Cheesy Ground Beef and Potato Casserole [+Video]

Casseroles are such a great dinner option! This cheesy ground beef and potato casserole is creamy, comforting and perfect for a busy day.

We had received so many messages about our readers making our mega viral busy day casserole with potatoes instead of rice that I just had to try it for myself. This casserole is full of creamy potatoes, seasoned ground beef and melted cheese for days.

We are giving you two versions of this recipe…a quick version with cream of mushroom soup and a totally made from scratch version where you make the creamy sauce yourself. You can choose whatever you have time for!

Now if you force me to choose between the rice version and the potato version of this casserole, I will have to give the slightest edge to the original rice version. It’s probably nostalgia for me, but I just like it a little better. This potato version is pure comfort food and it reminded me of camping and eating a tinfoil dinner. It tastes so similar!

What Ingredients Go in Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole?

For the quick version, you’ll only need 7 simple ingredients. For the homemade version, you’ll need a few more ingredients to make the cream of mushroom soup from scratch, but all the ingredients are easy to find. Here is what you will need for both versions:

Quick Version

• Cream of Mushroom Soup, Russet Potatoes, Milk, Carrots, Ground Beef, Onion, and Cheese (Cheddar or Colby Jack)

From Scratch Version

• Sauce: Butter, Onion, Garlic, Mushrooms, Flour, Cream, Chicken Broth, Pepper, Salt, and Milk
• Casserole: Ground Beef, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion, Carrots, Cheese (Cheddar or Colby Jack), and Russet Potatoes

PRO TIP: You can also make this recipe with frozen hash browns to make it even easier!

The measurements of all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Keep scrolling to see all the details!

What Potato is Best to Use?

We prefer Russet potatoes in this recipe. They are starchy and soak up a lot of the flavors of the ground beef, carrots and creamy sauce. You could honestly use any p

This dairy-free Pineapple Banana Smoothie is light and refreshing, perfect with breakfast or as a snack any time throughout the day.

If the gray skies of January have you dreaming of warm summer days, mix up a batch of smoothies this morning and your mood is sure to improve!

Banana Pineapple Smoothie

The sweetness of the fruit is balanced nicely with the slightly tart pineapple in this drink. Without adding more than a hint of coconut flavor, coconut water creates a much lighter smoothie than the alternative dairy-based smoothies.

I like to add frozen bananas to our smoothies, but if you don’t happen to have a frozen banana on hand, a regular one will still serve to thicken the smoothie nicely. (I keep a bag of ripe peeled bananas in the freezer at all times for this reason.)

My family is laughably passionate in their love of smoothies. (That might have something to do with the reason why there are over 50 smoothie recipes on this website!) On almost any given day, you’re likely to find our blender on the counter making smoothies in almost every color of the rainbow.

Pineapple Orange Smoothie

The orange juice in this smoothie ser

Apple Cider Braised Pork Recipe [+Video]

This braised pork recipe is a flavor-packed pork dish braised in apple cider and chicken stock until fork tender. We also add some fresh herbs, roasted garlic and onions for even more rich flavor.

Combining the savory pork with the sweet apple cider and apple slices makes this the perfect comfort food for a cool fall evening!

Recommended Equipment

• Large Dutch Oven

Before You Begin…

We will start by getting the pork ready to be braised. Pat dry the chunks of pork shoulder and season them with salt and pepper. Then you will brown the chunks on all sides. This locks in the juices and adds so much flavor to the pork. Don’t skip this step!

What is Braising?

Braising a method for cooking meat. It uses a combination of both wet and dry heat to cook the meat until it is super tender and saucy. In this recipe we sear the pork using a dry heat, and then the pork is cooked in a little bit of liquid (wet heat) over a longer period of time. Braising creates deep and rich flavors and fall apart tender meat. It’s one of my favorite ways to cook meat.

What Do I Need to Make Apple Cider Braised Pork?

