My friend Karen called me one Tuesday night in March 2017, her voice shaking. "I need a recipe I can make with ground beef and potatoes. That's literally all I have left before payday and I'm feeding five people tonight." I pulled out my mom's old recipe card for potato and hamburger casserole - the one written in her faded handwriting, stained with grease splatters from years of use. The card was so worn I could barely read some of the words, but I knew this recipe by heart. I walked Karen through it over the phone while she diced potatoes and browned beef.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
From making this for three different families going through tight money weeks, two church potlucks, and more weeknight dinners than I can count, here's why this potato and hamburger casserole keeps showing up. It costs less than ten dollars to make the whole thing - ground beef, potatoes, cheese, and whatever else you throw in. One pan feeds six people, sometimes eight if you serve it with bread. The leftovers taste even better the next day when everything's had time to soak together.
Johnny's picky friend Michael ate three helpings last month and asked his mom to make it at home. My sister, who only cooks "fancy" meals and usually judges my simple dinners, asked for the recipe after trying it. When you're exhausted from work and need something on the table in an hour, this saves you. When it's the end of the month and money's tight, this stretches. Plus, you can throw in whatever vegetables are about to go bad in your fridge - I've added green beans, corn, carrots, even leftover broccoli. It all works.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients for potato and hamburger casserole
- How To Make Potato And Hamburger Casserole Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Potato And Hamburger Casserole
- Tasty Twists on Potato And Hamburger Casserole
- Equipment for Potato And Hamburger Casserole
- Storing Your Potato And Hamburger Casserole
- Top Tip
- FAQ
- Time to Feed Your Family!
- Related
- Pairing
- potato and hamburger casserole
Ingredients for potato and hamburger casserole
For the Casserole Base:
- 1-2 pounds ground beef
- 4-5 medium potatoes
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Flavor Boosters:
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
How To Make Potato And Hamburger Casserole Step By Step
Brown the Beef and Build Flavor
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot
- Add ground beef and break it up with wooden spoon or spatula
- Toss in diced onion and minced garlic while beef cooks
- Cook 7-8 minutes until beef is no longer pink and onions are soft
- Drain off excess grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon for flavor
- Season with salt, pepper, and any other spices you like
- Stir in cream of mushroom soup and mix until everything's coated
Prep Your Potatoes for Even Cooking
- Wash potatoes thoroughly under cold water
- Peel them
- Slice into thin rounds, about ¼ inch thick
- Keep slices uniform so they all cook at the same rate
- Pat dry with paper towels if they're really wet
Layer Everything for Maximum Flavor
- Grease 9x13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray
- Arrange half the potato slices in overlapping rows on bottom
- Spread half the beef mixture evenly over potatoes
- Sprinkle with half the cheese if using some in layers
- Repeat with remaining potatoes and beef mixture
- If mixture looks dry, pour ¼ cup milk over top
Bake to Golden Perfection
- Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes until potatoes are tender when pierced
- Remove foil and sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over top
- Return to oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden
- Let casserole rest 5 minutes before serving to set up properly
Smart Swaps for Potato And Hamburger Casserole
Meat Options:
- Ground beef → Ground turkey (leaner, dries out easier so add extra soup)
- Regular beef → Ground chicken (needs more seasoning)
- Fresh meat → Leftover cooked ground beef (skip the browning step)
- Beef → Half beef, half pork sausage (adds great flavor)
Potato Switches:
- Russet potatoes → Yukon gold (creamier texture)
- Fresh potatoes → Frozen hash browns (thaw first, cuts prep time in half)
- Regular slices → Tater tots on top instead of cheese (kids go crazy for this)
- White potatoes → Sweet potatoes (sweeter, takes longer to cook)
Soup Substitutions:
- Cream of mushroom → Cream of chicken (milder flavor)
- Canned soup → Homemade white sauce with flour, butter, milk
- Mushroom → Cream of celery (if someone hates mushrooms)
- Regular soup → Add sour cream to any soup for extra richness
Cheese Changes:
- Cheddar → Monterey Jack (melts smoother)
- Regular cheese → Mexican blend (adds little kick)
- Shredded → Sliced American cheese (melts into everything)
- Dairy cheese → Dairy-free cheese (works okay, not as gooey)
Tasty Twists on Potato And Hamburger Casserole
Loaded Baked Potato Style:
- Add 6 slices cooked, crumbled bacon mixed into the beef layer
- Stir 1 cup sour cream into the soup mixture for extra creaminess
- Top with cheddar cheese, green onions, and extra bacon before final bake
- Serve with dollops of sour cream on each portion just like loaded baked potatoes
- Perfect for people who love all the classic baked potato toppings in casserole form
Tex-Mex Fiesta Version:
- Replace cream of mushroom with cream of chicken soup and add 1 cup salsa
- Use Mexican cheese blend instead of regular cheddar for more flavor
- Add 1 can drained black beans and 1 cup corn to the beef mixture
- Top with crushed tortilla chips in the last 10 minutes instead of just cheese
- Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and fresh cilantro on the side
Cheesy Vegetable Garden:
- Add 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans, corn) to beef layer
- Use cream of celery soup for lighter vegetable-forward flavor
- Mix 1 cup each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese for extra gooey factor
- Sprinkle breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter on top with the cheese
- Great way to sneak vegetables into kids' dinners without complaints
French Onion Comfort:
