooked so crank up the heat and quickly cook on each side. We do medium high heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
Lettuce: We prefer butter or green leaf lettuce for the best texture, color and flavor.
Vine Ripe Tomato: We slice the tomatoes thin using our favorite tomato knife.
American Cheese: A processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses and gets extra melty and delicious.
Butter: A little butter on the burger is always a good thing. Culvers butter burger converted us and we hardly ever make it without butter.
Salt and Pepper: I cringe a little every time I see a burger get plopped on a grill without seasoning. Do you like your French fries without salt? Well meat needs seasoning as well.
Why Do Hamburger Patties Fall Apart?
It’s not about the fat content, honestly.
Just make sure you don’t have too many liquid-y things in there, like too much Worcestershire sauce or onions, but what’s also important is to make sure they are cold when you put them on the grill, AND do not keep flipping them. Hamburgers should only need to be flipped once.
That will make the burger fall apart for sure.
Can Hamburgers Be Pink in the Middle?
Yes, a hamburger that is pink in the middle can be safe to eat if it has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. If my friend is doing it and I don’t know where the meat is from or it’s a basic store-bought prepared burger someone is cooking always go with well-done. Again, reading our post about the best burger is helpful.
I know we’ve all been taught to send back a pink burger but at a good restaurant or at home you actually should have a slightly pink center. Why? Well eating out you can’t control that’s it’s fresh, good meat being ground and that it’s been carefully prepared and cooked so it’s too risky. But when you use our special meat blend from our 2 secrets post you’ll have a perfect burger if you don’t cook it to well done. I know, it’s a little scary the first time but trust us. An over cooked burger is the same as an overcooked steak.
What is the Difference Between Yellow Mustard and Dijon?
Dijon mustard has a sharper, tangier flavor than yellow mustard.
What if I Don’t Like Pickles?
If you don’t like the flavor of pickles, then you can replace the pickle relish with a tablespoon of white vinegar. If it’s the texture of pickles that you aren’t a fan of, I would use the pickle juice just to get that pickle flavor in there, but like I mentioned above, I’m actually not a pickle fan, but I don’t even notice them in this sauce.
And you can’t ever forget fries when you have a burger! Go for our perfect French fries with special sauce! And let me just add here that this classic burger sauce recipe is a great dipping sauce for french fries too!
Storage Tips
Extra burger sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to a week.
Add a kick to your burger with this homemade killer burger sauce recipe. Made with simple ingredients, this sauce is sure to elevate your burger game to the next level.
More Homemade Condiment Recipes You’ll Love:
More Easy Burger Recipes:
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutesmins
Cook Time: 6 minutesmins
Total Time: 11 minutesmins
Description
This is it, the killer burger sauce recipe. If you don’t want dry, stale burgers look no further for the best classic hamburger sauce.
Prevent your screen from going dark
For the Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, bbq, ketchup, and mustard.
Casseroles are such a great dinner option! This cheesy ground beef and potato casserole is creamy, comforting and perfect for a busy day.
We had received so many messages about our readers making our mega viral busy day casserole with potatoes instead of rice that I just had to try it for myself. This casserole is full of creamy potatoes, seasoned ground beef and melted cheese for days.
We are giving you two versions of this recipe…a quick version with cream of mushroom soup and a totally made from scratch version where you make the creamy sauce yourself. You can choose whatever you have time for!
Now if you force me to choose between the rice version and the potato version of this casserole, I will have to give the slightest edge to the original rice version. It’s probably nostalgia for me, but I just like it a little better. This potato version is pure comfort food and it reminded me of camping and eating a tinfoil dinner. It tastes so similar!
What Ingredients Go in Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole?
For the quick version, you’ll only need 7 simple ingredients. For the homemade version, you’ll need a few more ingredients to make the cream of mushroom soup from scratch, but all the ingredients are easy to find. Here is what you will need for both versions:
Quick Version
Cream of Mushroom Soup, Russet Potatoes, Milk, Carrots, Ground Beef, Onion, and Cheese (Cheddar or Colby Jack)
Casserole: Ground Beef, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion, Carrots, Cheese (Cheddar or Colby Jack), and Russet Potatoes
PRO TIP: You can also make this recipe with frozen hash browns to make it even easier!
The measurements of all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Keep scrolling to see all the details!
What Potato is Best to Use?
We prefer Russet potatoes in this recipe. They are starchy and soak up a lot of the flavors of the ground beef, carrots and creamy sauce. You could honestly use any potato you want and it would be great!
How to Make Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes
Like I said earlier, you can do whichever version of the recipe you want. Obviously the from scratch version requires more ingredients, but when all is said and done, it probably only adds an extra 10 or 15 minutes to the recipe.
