Hamburger Rice Casserole
Cheesy Hamburger Rice Casserole is an easy and delicious one-pan meal that’s perfect for the whole family. Made with ground beef, onions, rice, and savory seasonings and topped with ooey, gooey melted cheese.
When you’re on the hunt for an easy dinner solution, one-pan meals are your go-to. Not only do they taste fantastic, but clean-up is simpler than ever!
This hamburger rice casserole is exactly that! It starts with onions and ground beef, toss in some beef broth, rice, and seasonings, then sprinkle on the cheddar cheese. Dinner accomplished!
It’s an easy casserole recipe the whole family will love! Looking for more rice casserole recipes? Try our broccoli rice casserole, teriyaki chicken casserole, or green chile chicken casserole.
Substitutions and Variations
- Protein: Use ground chicken or ground turkey in place of ground beef.
- Cheese: We love sharp cheddar cheese on this casserole, but pepper jack, colby jack, mozzarella, or Monterey jack cheese make great options!
- Veggies: Stir in some canned or frozen (thawed) vegetables for a more filling meal. Mushrooms, green beans, peas, corn, or carrots are easy mix-ins.
- Garnish: Top with a dollop of sour cream, fresh parsley, or a spoonful of pico de gallo.
- Seasoning: Add a packet of taco seasoning instead of using garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, and chili powder.
- Make Burritos: Use this ground beef casserole as filling for burritos!
Equipment
This ground beef casserole is so simple to make that you only need 1 piece of kitchen equipment plus measuring cups and spoons. No casserole dish or baking dish required!
Here are some ideas (Amazon affiliate links included):
- Large Skillet with Lid: You’ll need a large skillet, about 12-inches with a lid to cook the ground beef, rice, and then to melt the cheese.
- Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons: Of course, you’ll need some measuring cups for dry measure and wet measure along with measuring spoons.
Storage
Refrigerate: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze: This cheesy ground beef casserole freezes well! Cook it as written and let it cool completely. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Thaw: Place ground beef and rice casserole in the refrigerator to thaw completely before reheating.
Reheat: To reheat, microwave a single serving on half power until warmed through, or place a larger portion in a skillet over low heat. Add a little broth as needed to keep the casserole from drying out.
You can also reheat this casserole in the oven at 350°F until it reaches the desired temperature.
Tips
- Use long-grain white rice, Jasmine rice, or basmati rice. Minute rice does not work well in this recipe. Depending on what type of rice you use, the cook time may vary slightly.
- Make sure to completely cook the ground beef before adding the other ingredients.
- If you want more spice, add more chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, or your favorite hot sauce!
- When cooking rice in a casserole, make sure that there is enough liquid to cover all of the ingredients as well as an extra ½ cup to 1 cup of broth – this will ensure that your rice cooks properly without burning or sticking to the pan!
- Know how strong the chili powder is before adding it to the ground beef. Some brands of chili powder have more heat than others, so the amount may need to be adjusted to meet your desired heat level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pound ground beef, (We used 93/7.)
- ½ cup white onion, finely chopped
- 2 ¼ cups low-sodium beef broth
- ½ cup long grain white rice, uncooked (long grain, jasmine, or basmati)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil, ground beef, and onions. Cook the ground beef until no pinks remain. Drain excess grease, and return to the pan.1 tablespoon cooking oil1 pound ground beef½ cup white onion
- Stir in the broth, rice, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, cumin, oregano, and pepper. Bring the ingredients to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to simmer.2 ¼ cups low-sodium beef broth½ cup long grain white rice¼ cup tomato paste1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon chili powder½ teaspoon kosher salt¼ teaspoon ground cumin¼ teaspoon dried oregano¼ teaspoon pepper
- Cook at a simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked to the desired consistency.
- Remove from heat, uncover, and top with shredded cheese. Return the lid and allow the residual heat to melt the cheese.1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese
- Serve warm with your favorite side dish. See the post for tips, FAQs, and storage options.
This tasted good. My family enjoyed it. We all decided it would be good in a tortilla with taco toppings. Mine did not look as nice as yours, so my husband said he wasn’t sure about at first.
Good morning Jerilea, thank you for commenting and rating the recipe card! The taco idea sounds great. Looks can be deceiving. I’ve tried a few meals that looked delicious, but didn’t taste very good. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Have a lovely day 🙂
This was really good! I love a one-pan type meal that all the kids will gladly eat. We added a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), a can of corn (drained), and topped with crushed doritos. Will definitely be added into our rotation!
Good morning Molly, thank you for commenting and rating the recipe! The beans and corn sound like awesome additions. Have a lovely day 🙂
Easy one pot meal with things you already have in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing! I added a little sugar and some Parmesan.
Hi Rosie!
I love the addition of Parmesan cheese. Yum! Have a lovely evening! 🙂
So easy and very, very tasty!! Thank you for including measurements in the instructions…Brilliant!!
No problem Antonina, we’re glad you enjoyed the casserole. Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe. Have a lovely day!
I make the almost exact thing all the time but I add Doritos on top and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes
Doritos would be really good on this dish!
Can’t wait to try this! Can you use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste?
Hi Mary!
Please check out our answer to Belinda’s question in the comments below yours. It’s fairly detailed and may be helpful. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Could you use brown rice or instant rice?
Good Morning Linda, I wouldn’t recommend instant rice because the casserole has to cook for 20-25 minutes. Brown rice is an option; however, you’ll need to keep an eye on it. Make sure to watch the liquid level and add water/broth if needed. Also, the casserole may need to cook a little longer to ensure that the brown rice is done. Hopefully, this information helps, have a lovely day 🙂
Can tomato sauce be used in place of the tomato paste?
Hi Belinda!
Yes, tomato sauce can be used as a substitute. It may change the consistency a bit, though. As a rule of thumb, I use about 3 tablespoons of sauce for every 1 tablespoon of paste. For this recipe, that would equal about 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) of tomato sauce. If you don’t want that much tomato flavor, it wouldn’t hurt to cut it back a bit. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this 2 weeks in a row, which tells you it’s a winner! I followed the recipe almost exactly, using ground turkey instead of ground beef. Sometimes with rice dishes like this it can take forever for the rice to cook through, but it was perfectly done at the 25 minute mark! The second time making it I deglazed with wine just to give it a little lift. Solid crowd-pleaser that will make it into our regular rotation – thank you!
That’s wonderful April! Thank you for sharing your experience. The ground turkey and wine combination sounds lovely. Have a great day 🙂
It’s good. Tastes like a taco. I’m going to add either beans or corn to it and will have a salad.
Those would be great additions! Enjoy!
Can you use water instead of the broth?
Yes, water will work in place of the broth. Have a great day! 🙂
I made this last night for a quick set it and forget it dinner while I had other stuff around the house to do. I made it in a dutch oven and it turned out perfectly! My son (4), doesn’t like tacos or ‘Mexican’ type food, but he scarfed this down so fast! I served it with tortilla chips!
Good Morning Rebecca, that’s wonderful to hear. We’re thrilled your son enjoyed the casserole. Thank you for sharing your experience and have a lovely day 🙂
Can this be made without tomato
Paste if I don’t have any?
Hi Nikki!
Yes, it can. Making the casserole without tomato paste will change the flavor and consistency, but if you don’t have it just skip it this time around. Happy Holidays! 🙂
Next time I will double up on the spices and rice. Also, I think 1 cup of cheese is more than enough. This recipe would be a great filling for hard or soft tacos. Will definitely make again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the casserole! It would make a good taco filling. Great idea! We’ll have to try that sometime. Happy Holidays! 🙂