Cheesy Ground Beef And Rice Casserole
Oct 31, 2024, Updated May 13, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My cheesy ground beef and rice casserole is a true family favorite. It’s a warm, comforting meal that’s always a hit at the dinner table. Filled with ground beef, rice, veggies, and layer of melted cheese., it’s a full dinner in one casserole dish. This is a hearty meal that is so satisfying and loved by adults and kids.
This cheesy ground beef and rice casserole, or hamburger casserole as I like to call it, is a dish I make on the regular. When I find an easy dinner recipe that my picky kids will eat, I know it’s a keeper.
I first shared this recipe years ago and have since added a few, simple updates to make sure it was just right. It’s really a versatile recipe that can easily be adjusted to you and your family’s taste.
If you are interested in ground beef recipes for dinner, check out this ground beef alfredo and cheesy mac with ground beef.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Family friendly. This beef and rice casserole is perfect for kids and adults.
- Budget friendly. Using simple ingredients like ground beef and rice keep make this great for the meal budget without sacrificing flavor.
- Easy to customize. You can change up the ingredients to fit your taste.
Ingredients
This hamburger casserole is made with just a few simple ingredients.
- Ground beef – I like using lean ground beef to make this casserole.
- Onion – Diced yellow onion.
- Rice – Use cooked, long grain rice. You will need about 4 cups.
- Cream of mushroom soup – Two cans are needed.
- Carrots – I like using shredded carrots but you can also use small diced carrots.
- Broccoli – Small broccoli florets. You can use fresh or thawed frozen broccoli.
- Cheese – Shredded cheese like Colby Jack or cheddar.
- Garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper
How to make cheesy ground beef and rice casserole
I have included the full, printable recipe down below, along with a video.
- Cook your rice using your favorite method.
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet until browned. Drain off any excess grease. Add in garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, and diced onions. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in cream of mushroom soup, cooked rice, carrots, broccoli, and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Mix together to combine.
- Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the mixture in the casserole dish.
- Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Heather’s recipe tips
- Shred your cheese. I recommend shredded your cheese. It melts better than prepackaged cheese.
- Cook vegetables. If you would prefer softer broccoli and carrots, add them in with the onion to cook and soften for a few minutes.
- Leftover rice. This is a great recipe to use leftover rice. You can also use quick rice if you are short on time.
Variations
- Rice: I typically use white rice but you can substitute with brown rice.
- Vegetables: Try adding different vegetables like mushrooms, diced peppers, diced celery, or leave out all of the vegetables. I also like using frozen peas and carrots for this dish.
- Cheese: You can substitute with your favorite cheese like cheddar, monterey jack, mozzarella, or even pepper jack cheese.
Storage
Store: Let it cool and then store in an airtight container. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Place in a freezer safe container. This can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then bake or microwave to reheat.
Common questions
No, you don’t need to cover the dish. If you find your cheese starts browning quickly, you can lightly cover it with foil.
Yes, you can substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken. You can even change it out for a plant based meat.
Yes, you can assemble this dish ahead of time, cover and store in the refrigerator. Bake when ready to serve. It might need a few extra minutes of baking time since it has been in the refrigerator.
More Delicious Casseroles
- Cheesy vegetable casserole
- Skillet hamburger casserole
- Cattle drive casserole
- Sloppy joe casserole
- Pork noodle casserole
Cheesy Ground Beef And Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked, long grain white rice
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion , chopped
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups colby jack shredded cheese
- 1 cup diced or shredded carrots
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray 9×11 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef until browned. Drain off excess grease and add chopped onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Cook rice according to package.
- Stir the cream of mushroom soup in with the ground beef. Stir in cooked rice, carrots, broccoli, and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Pour mixture into baking dish and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Shred your cheese. I recommend shredded your cheese. It melts better than prepackaged cheese.
- Cook vegetables. If you would prefer softer broccoli and carrots, add them in with the onion to cook and soften for a few minutes.
- Leftover rice. This is a great recipe to use leftover rice. You can also use quick rice if you are short on time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I like to save some of your recipes on Pinterest. However, when I go to pin then they don’t come up with a title, onlly a picture. With so many recipes saved, it is impossible to identkfy them w/o a name. PLEASE Label the photos.
If you hit the red pinterest button it should give you a pin with the name of the recipe. Hope this helps.
Excellent! husband was very dubious because there was onions in it. I also added frozen zucchini from last years garden as my vegetable. A wonderful dish for cold nights. This is a keeper and will be making it again. Thanks for the new casserole recipe.
One of my families favorite easy night recipes. Mix and match different veggies if you want. Next day left overs are even better. Easy to make ahead and have ready for when you come home to put in oven.
Just made this. BUT……I messed up. The rice said 4 cups and when I mixed it and it didn’t look the same and was dry I knew what I did. I measured 4 cups of uncooked rice, cooked it and used it all instead of measuring 4 cups of cooked rice. Added some extra cheese and some milk so it wouldn’t be too dry. It’s still in the oven so we’ll see. I’m giving it 5 stars cuz it looked soooo good. Will try again and use the right amount of rice. Sometimes…………
One pot dishes are my favorite to make. This looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to give it a try this weekend.
Can I use frozen broccoli or frozen peas n carrots?
Yes, frozen broccoli would work. I would try to use smaller pieces so they cook well.
Yes. I usually just put them in a microwaveable save dish. Add some water. Then cook for 3 minutes or so depending on microwave. Then add to casserole.
On the soup do you add water for each can of soup or just soup no water
I just add soup no water. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Making tonight. Made the full recipe, but its just me and the hubs. Do you think this will freeze well?
Hi Elissa! Yes, it freezes well. Just let it come to room temperature and then I like to cover with plastic wrap and then foil to freeze.
This looks delicious! Do you cook the broccoli and carrots first, or do they just cook in the oven? I want to make this for my 16 month old, so I want the veggies to be soft.
Hi Stephanie! They just soften in the oven. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you Karly. Yes, I love an easy ground beef recipe :0 Have a great weekend!!