Make something different with your ground beef tonight – a super flavorful hamburger rice casserole made without cream of mushroom soup or cheese. It’s an easy dinner that the whole family loves!
Love easy casserole recipes? Be sure to try this creamy chicken casserole or this delicious cabbage roll casserole too!
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Hamburger and Rice Casserole
This easy ground beef and rice casserole recipe is simple to make and full of flavor from french onion soup, beef broth and butter.
Other than browning the ground beef and onion, it’s a dump and bake recipe that’s ready in 45 minutes.
Whether you’re feeding a dinner party or your family, you can’t go wrong when you make this casserole!
Casserole Ingredients Needed
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this easy recipe. Scroll down to the full recipe card with amounts needed.
- Olive oil: You’ll use this to sauté the peppers and onion, so use a high-quality oil to get the best flavor.
- Lean ground beef: A high quality meat will have less grease, so go with 90/10. You could also go with 80/20, but you’ll just have more grease to drain. Use ground chicken or ground turkey instead of beef.
- Onion and garlic: I chopped a small onion but ½ cup of any onion is great. Mince fresh garlic for the best aromatic flavors.
- Beef Broth: So much flavor that gets absorbed into the rice as it cooks. Use low sodium to control the amount of salt in the casserole. Use beef broth or beef stock.
- Rice: Use uncooked Jasmine rice as it will cook in the oven. If you use cooked rice, the liquid won’t absorb and it’ll be soupy! You can use brown rice instead of white rice, but you will need to use ½ cup of water instead of ⅓ cup and adjust the cook time and bake it a little longer until the rice is completely cooked. Although I use Jasmine white rice or Basmati rice, any type of rice works. A long grain rice is my favorite over regular rice.
- French Onion Soup – Amazing flavor in French onion soup. Again, use low-sodium so that it isn’t too salty.
- Water: This helps to mellow out the flavors just a bit. Beef broth and French onion soup are very rich.
- Unsalted Butter: We’re using unsalted, because even though we’re using low sodium liquids, it still contains salt.
Do you have extra ground beef to use up? Make hamburger vegetable soup with it. Or save some to make Cincinnati chili with it!
Variations To Try
1. Throw in some fresh or frozen veggies! Diced or sliced mushrooms, green beans, peas, red bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli florets, you name it.
2. Add different seasoning like a tablespoon of Italian seasoning or a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
3. Swap the beef broth for chicken broth.
4. Make a cheesy ground beef casserole by adding a cup of freshly shredded cheddar cheese or other favorite cheese like mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Colby, etc. Freshly grating off a block is the best for melting in casseroles.
5. Turn it into a Mexican ground beef casserole by adding a tablespoon of chili powder and 1 teaspoon of cumin.
6. If you want to make it spicier, all you have to do is add as many red pepper flakes as you can handle.
How to Make this Rice Casserole Recipe
This ground beef rice casserole is incredibly easy and delicious and ready before you know it. It’s bound to become a favorite.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425° F and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
Step 2: In a large skillet, add the ground beef and chopped onions and brown over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are soft. (break the meat into crumbles as it cooks). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Then drain the excess grease from the pan.
Step 3: In a prepared casserole dish, add the cooked meat mixture, uncooked rice, beef broth, French onion soup, and water and stir to combine.
Step 4: Place the slices of butter evenly around the top of the casserole. Once melted into the dish, it adds a creaminess to the texture.
Step 5: Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked completely.
Step 6: After baking, fluff the rice with a fork and garnish with fresh chopped parsley or green onions. Top with a dollop of sour cream if you’d like.
Serving Suggestions
This easy casserole is a complete meal on its own. It has meat, rice, and veggies! If you’re in a rush, you don’t need to serve anything else with it.
Make it easy and serve it with a side of veggies or a simple salad like this spinach asparagus and tomato salad, easy kale salad or a tossed green salad.
Veggie side dishes could include roasted balsamic cauliflower or roasted broccoli or roasted green beans. They are all easy and tasty.
Tips
- Use leftovers as a filling for stuffed peppers. Grate some cheese on top and pop them into the oven for a completely different meal!
- Avoid using instant rice (or minute rice). It’s meant to absorb liquid quickly, so by the time it’s out of the oven, it’ll be very mushy.
FAQ’s
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave or reheat in the oven at 350° F until heated through. Place a cold dish in a cold oven and then turn the oven on.
This casserole is a great freezer meal. Let the casserole cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Keep it frozen for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can make the casserole in advance. I actually think it tastes better the next day!
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Hamburger and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef I used 90%
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 ½ cups white jasmine rice uncooked
- 21 ounces low sodium beef broth (2) 10.5 ounce cans
- 21 ounces low sodium French Onion soup (2) 10.5 ounce cans
- ⅓ cup water
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil then add the ground beef and onions and brown over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes breaking the meat into small pieces as it sautés until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is soft .1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, ½ cup onion
- Then add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant.3 garlic cloves
- Drain any excess grease from the meat mixture if necessary.
- In the prepared casserole dish, add the cooked ground beef mixture, uncooked rice, beef broth, French onion soup, and water and stir to combine.2 ½ cups white jasmine rice, 21 ounces low sodium beef broth, 21 ounces low sodium French Onion soup, ⅓ cup water
- Place the slices of butter evenly around the top of the casserole and cover the dish with foil.¾ cup unsalted butter
- Bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked completely.
- After baking, fluff the rice with a fork.
- Garnish with parsley or sliced green onions if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
Lawanna Moffatt
I am allergic to cheese so it was so nice to find a delicious full meal to make that didn’t call for some kind of cheese. This casserole was a perfect meal and will definitely be made again in our house. So tasty. I didn’t have French Onion soup but used onion soup ….worked fine. Used what we call in Canada 90% hamburger with very little grease at the end. Thanks again