Ground Beef Rice Casserole

Ground beef rice casserole is pure comfort food magic that brings families together around the dinner table! This hearty, one-dish wonder combines tender ground beef, perfectly seasoned vegetables, and fluffy rice all baked together with melted cheese on top. It’s the kind of recipe that fills your kitchen with amazing aromas and your heart with that cozy “everything’s going to be okay” feeling.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One dish means I don’t hate my life later – Everything goes in one pan so I’m not washing dishes until midnight
• Costs like twelve bucks to feed six people – Even with good cheese, this doesn’t murder my grocery budget
• My picky kid actually eats it – Kid who lives on chicken nuggets asks for thirds
• Sunday cooking saves my Tuesday sanity – Make it ahead, throw it in the oven when everyone’s losing their minds
• Tastes like being eight years old – Like when Mrs. Johnson next door always had something amazing cooking

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Beef Mixture:

• 1 pound lean ground beef (get the 85/15 or your pan will be a grease lake)
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced (I chop it chunky so the kids see actual vegetables)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped (use whatever’s about to go bad on your counter)
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (this is the secret, don’t skip it)
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (dump out half the juice first)
• 1 tablespoon minced onion (the jar kind is totally fine)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (also jar kind, I’m not peeling garlic on a Tuesday)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and ground black pepper, however much looks right

For Assembly:

• 2 cups cooked rice (leftover takeout rice works great)
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese (the bag stuff, not the fancy block)

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Why These Ingredients Work

Ground beef fills everyone up and doesn’t cost a fortune. That Worcestershire sauce is doing all the heavy lifting flavor-wise – I started using it when I accidentally grabbed it instead of soy sauce and now I can’t make this without it.

The fresh tomato gives you these little pops of actual tomato taste while the canned ones make everything saucy and not dry. Bell pepper gives it some crunch so it’s not just mush. The herbs make your kitchen smell like you know what you’re doing even when you’re winging it.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Any big skillet works. Mine’s scratched up and probably ten years old. A 9×13 baking dish, but I’ve used round ones when that’s what’s clean.

You need something to stir with, a knife that cuts, a cutting board, can opener. I measure most of this stuff but honestly I just dump and taste.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep Your Oven

Heat oven to 350°F. Mine’s slow so I start this first while I dig around for ingredients.

Step 2: Brown the Ground Beef

Dump the ground beef in your skillet over medium-high heat. Break it up with whatever spoon you grabbed. Takes maybe 5-7 minutes. If there’s a puddle of grease, drain some off.

Pro Tip: Let it get brown and crispy in spots. That’s where the flavor lives.

Step 3: Add the Fresh Vegetables

Toss in the bell pepper, tomato, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir it around for 5 minutes or so until the pepper isn’t totally raw. This is when it starts smelling good and people wander into the kitchen.

Step 4: Build the Flavor Base

Add the canned tomatoes (remember to dump out half the liquid), onion, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Let it bubble away for 10 minutes. You want it saucy but not soupy.

Pro Tip: Taste it now. Add more salt if it’s bland. This is your only chance.

Step 5: Combine with Rice

Mix in the rice. It should soak up all the good stuff. If your rice was cold from the fridge, this is when it becomes edible again.

Step 6: Transfer and Top

Dump everything in your baking dish. Spread it around somewhat evenly – doesn’t have to be perfect. Put the cheese on top. Don’t be stingy.

Step 7: Bake to Perfection

Stick it in the oven for 45 minutes. It’s done when the cheese is melted and getting golden and everything’s bubbling. The smell will make everyone ask when dinner’s ready every five minutes.

You Must Know

I’ve screwed this up before so listen up. You have to drain that tomato juice or you get soup instead of casserole. First time I made this I served tomato rice soup to my mother-in-law. Still haven’t lived it down.

Don’t skip the simmering part either. I know you want to hurry but those 10 minutes make everything taste like it goes together instead of random stuff you threw in a pan.

Personal Secret: Let it sit for 5 minutes after it comes out. Stops everyone from burning their mouths and gives me time to throw some salad in a bowl so I feel like I’m feeding them vegetables.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Use old rice if you have it. Day-old rice doesn’t fall apart. Fresh rice gets mushy so let it cool down first.

If you have beef broth sitting around, splash some in when everything’s simmering. Makes it taste richer but it’s fine without it.

Don’t cook the beef to death. Some people turn it into little rocks. You want it cooked but not dried out. Save some extra cheese and add it halfway through if your family’s cheese-crazy.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Pepper jack cheese and jalapeños if you want heat. My sister does this and her kids fight over it.

Half ground beef, half Italian sausage with mozzarella cheese tastes like pizza casserole. My husband asks for this version specifically.

Mexican night version – taco seasoning, Mexican cheese, black beans. Top with crushed tortilla chips and sour cream. Kids think it’s nachos for dinner.

Make-Ahead Options

Sunday meal prep saves me from losing my mind Tuesday night. Put the whole thing together, cover it up, stick it in the fridge. Keeps for a day easy.

Baking from cold takes longer – add 10-15 minutes. I start checking at 50 minutes.

Freezes fine for months if you wrap it good. Thaw overnight first. Rice gets softer but nobody cares when they’re hungry.

What to Serve With Ground Beef Rice Casserole

Bag of salad with ranch. Done. Sometimes I add cherry tomatoes if I’m feeling fancy but who are we kidding.

Kids like dinner rolls but saltines work just as good. They crumble them on top which sounds gross but tastes fine.

Iced tea, milk for kids, whatever wine’s open for me. This is comfort food, not a dinner party.

Allergy Information

Has cheese so dairy’s in there. Skip it or use fake cheese. Some of the fake ones melt okay now.

Worcestershire sauce might have gluten. Check the bottle if that matters. Everything else is fine.

Storage & Reheating

Keeps in the fridge 4-5 days. Heat bowls in the microwave – cover it, one minute, stir, heat more if cold.

Whole thing back in the oven at 325°F takes maybe 30 minutes depending how much is left.

Emily’s Kitchen Secret: Leftover casserole in a quesadilla is amazing. Just scoop some on a tortilla with cheese and crisp it up. My teenagers figured this out and now fight over leftovers.

FAQs

Can I use brown rice instead of white rice?

Yeah. Tastes nuttier and chewier but works fine. Make sure it’s actually cooked first.

My casserole turned out watery – what went wrong?

Too much tomato juice. Drain more next time and let it simmer longer to cook off liquid.

Can I make this without the cheese?

You could but why would you? Fine, it works without cheese. Add extra salt.

How do I know when it’s done?

Knife in the middle comes out hot. Cheese is melted and brown. Bubbling around edges.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Tell me if your kids ate it or if you tried something weird with it. Share your kitchen disasters too – I’ve had plenty and won’t judge.