Hamburger mushroom bake is a savory, creamy casserole of browned ground beef held together by a soft cream cheese and egg layer, with buttery garlic mushrooms on top. It is a quick weeknight dinner with no pasta, rice or canned soup in it.
How to make hamburger mushroom bake: Brown ground beef, stir in cream cheese blended with eggs, spread it in a 9-by-9-inch dish and top with sautéed mushrooms. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until the center is set and reads 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Dinner in 40 minutes. Ten minutes of prep, then the stove and oven do the rest.
- Short shopping list. Ground beef, mushrooms, cream cheese and eggs carry the whole dish.
- Creamy without canned soup. The cream cheese and egg mixture sets into a soft, rich layer around the beef.
- A full pound of mushrooms. They cook down tender and garlicky and cover the whole top.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef. Drain the fat after browning so the bake does not turn greasy.
Mushrooms. Buy a pound and slice them, or pick up pre-sliced to save time.
Cream cheese. It must be softened. Soft cream cheese blends smooth with the eggs; cold cream cheese leaves lumps.
Seasoning salt. It goes on the mushrooms. The beef is seasoned separately with salt and pepper to taste, so go lightly with both.
Parmesan. It is a garnish, added after baking.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish
How to Make Hamburger Mushroom Bake
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking dish.
2. Brown the beef. Brown the ground beef in a skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Check that the beef reaches 160°F with a food thermometer. Drain any excess fat and set the beef aside.
3. Cook the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add the garlic, seasoning salt, parsley and pepper to taste, and sauté for another minute.
4. Blend and layer. Blend the softened cream cheese and eggs in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour the mixture over the ground beef and stir, then spread the beef mixture in the greased dish. Spread the mushrooms over the top.
5. Bake and check. Bake for 20 minutes. Check that the casserole is set and that the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer; keep baking if it has not. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve.
How to Tell When Hamburger Mushroom Bake Is Done
The beef is already cooked when the dish goes into the oven. What the oven has to do is set the cream cheese and egg mixture, and that is the part to watch.
Look first. A set bake does not slosh when you nudge the dish, and the creamy layer between the beef looks firm instead of wet. Then take the temperature in the very center, because the middle is the last part to cook.
| Check | What you want |
|---|---|
| Oven time | 20 minutes at 350°F, then start checking |
| Look | Center is set, not liquid |
| Thermometer | 165°F in the center |
| Not there yet | Keep baking and check again |
Do not judge it by the mushrooms. They were cooked before they went on, so a browned top tells you nothing about the middle. If the center reads lower than 165°F, slide the dish back in and check again in a few minutes.
The 30-minute cook time on the card covers the stovetop work too. Only 20 of those minutes are in the oven.
Tips for Success
Why is my bake watery?
The mushrooms went on before they finished cooking. Sauté them until they are tender, so they give up their liquid in the skillet and not in the dish.
Why are there white lumps in the beef layer?
The cream cheese was too cold to blend. Let it soften first, then run it with the eggs in a food processor or blender until completely smooth.
Why does it taste too salty?
Salt goes in twice: on the beef and, as seasoning salt, on the mushrooms. Season the beef lightly, since the Parmesan on top adds salt as well.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. USDA FSIS says frozen leftovers keep for 3 to 4 months, though quality can decline; thaw them in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, not on the counter. Reheat until a food thermometer reads 165°F.
What to Serve With It
A simple vegetable side such as skillet zucchini and mushrooms rounds out the plate. If your family likes this one, put hamburger steaks with onion mushroom gravy and the Amish hamburger steak bake on next week’s menu. For more beef and mushroom dinners, try beef tips with mushroom gravy, or go with potatoes in a hobo casserole. On a meatless night, creamy spinach and mushroom gnocchi has the same creamy mushroom flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the cream of mushroom soup casserole?
No. This bake has no canned soup and no noodles. The creamy part is cream cheese blended with eggs, and the mushrooms are fresh.
Does it bake for 20 minutes or 30?
Twenty minutes in the oven. The 30-minute cook time includes browning the beef and sautéing the mushrooms on the stove.
Do I cook the beef before it goes in the oven?
Yes. Brown it in a skillet until it reaches 160°F and drain the fat. The oven only sets the creamy layer and heats the bake through.
What size dish do I need?
A greased 9-by-9-inch baking dish. The recipe makes 4 servings.
Final Notes
I start the mushrooms in a second skillet while the beef browns, so both are ready at the same time. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Hamburger Mushroom Bake
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 2 tablespoons parsley fresh, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking dish.
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Check that the ground beef reaches 160°F with a food thermometer. Drain any excess fat and set the beef aside.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add the garlic, seasoning salt, parsley and pepper to taste; sauté for another minute.
- Blend the softened cream cheese and eggs in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour the mixture over the ground beef, then place the beef mixture in the greased dish. Spread the mushrooms over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Check that the casserole is set and that its center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer; continue baking if it has not reached 165°F. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve.
