15 Ground Beef Casseroles That Make It SO Easy To Get Dinner On The Table
Now these are what we call weeknight dinner wins.
We all know that casseroles are the king of comfort food—easy prep, great for a crowd, and always packed to the brim with the good stuff, like pasta, veggies (they’re the BEST way to hide them for picky eaters), and cheap and simple proteins like ground beef. In fact, we love casseroles made with ground beef so much, we rounded up all our favorites here. Make these for weeknight dinners, game days, potlucks…they’re a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
This list is full of everything from familiar standbys to new and creative ideas from around the world. We’ve got comforting family-friendly classics like lasagna, stuffed pepper casserole (SO much less labor-intensive than its inspiration), and shepherd’s pie, as well as classic party bakes, like hamburger casserole, tater tot casserole, or our meatball sub casserole. These are the BEST for when your family dinner table is full or when you’ve got all your friends coming over to watch a game because they don’t take a ton of prep time—most of the time spent is hands-off!
There are also a few casseroles on this list you might be less familiar with, like our Puerto Rican pastelón, our Greek-Italian pasta moussaka, or our Greek pastitsio. They admittedly take a bit more effort than your average casserole, but trust us, it’s very much worth it for their unique flavors. Try them and we bet they’ll become a staple in your special occasion repertoire.
Want even more oven-baked ideas? Check out our top baked chicken recipes and our best baked pasta recipes too.
Tamale Pie
It's all about that skillet cornbread crust in this cozy casserole. No need to worry about a soggy bottom—even smothered in enchilada sauce and loaded with taco meat and cheese, the cornbread remains its beautiful self.
Get the Tamale Pie recipe.
Hamburger Casserole
It can be hard to replicate the perfection of a restaurant-quality burger, but this casserole captures the same magic in the form of an easy weeknight dinner. Bonus: no flipping patties over a hot grill!
Get the Hamburger Casserole recipe.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
We took inspiration from our classic stuffed peppers for this casserole, creating a mixture of ground beef, tomato-flavored rice, and melty cheese. That being said, just like our other stuffed pepper recipes, you can really experiment with this recipe to make it your own.
Get the Stuffed Pepper Casserole recipe.
Tater Tot Casserole
Sure, this Midwestern classic is ideal for the kiddos, but trust—your inner child will be scooping seconds too. If you love a dinner shortcut (hello, canned cream of mushroom soup!) spiked with a little semi-homemade love, then this crispy-potato topped beauty is a must.
Get the Tater Tot Casserole recipe.
Shepherd's Pie
In this comfort food staple, ground beef is cooked with aromatics and red wine before being combined with corn and peas, all covered with a blanket of velvety, rich mashed potatoes and topped with Parmesan before being broiled until golden brown.
Get the Shepherd's Pie recipe.
Pasta Moussaka
This layered baked pasta dish marries the classic Greek eggplant casserole with baked ziti for a meal that's almost as stunning as it is delicious.
Get the Pasta Moussaka recipe.
Classic Lasagna
Based on the traditional lasagna alla Bolognese from the Emilia-Romagna province in Italy, we grabbed what we loved most about the timeless, classic recipe and simplified it to make it weeknight-friendly.
Get the Classic Lasagna recipe.
Pastelón
Akin to a Puerto Rican lasagna, pastelón layers up crispy fried sweet plantains with melty mozzarella cheese and picadillo, a mix of ground beef, tomatoes, sofrito, herbs, briny olives, and a pop of sweetness from raisins.
Get the Pastelón recipe.
Pastitsio
Derived from the Italian word pasticcio, which means “mix” or “hodgepodge,” pastitsio is a classic Greek casserole best described as a cross between lasagna and moussaka. Rich and hearty, creamy and comforting, it’s well worth the extra effort it takes to put together.
Get the Pastitsio recipe.
Meatball Sub Casserole
Serve meatball subs to a crowd with this easy-to-make ahead casserole. We love using baguette for this, but any thick cut crusty bread will work!
Get the Meatball Sub Casserole recipe.
Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole
We took everything you love about traditional stuffed cabbage and turned it into a crowd-friendly, no-fuss casserole. You don't even need to cook the rice beforehand—it cooks in the big and bubbly bake. Now that's weeknight-friendly!
Get the Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole recipe.
Cheesy Taco Casserole
This cheesy casserole is somewhere between a loaded Tex-Mex taco and lasagna, and frankly, we can't get enough of it! Best part? The leftovers are even better.
Get the Cheesy Taco Casserole recipe.
Keto Taco Casserole
Keto people, meet your new favorite weeknight dinner. It's super-easy, extremely hearty, and it's got a little kick from the jalapeño.
Get the Keto Taco Casserole recipe.
Cowboy Casserole
This casserole is hearty enough to feed the hungriest of cowboys (or a whole family!), thanks to ground beef, tater tots, and sour cream. There's corn and tomatoes in there, but feel free to add more veggies (or beans for more protein) if you like.
Get the Cowboy Casserole recipe.
Nacho Casserole
You can turn nachos into a cheesy skillet meal in less than an hour (we went with our favorite nacho toppings, but feel free to swap in your own!). Hot tip: Make extra cheese sauce. 😈
Get the Nacho Casserole recipe.
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