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Beef Carrot Rice Casserole

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Categories Beef, Casserole, Cheap Meals, Main Dishes, Recipes

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This beef carrot rice casserole uses cheap and easy ingredients to create a comforting casserole dish.

Ground beef, onion and celery are cooked in a frying pan. This is layered in a casserole dish with a creamy mixture of mushroom soup, milk and rice. Topped with grated parmesan and baked for a filling meal.

Ground beef mushroom rice recipe in a white casserole dish.

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Cheap ingredients like ground beef and cream of mushroom soup are used to create a flavorful meal.
  • Everything is cooked in a frying pan, then baked in a casserole dish, it couldn’t be more simple to make!
  • Ground beef is inexpensive, but can easily be replaced with ground pork, ground turkey or ground chicken.
  • No need to cook the rice in advance, it will cook right in the casserole dish as the recipe is baking!
  • This recipe is part of our free MEAL PLAN series. Inside I share 5 delicious printable recipes, a free meal plan, grocery list, and cooking video showing how to make them all. Click here to see the free Meal Plan!
  • For more casserole recipes try our tortellini cheese casserole, our shredded barbecue chicken casserole or the beef cabbage roll casserole recipe.

Need more cheap meal inspiration? Try our 109 Cheap Easy Meal Ideas which are simple, perfect for busy nights, and budget-friendly.

Recipe ingredients on a counter including ground beef, bowls of parmesan, celery, onion, shredded carrot, milk and rice.

Recipe Ingredients

  • GROUND BEEF: The recipe uses 1 lb of lean ground beef. A cheaper option would be ground pork, which will also work perfectly.
  • VEGETABLES: Chopped onion, a couple of celery stalks, and shredded carrot add simple flavors.
  • RICE: Uncooked long-grain white rice is added straight to the recipe. The rice will fluff and cook as the casserole is baked. Although I haven’t tried it personally, but short-grain rice or instant rice should also work here.
  • CREAM OF MUSHROOM: A can of cream of mushroom soup adds the perfect creamy base to the recipe. It is mixed with milk and water to create enough liquid for the rice to absorb and cook.
  • PARMESAN: Grated parmesan is sprinkled on top just before baking. Feel free to swap this with any style of shredded cheese.
Four images showing steps to make recipe. First is white creamy sauce in frying pan. Second is ground beef and shredded carrots in frying pan with wood spoon. Fourth is White casserole dish with creamy sauce poured in. Fourth is ground beef carrot mixture with grated parmesan on top in casserole dish.

How To Make Beef Carrot Rice Casserole

Everything is cooked in a frying pan, then baked in a casserole dish Here’s a quick overview with full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  1. Cook the ground beef, onion, and celery in a frying pan. Mix with shredded carrots and add to a bowl.
  2. Heat the cream of mushroom soup, milk, water and rice in a skillet, until the rice starts to soften.
  3. Divide half of the creamy sauce mixture, then the ground beef mixture into the casserole. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top. Cover and bake 20 minutes, then 10 minutes uncovered.

Leftover beef mushroom rice casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven.

Close up of beef carrot rice casserole with a wooden spoon.

Recipe Tips

  • This recipe is easy to adapt. Swap ground beef for ground pork, ground chicken or ground turkey. Use cream of chicken or cream of broccoli soup instead. Add different veggies like corn, broccoli and peas. Sprinkle the top with shredded cheddar cheese. Basically, you can use this recipe as a guide but create your own unique variation.
  • Lightly grease the casserole dish before adding pasta to prevent sticking.
  • If you want the recipe really creamy, try using two cans of cream of mushroom soup. 
  • Serve with garlic bread, toast or our homemade herb quick bread.
Looking down at beef carrot rice casserole with a wood spoon.

More Ground Beef Recipes

Beef Carrot Rice Casserole

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add the ground beef, chopped onion and chopped celery to a frying pan over medium high heat. Cook until the beef browns. Drain any excess grease.
    Two images of a skillet. Once with raw ground beef, chopped onion and chopped bell pepper. Second with cooked ground beef, onion, and bell peppe
  • Stir in the shredded carrot, then pour into a bowl and set aside.
    Two images of a frying pan. First with ground beef mixture and shredded carrots on top. Second with shredded carrots mixed into ground beef mixture.
  • Add the cream of mushroom soup, milk, water, and rice to the frying pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to let simmer until the liquid reduces and the rice cooks (mine took about 5-7 minutes). Stir occasionally often during this time.
    Two images of a frying pan. First is creamy liquid with a wood spoon. Second is liquid condensed into a creamy sauce with a wood spoon.
  • Assembly: Pour half of the creamy rice mixture into a casserole dish. Now add half of the ground beef mixture on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Add the rest of the creamy rice mixture.
    Four images of a white casserole dish. First has creamy rice mixture inside. Second with ground beef mixture spread on top. Third with parmesan sprinkled over top. Four with more creamy rice sauce poured on top.
  • Add the last half of the ground beef mixture and sprinkle with more parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
    Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes covered. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.
    Two images of a white casserole dish. First with beef casserole recipe with parmesan on top. Second with aluminum foil on top.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes, then scoop on to plates and serve.
    Beef mushroom rice casserole recipe in a white dish with a scoop taken out and a wood spoon inside.

Recipe Notes:

  • This recipe is easy to adapt. Swap ground beef for ground pork, ground chicken or ground turkey. Use cream of chicken or cream of broccoli soup instead. Add different veggies like corn, broccoli and peas. Sprinkle the top with shredded cheddar cheese. Basically, you can use this recipe as a guide but create your own unique variation.
  • Lightly grease the casserole dish before adding pasta to prevent sticking.
  • If you want pasta really creamy, I recommend using two cans of cream of mushroom soup. 
  • Serve with garlic bread, toast or our homemade herb quick bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 784mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7236IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.

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Recipe Rating




April

Monday 30th of January 2023

Thanks for the recipe! I'm working on it right now. Hopefully it turns out okay but my "creamy mixture" doesn't look nearly as thick as yours. It is very liquidy. I double and tripled checked that I put the right amount of everything in so not sure what's going on.

And the recipe doesn't say what temperature to bake it at- could you clarify? Thanks!!

Andi

Thursday 2nd of February 2023

Hello. If it's not as thick, you might just need to cook it longer until the liquid reduces and the rice cooks. The temperature to bake is 375°F.