Here are the items you will need to make this recipe:

• Pork Butt: I prefer to buy a bone-in pork butter because it has better flavor and then cut it off the bone into large chunks for this recipe.
  • PRO TIP: I buy a big pork butt and chop it in half, remove the bone and then quarter each half and freeze them in two bags for two separate rounds of braised pork.
• Canola Oil: used to brown the pork chunks
• Braising Liquid: Apple Cider, Chicken Stock, Apple Cider Vinegar, Dark Brown Sugar, Dijon Mustard, Salt and Pepper
• Aromatics: Garlic, Rosemary, Thyme, and Red Onion
• Butter: adds richness and flavor to the pork while keeping it moist
• Granny Smith Apples: added for the last little bit of cooking to add more flavor and they make a delicious addition to the meal

This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients. Keep scrolling down to the recipe card to see all the measurements needed for each ingred

Best Chili Recipe

The best chili recipe I have ever made! It’s packed with ground beef, bacon and 3 kinds of beans with just the right combination of spices for the perfect flavor! Top it off with a little sour cream and shredded cheese, Yum!

You all have been loving our award winning Instant Pot chili for quite some time now, but this one is better. I can’t believe I’m saying that because the Instant Pot version is the bomb, but this is THE BEST!

Now, I’ve actually never been a chili fan. Spicy is not my thing and growing up I didn’t like ground beef and wasn’t a huge bean fan so chili was definitely not my favorite. But then I became intrigued, and all from one story…

My sister once called me later at night and I was juuust about to go to sleep. I knew she’d just been on a date so I answered to hear the details. No. No this was not a, “best date ever” call, but a “you will not believe the awkwardness” call.

He had called last minute and asked if she could pick him up. “Oh sure” she replied, totally not worrying about it as they were nearing the end of college and maybe his car was out of luck. So she picks him up and he tells her he actually doesn’t have a car, or a job, nor is he actually in school. Instead he’s pursuing breakdancing.

Best Thing I’ve Ever Eaten

Which is fine, there’s probably some good ones out there, but as he later showed her, he wasn’t one of them. But I’m distracted. So this kind boy tells her, I’m taking you out for the very best thing I’ve ever eaten. “You’re going to love it,” he says. Right at the light, then head straight down main. Take a left at this light and straight again until it’s on the left hand side. Wendy’s.

Well again, she’s so kind and gives him a chance. They get inside and he orders two baked potatoes with chili. Whhhhhaaaaaa?

This is the BEST thing you’ve ever eaten?

That date didn’t end up going anywhere, haha, but it sure sparked something in me!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m writing to you this morning from Switzerland – no joke – and I’m pretty excited about it. We just settled in at our Airbnb a couple of hours ago and the view of Lake Geneva from our apartment is lovely.

I’m here for Prix de Laussane and can hardly wait to see Rowan dance again. (I’m also here for alllll the chocolate and the cheese, but if Rowan asks, this week is all about him, k?) If you’re reading this and happen to be familiar with Switzerland, send me your favorite must-try foods, pretty please!

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: With a flavorful chicken broth base and light wisps of egg throughout, classic Egg Drop Soup is a wonderful, light, and simple soup your whole family will request again and again. The first time I made this soup, my kids went crazy over it and devoured every single sip. They requested it again the very next day for lunch.

Flavorful artichokes and earthy spinach meld perfectly with zesty garlic and Parmesan cheese in a creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip so good, you will not be able to stop dipping.

Tender chunks of savory chicken dance with crisp green beans in a sauce that’s the perfect blend of savory and spice in this Chicken and Green Beans Stir Fry.

With a rich, buttery dough that is loaded with irresistible morsels of chocolate, these Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies nail every delicious detail. And, bonus, they stay soft and chewy for days.

Andes Mint Cookies are soft-baked chocolate cookies loaded with Andes Mint pieces and spread with an extra layer of mint goodness. They’re amazing straight from the oven.

Gooey chocolate chips and salty bits of toffee are wrapped up in these soft Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies that are just begging to be dunked in your favorite milk.

Creamy vanilla ice cream is swirled with decadent fudge while tiny peanut butter cups dance in every spoonful of this homemade Moose Tracks Ice Cream.

What I’m CRAVING: Raclette! I can hardly wait to try authentic raclette while we’re here in Switzerland. It’s going to be a delicious week. 

My FAVORITE THING this week is my