- Caramelize 2 large onions slowly in butter before adding to beef (takes 20 minutes but worth it)
- Use beef broth mixed with cream of mushroom soup for deeper flavor
- Top with Swiss and Gruyere cheese instead of cheddar for authentic French onion taste
- Add crispy fried onions on top during last 5 minutes of baking
- Tastes like French onion soup met a casserole and they fell in love
Equipment for Potato And Hamburger Casserole
- 9x13 inch baking dish (glass or metal both work fine)
- Large skillet or frying pan (for browning the beef)
- Sharp knife (for slicing potatoes and onions)
- Cutting board (any size works)
- Wooden spoon or spatula (for stirring beef)
- Aluminum foil (to cover while baking)
Storing Your Potato And Hamburger Casserole
Fridge Storage (3-4 days):
- Let casserole cool completely before covering with foil or plastic wrap
- Store right in the baking dish or transfer to containers
- Reheat individual portions in microwave for 2-3 minutes
- Reheat whole dish covered at 350°F for 20-25 minutes until hot through
- Add splash of milk if it looks dry when reheating
Freezer Storage (2-3 months):
- Cool completely and wrap tightly with two layers of foil
- Write the date on top with permanent marker so you remember
- Thaw in fridge overnight before reheating
- Bake covered at 350°F for 45 minutes, then uncovered 15 minutes with fresh cheese on top
- Texture won't be quite as good as fresh but still tastes great
Make-Ahead Magic:
- Assemble entire casserole but don't bake it yet
- Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours
- Add 10-15 extra minutes to baking time since it's starting cold
- Perfect for busy nights when you want dinner ready to just pop in oven
Leftover Tips:
- Tastes even better the next day after flavors have time to blend
- Johnny eats it cold straight from the fridge for breakfast (don't judge)
- Crumble leftovers and use as filling for burritos or quesadillas
- Mix with scrambled eggs for the world's best breakfast hash
Top Tip
- My mom didn't tell me her real trick with this potato and hamburger casserole until I'd been making it for about five years. We were at her house for Sunday dinner in 2022, and I mentioned mine never tasted quite like hers used to. She laughed and walked over to her spice cabinet. "You're not using this, are you?" she said, pulling out a bottle of Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce.
- Turns out she'd been adding two teaspoons of that dark brown liquid to the beef mixture the whole time I was growing up. It's what gave her version that deep, rich color and extra savory flavor I could never figure out. The potato and hamburger casserole looked like it had been slow-cooking for hours when really it was just that secret ingredient doing its magic. But her other trick was even simpler.
- She'd save the potato water whenever she boiled potatoes for anything else during the week - mashed potato and hamburger casserole, potato salad, whatever. She'd pour it into a jar and keep it in the fridge. Then when she made this potato and hamburger casserole, she'd use that starchy potato water instead of regular milk to thin out the soup mixture. Made everything creamier and helped the whole dish stick together better. "Waste not, want not," she'd always say, dumping that cloudy water into the pan while I watched. Now I keep a jar of potato water in my fridge too. Johnny thinks it's weird, but he can't argue with how good the casserole tastes. Sometimes the old ways really are the best ways.
FAQ
Can you cook ground beef and potatoes in the same pan?
Yes, but it doesn't work great for this casserole. The potatoes need longer to cook than the beef, so you'd end up with mushy, overcooked beef by the time the potato and hamburger casserole are done. Better to brown the beef separately and layer everything in the baking dish like the recipe shows.
Why is it called a John Wayne potato and hamburger casserole?
John Wayne casserole is actually a different dish - it has biscuits on the bottom, taco-seasoned beef, cheese, and vegetables. This potato and hamburger casserole is its own thing, sometimes called "cowboy casserole" or just "potato and hamburger casserole bake" depending on where you're from.
Do you have to boil potatoes before putting them in a casserole?
No, and that's what makes this recipe so easy. Slice them thin (about ¼ inch) and they'll cook perfectly in the oven with all the moisture from the soup and beef. Boiling them first makes them fall apart and get mushy in the potato and hamburger casserole.
What is John Wayne casserole made of?
John Wayne casserole uses refrigerated biscuits as the base layer, then ground beef with taco seasoning, peppers, onions, tomatoes, sour cream, and lots of cheese on top. It's named after the actor but nobody really knows why. Our potato and hamburger casserole is simpler and cheaper to make.
Time to Feed Your Family!
Now you have all the secrets to making perfect potato and hamburger casserole from slicing those potatoes thin to Mom's Kitchen Bouquet trick. This simple, filling dinner proves that the best recipes don't need fancy ingredients or complicated steps. Just good food that brings people together.
Craving more family favorites? Try our Easy Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe that Johnny and his friends decorate every weekend. Need a healthier weeknight option? Our Healthy Burrito Bowl Recipe comes together in 20 minutes with ingredients you probably have. Or make our Delicious Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe for your next holiday dinner - it's the dish that disappears first at every gathering!
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with potato and hamburger casserole
potato and hamburger casserole
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Sauté the ground beef with onion and garlic until cooked and flavorful.
- Slice the potatoes thinly and arrange them for even baking in the dish.
- Alternate layers of potatoes, beef mixture, and cheese in the baking dish.
- Cover the dish and bake until potatoes are tender and everything is set.
- Uncover, add remaining cheese, bake until golden, rest, then serve warm.
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