Hamburger Rice Casserole

Quick and delicious Hamburger Rice Casserole with ground beef, rice, and savory spices. A comforting, crowd-pleasing recipe for any night of the week.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword hamburger-rice-casserole, hamburger-rice-recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 443kcal

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups long grain white rice (to equal 3 cups cooked rice) plus water to cook and 1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet onion diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp dark chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef stock or beef broth
1 10 oz can cheddar cheese soup OR 8 oz Cheez Whiz
1 10 oz can diced Rotel tomatoes Use mild or hot
1/2 cup ketchup OR canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas and carrots thawed
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
chopped parsley for garnishing

Instructions

How to Make Rice: In a large bring long grain rice and 3 cups of water seasoned with one teaspoon salt to a boil. Once boiling, cover and lower the heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until tender and the liquid is absorbed. Set aside. (This can be made up to two days in advance and kept in the refrigerator for a timesaver.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a large 12-inch Dutch oven or baking dish with cooking spray. (If using an oven safe skillet, skip this step.)
Make the Filling: In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until no pink remains, around 8 minutes. Drain excess grease from skillet then add garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer. Turn the heat to low,
To the skillet add seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, chili powder and black pepper. Mix to combine over low heat.
Next, add beef stock, cheddar cheese soup, Rotel tomatoes, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until fully combined.
Add peas and carrots and cooked rice. Remove the pan from the heat, stirring to combine. Add 1 cup colby jack cheese, mix to evenly distribute. Pour into the prepared dish.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes until bubbly and the cheese has melted and is light golden brown.
Serve immediately garnished with chopped parsley.

Notes

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.

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