Cheeseburger Potato Casserole puts everything you like about a cheeseburger into one 9×13 dish: ground beef seasoned like a burger and stirred with a tangy ketchup-and-pickle sauce, mixed with frozen diced hash browns, sour cream, cheddar cheese soup and Colby Jack, and baked under more cheese and crispy bacon. It serves 8.
How to make it: Brown and season the beef, stir in the ketchup, mustard and pickle juice, then mix it in the baking dish with the frozen hash browns, sour cream, cheddar soup and half the cheese. Top with the rest of the cheese and the bacon, bake covered at 400°F for 1 hour, then uncover for a few minutes to brown the top.
Why You’ll Love It
- Tastes like a cheeseburger: ketchup, mustard, pickle juice, bacon and cheese, all in a creamy potato bake.
- No peeling or chopping potatoes: the hash browns go in straight from the freezer.
- Ten minutes of hands-on work: the oven does the rest.
- Feeds a family: one 9×13 dish makes 8 servings.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: One pound, browned and drained before it goes into the casserole.
The seasoning: Half a teaspoon each of salt, pepper and ground mustard, plus a teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika. They go on the beef while it browns.
Ketchup, mustard and dill pickle juice: Two tablespoons of each. This is what turns a plain hamburger casserole into a cheeseburger casserole, so do not skip the pickle juice.
Frozen diced hash browns: A 2-pound bag of southern-style diced hash browns. Use them frozen; there is no need to thaw them.
Sour cream and cheddar cheese soup: One cup of sour cream and one 10-ounce can of condensed cheddar soup make the creamy, cheesy sauce that cooks into the potatoes.
Colby Jack cheese: Two cups, shredded. One cup goes into the mix and one cup goes on top. Cheese you shred from a block melts well.
Bacon and green onions: Four slices of cooked, chopped bacon for the top, and two chopped green onions to finish. Bacon bits work if you do not want to cook bacon.
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- 2 pounds frozen diced hash browns (southern-style, do not thaw)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 10 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup (1 can, undiluted)
- 2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded and divided
- 2 green onions, chopped
How to Make Cheeseburger Potato Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the bacon. Cook 4 slices of bacon, drain them well and chop them into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Brown and season the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up, until it is no longer pink and reaches 160°F. Season with the salt, pepper, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika, then drain off the extra grease.
4. Add the cheeseburger flavor. Stir in the ketchup, mustard and dill pickle juice and take the skillet off the heat.
5. Mix the casserole. In the baking dish, combine the frozen hash browns, the seasoned beef, the sour cream, the cheddar soup and 1 cup of the Colby Jack. Mix well and spread it out evenly.
6. Top it. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of Colby Jack over the top, then the chopped bacon.
7. Bake covered, then uncovered. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake a few minutes more to brown the cheese, until the potatoes are tender and the center reaches 165°F.
8. Finish and serve. Top with the chopped green onions. Serve with ketchup, pickles or a burger sauce.
What Makes It Taste Like a Cheeseburger?
A plain hamburger potato casserole is beef, potatoes, a creamy soup and cheese. Three small steps give this one the flavor of a cheeseburger.
Season the beef like a burger. The dry spices, with ground mustard and smoked paprika leading, go on the beef while it browns, so the meat itself tastes like a burger patty instead of plain browned beef.
Stir in the burger sauce. Once the grease is drained, the three wet seasonings go straight into the skillet. Two tablespoons of each coat every bit of beef with the sweet, tangy flavor of a dressed burger, and the pickle juice brings the pickle without any chopping.
Finish with burger toppings. Bacon bakes on top of the cheese, green onions go on at the end, and ketchup, pickles or a burger sauce go on at the table. For a quick burger sauce, stir together 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons mustard.
Tips for Success
Do I need to thaw the hash browns?
No. The diced hash browns go into the casserole frozen, straight from the bag. That is what keeps the prep to about 10 minutes.
How do I know it is done?
The potatoes should be tender and the center should read 165°F on a food thermometer. The ground beef should already reach 160°F in the skillet before it goes in.
How do I get a browner top?
Leave the foil off for a few extra minutes at the end. You can also broil it for about a minute; watch it closely so the cheese does not burn.
Can I skip cooking bacon?
Yes. Bacon bits work on top in place of 4 slices of cooked, chopped bacon.
Variations
- Different soup: Use cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup instead of the cheddar soup.
- Different cheese: Cheddar works in place of Colby Jack.
- Ground turkey: Swap the beef for a pound of ground turkey; cook it to 165°F.
- Shredded hash browns: Frozen shredded hash browns work too. The casserole comes out a little softer and the baking time stays about the same.
- Fresh small potatoes: For a smaller dish, a cheeseburger casserole can be made with 3/4 pound of quartered little potatoes, diced tomatoes, ketchup and barbecue sauce in a 9×9 dish, baked covered at 375°F for 50 to 60 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Storage & Reheating
Make ahead: Assemble the casserole, cover it and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. Do not leave it out on the counter for more than 2 hours.
Refrigerate: Put leftovers in shallow covered containers in the refrigerator within 2 hours of baking and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Reheat: Warm single servings in the microwave, or cover the whole dish with foil and reheat it in the oven, until it reaches 165°F.
Freezing: This casserole is best fresh or from the refrigerator. Its sauce is built on sour cream and a cream soup, and cream sauces do not freeze well.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a salad or a vegetable: green beans, roasted broccoli, zucchini or asparagus all work. Keep ketchup and pickles on the table.
If you like this one, try the hashbrown hamburger casserole with cream of mushroom soup, the easy 5-ingredient hamburger and potato casserole with sliced potatoes, or the sloppy joe tater tot casserole. For more cheeseburger flavor, make cheeseburger meatloaf, classic cheeseburger soup or homemade cheeseburger macaroni.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen diced hash browns for cheeseburger potato casserole?
Yes. Frozen diced hash browns are what this recipe uses, so there is no washing, peeling or cutting potatoes.
Can I make cheeseburger potato casserole ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble it, cover it and refrigerate it until baking time, then bake as directed until the center reaches 165°F.
What toppings go on cheeseburger casserole?
Any burger toppings you like: pickles, green onions and ketchup, or a quick burger sauce of 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons mustard. Chopped fresh tomatoes work too.
Can I use a different cream soup?
Yes. Cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup both work instead of the cheddar soup and still give the casserole a creamy texture.
Can I use shredded hash browns instead of diced?
Yes. The casserole is slightly softer with shredded hash browns, and the baking time stays about the same.
Final Notes
Season the beef while it browns, stir in the burger sauce, and put the hash browns in frozen. If you make this cheeseburger potato casserole, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Cheeseburger Potato Casserole
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Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- 2 pounds frozen diced hash browns southern-style, do not thaw
- 1 cup sour cream
- 10 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup 1 can, undiluted
- 2 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded and divided
- 2 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook 4 slices of bacon, drain them well and chop them into small pieces. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up, until it is no longer pink and reaches 160°F. Season with the salt, pepper, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika, then drain off the extra grease.
- Stir in the ketchup, mustard and dill pickle juice and take the skillet off the heat.
- In the baking dish, combine the frozen hash browns, the seasoned beef, the sour cream, the cheddar soup and 1 cup of the Colby Jack. Mix well and spread it out evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of Colby Jack over the top, then the chopped bacon.
- Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake a few minutes more to brown the cheese, until the potatoes are tender and the center reaches 165°F.
- Top with the chopped green onions. Serve with ketchup, pickles or a burger sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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