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Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole

This Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole is always a hit. It’s a family favorite comfort meal, and a simple one dish recipe that can’t be beat!

A FILLING OOEY GOOEY CHEESY CASSEROLE

Are you in the mood for something hearty and delicious? Look no further because this Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole is just what you need! Filled with beef, cheese, rice and other tasty toppings, it’s a one-dish meal that is easy to make and everyone loves! This casserole has all the yumminess of a restaurant-quality dish with minimal effort from your kitchen!

A baking dish with a cheesy ground beef and rice casserole with a scoop taken out of it.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Do I have to use mixed veggies?

If you don’t have, or don’t want to use the mixed veggies, you can use any of the frozen vegetables that you have on hand. It’s important to note that you’ll need 12 ounces of whatever veggies you pick.

What other soup can I use?

Not a fan of cream of celery? Not a problem, just use a different cream of anything soup. Try cream of mushroom, cream of potato, or cream of cheddar for this casserole. You’ll just need two cans of whatever you choose.

Can I use other cheese?

You bet! Try some mozzarella, pepper jack, or Monterey jack.

Can I use other meat?

Trade up the flavor profile and use ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, or a combo of any of these instead of the ground beef.

Do I have to use instant rice?

I use instant rice because it’s fast and easy and I don’t have to make it first before adding it to this dish. You can’t do that with regular long grain rice since it won’t cook all the way like instant rice does in this recipe. You can, however, use leftover cooked rice you might have and then reduce the amount of beef stock to ¾ cup instead of 1 ½ cups for the recipe.

Do I have to use beef stock?

Need to trade out beef stock? Try water, beef broth (which is lighter in flavor than stock), chicken broth, chicken stock, or even vegetable stock. Ground beef pairs best with beef stock but you can use any of these replacements if necessary.

Can I make Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole ahead of time?

Yes and that’s one of the reasons this casserole is soooo incredible! I love that you can make it a day in advance, keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to make it and then stick it in the oven. If you do this, you’ll need to let it come to room temperature before baking or you’ll need to extend the baking time slightly.

How to store leftovers?

Cover leftovers with plastic wrap tightly. They should keep up to 3 days and if kept in the freezer, up to 3 months.

A casserole made of ground beef and rice with a serving taken out.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • ground beef
  • sweet onion
  • cloves garlic
  • cream of celery soup
  • beef stock
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • Italian seasoning
  • sweet paprika
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • instant rice
  • frozen mixed vegetables
  • shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Ground beef, sweet onion, garlic cloves, cream of celery soup, beef stock, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, sweet paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, instant rice, frozen mixed vegetables,shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh chopped parsley.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESY GROUND BEEF AND RICE CASSEROLE:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a dutch oven or large skillet with deep sides over medium heat, add the ground beef and onions. Break up the beef into crumbles, stirring often until there is no pink left, and the onions have softened about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, and take off the heat. 

A dutch oven with ground beef, diced onion and garlic.

Stir in the cream of celery soup, beef stock, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper.

A dutch oven with ground beef, onions, garlic, cream of celery soup, and spices.

Add the instant rice and mixed veggies and stir to combine. Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish. 

A dutch oven with ground beef, condensed soup, spices, onion, garlic, frozen mixed veggies, and rice.

Top with the cheese and cover with nonstick foil. Bake for 45 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

A casserole dish with a ground beef and rice casserole in it covered with shredded cheese.

Optional: Uncover and place under the broiler to lightly brown the cheese.

A casserole dish with cheese melted on top of a casserole.

Add fresh parsley if using for garnish and serve.

A serving utensil holding a scoop of cheesy ground beef and rice casserole.

Serve and enjoy!

A fork holding a bite of casserole.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Close up of a homemade cheesy ground beef and rice casserole with a serving missing.

Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole (+Video)

This Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole is always a hit. It's a family favorite comfort meal, and a simple one dish recipe that can't be beat!
5 from 38 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small sweet onion, small diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of celery soup
  • 1 ½ cups beef stock
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (see notes below)
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder (see notes below)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup instant rice
  • 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F, spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a dutch oven or large skillet with deep sides over medium heat, add 1 pound ground beef and 1 small sweet onion, small diced. Break up the beef into crumbles, stirring often until there is no pink left, and the onions have softened – about 10 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
  • Add 4 cloves garlic, minced, cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, and take off the heat.
  • Stir in 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of celery soup, 1 ½ cups beef stock, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
  • Add 1 cup instant rice and 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables and stir to combine. Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
  • Top with 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and cover with nonstick foil. Bake for 45 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
  • Uncover and place under the broiler to lightly brown the cheese. Top with some dried or fresh parsley (optional) and serve!

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • We really loved the additional seasoning the garlic powder and onion powder added. We’re using fresh garlic and onion in the recipe so if that is enough for you, then you don’t have to add the additional seasoning. 
  • You can use any mix of frozen vegetables you like, just make sure you use 12 ounces.
  • Broiling is optional so you can skip that step if you’d like.
  • Use any 2 cans of cream of something soup that you like. Cream of mushroom, cream of potato, or cream of cheddar would all be good.
  • You can also use leftover cooked rice in place of instant. Reduce the beef stock to ¾ cup instead of 1 & ½ cups if using cooked rice.
  • Use beef broth if you can’t find stock, or you can even use water, chicken broth/stock, or vegetable stock. 
  • Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, freeze it for up to 3 months.
  • You can even make it a day in advance and pop it in the oven, you may need to extend the baking time slightly if preparing the day before.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 23g | Sodium: 622mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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