Quick Version
Prep: preheat the oven and spray the baking dish
Cook: brown the beef with the onions in a large skillet and drain any excess grease
Combine: stir all the ingredients (except cheese) together and pour into the prepared baking dish
Bake: cover the baking dish with foil and bake, add cheese at the end and bake until melted
From Scratch Version
Sauté: melt the butter in a skillet on the stove top and add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender
Roux: add the flour and stir to make a roux and then add the cream and broth, stirring until thick and season to taste with salt and pepper
Cook: in a separate pan, brown the beef and onions and drain any excess grease
Prep: preheat the oven and spray a square baking dish
Combine: add all the ingredients (minus the cheese) into the casserole dish and stir to combine
Bake: cover the dish with foil and bake, add the cheese for the last few minutes and bake until melted
Optional: Sprinkle some fresh thyme or fresh topped parsley on top for an extra pop of flavor!
The complete instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Know When Hamburger Meat is Cooked
Ground beef should have an internal temperature of 160 degrees which you can’t really check in ground beef with a meat thermometer. So here are a few tips for cooking ground beef…use a meat chopper to break down the ground beef in to similar sized chunks so that they cook evenly. Make sure that no pink color is visible. It will take about 7-10 minutes to completely cook a pound of ground beef on the stove top.
The good news with this recipe is that if for some reason the ground beef doesn’t get totally cooked through on the stove top, it will cook for sure in the oven as the casserole bakes.
Variations and Add-ins
If you don’t have cream of mushroom soup, you can use cream of chicken, cream of celery or cream of potato soup.
You can also use whatever cheese your family loves. We love the flavor of a good cheddar cheese or a colby jack cheese. If you want a little heat, use pepper jack! If you want a little Mexican flare, use monterey jack. It’s really up to you!
Feel free to add in more vegetables or swap the carrots for peas, broccoli, green beans, corn, etc. It’s totally customizable!
What to Eat with Ground Beef Potato Casserole
This hearty ground beef casserole can stand on its own for dinner since it has protein and vegetables all in the one dish. If you want a little extra, here are some great side dish options…
What I Love About This Recipe
There are so many reasons to love this recipe, so here are a few:
Easy: The ingredients are simple to find. The recipe is easy to execute.
Family Friendly: All of the ingredients are kid friendly and adult approved. The whole family will love it!
Budget Friendly: All the ingredients are inexpensive so you can have dinner on the table without breaking the bank.
Flexible: If you’re tight on time, you can use the quick version of the recipe, and if you want to make the whole recipe from scratch, we have that option for you too!
Make Ahead: You can make all of this recipe ahead of time and just combine everything right before baking. Peel and dice the potatoes and set them in a pot of water to keep them from turning brown. Brown the meat and make the sauce. Then combine everything right before baking and bake as written in the instructions.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 5 days. To reheat leftovers, just zap them in the microwave for a minute or two.
This recipe also freezes really well. Let it cool completely then store in a freezer safe container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Cheesy and easy ground beef and potato casserole needs to be added to your list of go-to family friendly casserole recipes for those busy weeknights! It will win over your picky eaters and the flavors are so comforting and satisfying!
More Easy Ground Beef Recipes:
Servings: 8servings
Prep Time: 5 minutesmins
Cook Time: 1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Total Time: 1 hourhr35 minutesmins
Description
Casseroles are such a great dinner option! This cheesy ground beef and potato casserole is creamy, comforting and perfect for a busy day.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Quick Recipe
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×8″ baking dish with nonstick spray.
Over medium heat, brown the beef and onions until cooked through. Drain the grease.
1 lb Ground Beef, 1/2 Onion
Stir together the soup, seasonings, potatoes, milk, carrots, and beef with onions in a 8×8″ dish.
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup, 2 Russet Potatoes, 1 Cup Milk, 1 Cup Carrots, 1/4 teaspoon Salt, 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Bake for 60 minutes, remove the foil, add the cheese and bake for a few more minutes or until melted.
Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese
From Scratch
In a medium pan over medium heat, add the butter and melt.
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Whisk in the onion, garlic and mushrooms.
1/4 Cup Onion, 1 Clove Garlic, 1/2 Cup White Button Mushroom
Add the flour, whisking continually and cook for 30-60 seconds.
3 Tablespoons Flour
Add the cream and broth and cook until thick.
1/2 Cup Cream, 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
Season and remove from heat.
1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, 1-2 teaspoons Salt
Over medium heat, brown the beef and onions until cooked through. Drain the grease.
1 lb Ground Beef, 1/2 Onion
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×8″ baking dish with nonstick spray.
Place the cream mixture, potatoes, milk, beef and onions and carrots into the dish and stir to combine. Cover with foil.
1 Cup Milk, 1 Cup Carrots, 2 Russet Potatoes
Bake for 60 minutes, remove the foil, add the cheese and bake for a few more minutes or until melted.
![Cheesy Ground Beef and Potato Casserole [+Video] – Oh Sweet Basil](https://reportwire.org/wp-content/uploads/busy-day-casserole-cheesy-ground-beef-and-potato-casserole-recipe-12.jpg)
