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This comforting, cheesy hamburger and rice casserole is a true one-pot dinner you can throw together in only 15 minutes, and it makes fantastic leftovers. With jasmine rice, extra-sharp cheddar, and a flavorful, homemade creamy tomato sauce, this one-pot cheeseburger casserole will be a crowd pleaser.
If I were to create a new category for this cheesy hamburger rice casserole, it would be called “ugly delicious”.
It’s not a lot to look at. It’s depressingly beige.
And it’s absolutely, undeniably, incredibly tasty.
Because I’m your favorite elder millennial grandma, check out all my other casserole recipes for tasty dinner inspirations.
And just like this ground beef and rice casserole, none of my other casserole recipes contain any canned condensed soup. We’re making our quick sauces from scratch!
Pro tips/Recipe Notes
- If you use brown rice, the baking time will need to be increased by ~10 minutes. I would also increase the chicken stock by 1/3 cup, since brown rice tends to be a thirsty bish.
- Each oven can be a little different, so if the casserole is browning too quickly in step 18, you can loosely tent the foil back over it.
- This recipe calls for a recommended amount of cheddar, but we all know that cheese needs to be measured with your heart.
Cheesy Hamburger and Rice Casserole
This comforting, cheesy hamburger and rice casserole is a true one-pot dinner you can throw together in only 15 minutes, and it makes fantastic leftovers. With jasmine rice, extra-sharp cheddar, and a flavorful, homemade creamy tomato sauce, this one-pot cheeseburger casserole will be a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- cooking spray or butter {for pan}
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice {I used jasmine}
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth {HOT}
- 1 lb ground beef {I used 85/15}
- 5 cloves garlic {finely minced}
- 1/2 cup white onion {finely minced}
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk {warmed}
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups extra sharp cheddar, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish.cooking spray or butter
- Add the rice and the hot chicken broth to the baking dish. Stir the mixture with a fork. Set aside.2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan/skillet/Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium heat, breaking it apart.1 lb ground beef
- Cook until it is ~75% cooked through, and add the garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, kosher salt, and smoked paprika.5 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup white onion, 3/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1.5 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Cook until onions and garlic are softened, and the ground beef is thoroughly cooked through.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the ground beef and place it in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Drain all but 1 tbsp of grease from the skillet.
- Add the butter to the skillet and melt it over medium-low heat.4 tbsp salted butter
- Sprinkle the flour over the butter, and whisk to form a paste. Cook down for 3 minutes, whisking often.3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Slowly and gradually pour in the warmed milk, whisking constantly to incorporate.2 1/4 cups whole milk
- Stir in the tomato paste.3 tbsp tomato paste
- Increase the temperature to medium and bring the milk mixture to a near boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
- To the saucepan, add: cooked ground beef, 2 cups of cheddar (reserving 1 cup for later), and the sauce, and stir gently until combined.3 cups extra sharp cheddar, shredded
- Add the beef mixture to the top of the rice in the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake at 350˚F for 25 minutes.Pro tip: spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray.
- After 25 minutes, remove the foil and gently stir the mixture, making sure all the rice on the edges is incorporated into the mixture – especially at the corners.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Top with the remaining cup of shredded cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Notes
- If using lean ground beef, you likely won’t have enough grease to use in step 8. In that case, use 1 tbsp of olive oil or add an additional tbsp of butter in step 9.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 511kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 25gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 884mgPotassium: 702mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 791IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 416mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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