Hamburger Rice Casserole

This Hamburger Rice Casserole is a flavor packed weeknight dinner filled with seasoned ground beef, rice, vegetables and cheese. Enjoy it as a one dish meal or add a salad and warm dinner rolls to round out the meal.

Ingredients to Make Hamburger Rice Casserole Recipe

Busy weeknights call for the ultimate comfort food and it doesn’t get any easier than a one dish meal. The combination of hamburger and white rice in this easy casserole recipe fits the bill, and it’s always a hit with the family. There’s plenty of room to personalize the ingredients to your taste or modify using what you have on hand. Ingredients to make homestyle Hamburger Rice: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

Meat – Lean ground beef is the star flavor.
Rice – Long grain white rice cooked in salted water until tender and the liquid has been absorbed. This is equal to around 3 cups of cooked rice.
Onion and Garlic – White onion or yellow onion plus fresh garlic seasons the hamburger.
Oil – Olive oil or vegetable oil for cooking the beef.
Seasonings – Seasoned salt, dried Italian seasoning, dark chili powder and black pepper.
Liquid – Low sodium beef stock or beef broth adds moisture.
Tomatoes – Canned Rotel tomatoes, you can use mild or hot according to your taste.
Sauce – Canned cheddar cheese soup or Cheez Whiz gives the rice a cheesy flavor. Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce expands the flavor profile of the sauce.
Vegetables – Frozen peas and carrots turns this dish into a one pot meal.
Shredded Cheese – Shredded colby jack cheese for the filling and the top.
Garnish – Chopped fresh parsley for garnishing.

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How to Make the BEST Hamburger Rice Casserole Recipe

Boil the Rice: Boil uncooked rice in 3 cups of salted water until tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Heat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish: Preheat the oven and spray a large 12-inch Dutch oven or baking dish with cooking spray.
Make the Beef Filling: Cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain excess grease from skillet then add garlic. Cook until fragrant.
Add Seasonings: To the skillet add seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, chili powder and black pepper.
Make the Sauce: Add beef stock, cheddar cheese soup, Rotel tomatoes, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until fully combined.
Combine with Vegetables and Cheese: Add peas and carrots and cooked rice, stir to combine. Add 1 cup colby jack cheese, mix to evenly distribute.
Transfer to Prepared Dish: Pour the rice mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.
Oven: Bake per the cooking time in the recipe until bubbly and the top is lightly golden brown.
Garnish: Serve immediately garnished with chopped parsley.

Tips for Making Hamburger Rice

Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need: Large skillet, 12-inch casserole dish or dutch oven, medium pot for making the rice, sharp knife and cutting board, cheese grater, measuring cups, measuring spoons, large rubber spatula or spoon.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can fully assemble this rice casserole one day in advance. Store covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator, then allow 15-20 minutes on the counter to warm to room temperature prior to baking. You may also need to increase the bake time by 5-10 minutes.
How to Serve Hamburger Rice Casserole: Serve this casserole as a one dish meal or with a chopped salad, green beans, creamed corn and garlic bread or crescent rolls.

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Recipe Variations

Protein: You can use ground pork, Italian sausage, ground chicken or ground turkey in place of ground beef.
Cheese: You can use provolone cheese, pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese or any other variety of cheese that you enjoy.
Cheddar Cheese Soup Substitution: You can use Cheez Whiz in place of the condensed cheddar cheese soup. You could also adapt this recipe using cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup.
Additional Vegetables: You could cook diced red or green bell pepper, jalapeno pepper or mushrooms with the onion to expand the flavor profile.
Seasonings: You could use paprika in place of chili powder for less spice. You could also add a few dashes of hot sauce or add crushed red pepper flakes for more spice.
Rice: You can make this casserole using cooked brown rice, jasmine rice or basmati rice. Each type of rice has varying amounts of starch and each will cook differently so be prepared to make those adjustments in real time.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store leftover Hamburger Rice Casserole in an airtight container or covered with aluminum foil chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat in single servings in the microwave or in a preheated 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or just until heated through.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. thaw in the fridge and reheat just before serving.

More Easy Ground Beef Recipes to Make

Serve this Hamburger Steak with a heaping helping of mashed potatoes.
Barbecue flavored Smokey Joes.
Treat the family to a big bowl of Chili Spaghetti.
Shepherd’s Pie for St Patrick’s Day or any day that suit your fancy.
Teriyaki Beef Fried Rice is quick and easy.
Use a fluffy loaf of bread from the grocery store bakery to make this Stuffed Sloppy Joe Bread.
Italian Basil Beef and Shells for Italian night at home.
This Bacon Cheeseburger Pie has a hash brown crust.
Save time and stock your freezer with this Make-Ahead Ground Beef for quick and easy meals.
Beef Pockets from Food Network.

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