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There’s casseroles and then there’s The Casserole. The homey recipe captures all of the elements of a quintessential Midwestern hot dish: meat, vegetables, soup, and a starch (in this case, mashed potatoes).
The Casserole recipe, submitted by Lovesmurfs, features ground beef and onions mixed with canned veggies and two different types of condensed soup. The whole thing is blanketed with homemade mashed potatoes and a layer of shredded cheese.
“My mom invented this versatile casserole when my first child was born, and it's been a standard in our household ever since,” says Lovesmurfs. “The ingredients can easily be varied, so use whatever soup and veggies you like!”
Meet The Casserole
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All you need is 10 ingredients to whip up The Casserole: large potatoes, ground beef, chopped onion, cans of green beans and carrots, condensed cream of mushroom soup, condensed tomato soup, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
To make the dish, start by boiling and mashing the potatoes. Then, sauté the beef with the onion and combine the mixture with the veggies and soups in a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread the mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle on the cheese and bake it in a 350-degree F oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
The Casserole Variations
Allrecipes community members love how easy The Casserole is to customize. Try these tried-and-true tweaks.
- Several reviews suggested seasoning the ground beef with salt and pepper and/or garlic powder. You could also add a pinch cayenne pepper or chile flakes to kick the heat level up a notch. For a touch of acidity, stir in a dash of Worcestershire or red wine vinegar.
- Instead of using canned vegetables, multiple reviews suggested incorporating fresh carrots and green beans. Any combination of thawed frozen veggies will also work in the recipe (think: corn, peas, or carrots).
- Make the recipe even easier by spreading instant or store-bought mashed potatoes on top. Whether you make your own or buy mashed potatoes, you can get creative with your own add-ins such as fried onions, chopped bacon, or sour cream.
- Swap out the cream of mushroom and tomato soups for whatever canned condensed soups you prefer or have on hand. Options include cream of chicken, cream of celery, tomato bisque, and Cheddar cheese soup.
What the Allrecipes Community Has to Say
- “This was my family recipe of cottage pie when I was growing up. Could change it up with cream of celery or cream of asparagus soup, tomato basil soup or red pepper soup. It's the best. Also fantastic when made in a cast iron skillet.” —SadSpice2835
- This is most definitely a keeper for me! So tasty, super easy to make, plus most ingredients are already in your kitchen. AND it's cost efficient. —Robin
- This turned out really good! I wasn’t sure about the tomato soup since I’m not crazy about tomato anything but it worked! I did mix the potatoes with milk, butter, salt, pepper. Cooked the ground meat and onions with olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Followed the recipe exact with everything else. I will be making this again! And a great leftover!! —shelb
- I added Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic to the meat before browning, and switched out the tomato soup for diced tomatoes and green Chiles. Then I pushed the cheddar into the hot mashed potatoes with a fork. Loved it. —Paul Wescott
Get the Recipe: The Casserole
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Gunk on Noodles
- Normal Chicken
- The Cheese Thing
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