This easy family dinner is made in a large skillet. It's a great way to simplify dinner during the first weeks of back-to-school chaos.
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🗝️ Key takeaways
- Almost no prep time if you use a thin-skinned potato and the comfort food level is through the roof.
- This easy meal is perfect for weekends, back-to-school, and those first chilly days of fall. Since there's 90 minutes of oven time it's not a good choice for super-busy weeknights when you're pressed for time.
- Shredding cheese from a block rather than buying shredded cheese is the best way to get the gooey-est, cheesiest, creamiest results.
This hobo casserole recipe is made with layers of ground beef, potatoes, melty cheese, and a creamy topping. Then it's all covered with crispy fried onions to make this easy casserole a family favorite.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Hobo casserole variations
Hobo dinner casserole is an easy meal with infinite variations. Try adding a can of green beans (drain first) - it makes it a bit like shepherd's pie.
- Make your own crispy fried onions with this easy recipe.
- You can use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of celery.
- Make it in a casserole dish - just brown the ground beef first then continue with the recipe as written.
- Any ground meat will work; ground chicken, ground turkey, pork, or venison.
- Add a can of drained, mixed veggies or a cup or so of frozen mixed veggies.
- Add diced green bell pepper.
- Add onion powder if you want that extra flavor. Garlic powder is good, too.
- Or, just add in crushed garlic cloves.
- Use canned, sliced potatoes to make it even faster.
- Use frozen hashbrowns instead of sliced potatoes.
- Season the ground beef with taco seasoning instead of onion soup mix.
- Top with crushed potato chips instead of crispy fried onions.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Spray an oven-safe skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Pat ground beef into a thin layer, and sprinkle the mushroom onion soup packet over the top of beef.
- Slice the potatoes and add them over the ground beef, then add a layer of cheese.
- Mix soup, Worcestershire sauce, and milk. Smooth it evenly over the cheese layer. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 f oven.
- Remove from oven, take off the foil, and add the French fried onions to top of the casserole. Broil for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully.
🥫 How to store leftover casserole
Have leftovers of this easy ground beef casserole recipe? Be sure to refrigerate promptly!
Refrigerate
Let the leftovers cool to room temperature and remove them from the skillet. Place in an airtight container, or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freeze
If you want to freeze hobo casserole put it in a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 3 months.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Always put an old baking sheet under your casserole to catch any drips.
- Don't buy shredded Cheddar cheese, grate your own from a block. Not only is it less expensive but it melts better, too.
- The casserole is done when it registers 165F in the center on an instant-read thermometer.
- Be sure to layer ingredients evenly so the casserole cooks evenly and every bite is filled with all the glorious flavors in this casserole!
- Always let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving, allowing the ingredients to settle.
- If your ground beef is a little fattier than you thought just dip any excess grease that rises to the top off, then lightly blot with paper towels.
- 4 medium potatoes is equal to about 4 cups sliced.
👩🍳 FAQs
Since none of the ingredients are precooked we seal the baking dish with foil. It helps the ingredients cook evenly without drying out or scorching on the top.
Hobos cooked their food over a campfire. Hobo stew and hobo casserole are dishes that can be made over a fire or baked in the oven.
📚 Related recipes
- Salisbury steak casserole has all of the flavor of your favorite Salisbury steaks but in an easy casserole that's done in 30 minutes.
- Hamburger steaks are simmered in a delicious brown gravy.
- You'll be making leftover rice on purpose just so you can have this yummy Spanish rice for dinner!
🍽️ Serve hobo casserole with...
Hobo casserole is a hearty meal so you don't need much besides a salad. I like this easy cucumber salad with it because the vinegar cuts the creamy richness of the sauce.
These 30-minute dinner rolls are always welcome on the table and I'd finish this with a vintage dessert like blueberry peach cobbler.
📓 Meal plans in minutes
📞 The last word
I'm looking forward to fall weather. I know it's the end of July in Texas which means we have at least 2 more months of hell's sauna but we're getting there.
And recipes like this hearty hobo casserole are the perfect way to ease into back-to-school and autumn chill.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Hobo Casserole
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1-½ pounds lean ground beef, 90/10 or 97/3
- 1.9 ounces Lipton Onion Mushroom Soup Mix
- 4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced, no need to peel
- 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated from a block
- 10 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- 10 ounces cream of celery soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 ounces French’s fried onions, about 1 ¼ cups
- ¼ cup sliced green onions, for garnish
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add the ground beef to a lightly greased 12-inch cast iron skillet in an even layer.
- Sprinkle the onion mushroom soup packet evenly over the top.
- Slice potatoes and layer on top of the ground beef.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the potatoes.
- Add cans of soup, milk, and Worcestershire Sauce to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Spoon soup mixture over the top of the cheese layer, smoothing it out evenly.
- Tightly cover with aluminum foil.
- Place on a baking sheet in the preheated oven. The baking sheet will catch any spills.
- Bake for 90 minutes, or until the center of the casserole is 165℉ on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from the oven, remove the foil, and sprinkle the fried onions evenly over the top.
- Place under a hot broiler for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Watch carefully.
- Garnish with green onions.
Notes
- Put a baking sheet underneath the casserole to catch drips.
- Don't buy shredded Cheddar cheese, grate your own from a block. Not only is it less expensive but it melts better, too.
- The casserole is done when it registers 165F in the center on an instant-read thermometer.
- Be sure to layer ingredients evenly so the casserole cooks evenly and every bite is filled with all the glorious flavors in this casserole!
- Always let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving, allowing the ingredients to settle.
- If your ground beef is a little fattier than you thought just dip any excess grease that rises to the top off, then lightly blot with paper towels.
- 4 medium potatoes is equal to about 4 cups sliced.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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