Hamburger and Rice Casserole
Dinner doesn’t need to be complicated! This Hamburger and Rice Casserole is made with a few simple ingredients you probably have on hand or it can be easily customized. It goes from stovetop to oven in about 10 minutes — and turns into a creamy, cheesy, cozy dinner that everyone will love.
I love this quick casserole because:
No canned soup or seasoning packets needed – just real ingredients.
Extra protein thanks to the cottage cheese sauce.
Simple stovetop to oven casserole.
Adjustable to suit your taste and ingredients on hand – casserole template included.
Just a comforting dinner packed with real ingredients, made simple!
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Hamburger and Rice Casserole
Equipment
- 1 Blender or Food Processor
- 1 Casserole Dish stovetop to oven
Ingredients
Ground beef mixture
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 green onions sliced, reserve some as garnish
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
Cheese sauce
- 1 cup cottage cheese full-fat
- 2 cups milk
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black ground pepper
Other ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice uncooked
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, Italian herbs, salt, and ground black pepper. Start breaking up the ground beef while browning it slightly for 1-2 minutes.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 lb ground beef, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp Italian herbs
- Reserve some sliced green onions as a garnish for later. Add the remaining green onion slices, minced garlic, and corn to the seasoned ground beef. Cook for 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant while stirring. Remove the pan from the heat. The beef and corn don't have to be fully cooked at this stage.3 green onions, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup frozen corn
- To make the sauce, add everything to a blender and blend it until smooth. Add the sauce on top and gently stir everything until thoroughly combined.1 cup cottage cheese, 2 cups milk, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black ground pepper
- Add the uncooked rice to a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Add the ground beef mixture and combine.1 cup long-grain white rice, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- Pour over the cheese sauce and sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Keep in mind that the casserole continues to cook once it has been removed from the oven.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let it set for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish it with the remaining green onions or fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions
- Beef – I opted for lean ground beef with a 10% fat content for this recipe, but you can use a slightly fattier or leaner mix if you prefer. Ground beef adds hearty flavor and protein to this comforting rice casserole, alongside the cottage cheese in the sauce.
- Rice – Uncooked white rice cooks directly in the casserole as it bakes, absorbing all the flavor from the beef and creamy sauce. Long-grain white rice works best here. If using brown rice, you’ll need to adjust the liquid and baking time. Avoid quick-cook or instant rice, as it may become too soft.
- Cheese – Mozzarella, parmesan, and cottage cheese create the rich, creamy base for this 3-cheese casserole. I use full-fat cottage cheese for the smoothest texture, but a lighter version works too. You could also swap some of the mozzarella for cheddar or Gruyère for a slightly sharper flavor.
- Milk – I use whole milk for a richer sauce, but lighter milk works just fine. For an extra creamy finish, you can replace a small portion of the milk with half-and-half or heavy cream.
- Vegetables – Green onions add fresh flavor and a pop of color to the beef mixture. A small yellow onion works well as a substitute. Fresh garlic boosts the savory depth, though you can use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead of the two cloves. Frozen corn adds sweetness and extra vegetables, but frozen peas or finely diced quick-cooking vegetables are great alternatives.
Step-by-step: ground beef rice casserole
Brown the beef. Add veggies.
Add rice.
Combine with sauce. Top with cheese.
Bake and serve.
Meat and rice casserole template
If you’re building a simpler dinner routine, this recipe can be your casserole template.
1 protein → Ground beef, ground chicken, diced chicken
1 starch → White rice, pasta, orzo
2-3 vegetables → Corn, green onion, bell pepper, peas, leek, spinach, grated zucchini or carrot
1 simple sauce → Blended Alfredo sauce (more liquid added to the original recipe as the starch absorbs this while cooking)
Topping → your choice of shredded cheese
Mix. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F (180c – preheated), let it rest for 10 min. Dinner done!
This is the kind of repeatable structure that makes scratch cooking sustainable and simplifies your dinner routine.
