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Hobo Casserole is a hearty, beefy, and cheesy dish your whole family will love. It’s full of comforting flavors, tender potatoes, creamy sauce, and browned beef. This is a quick and simple recipe that is also a great make ahead meal!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: This hobo casserole is so easy to throw together. It’s great to prep the night before and throw it in the oven an hour or so before dinner time.
- Budget Friendly: The ingredients you need are as budget friendly as they get. It’s easy to make and won’t break the bank! Winning!
- Comfort Food: Potatoes, cheese, and beef are classic comfort foods that taste amazing. Pair it with my cornbread, and then serve buckeye brownies for dessert.
How to Make Hobo Casserole
You’re going to love how simple this hobo casserole recipe is to throw together. I like preparing it the night before so I can easily cook it for dinner the next day. Everyone in my family loves it! Scroll to the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch casserole dish with pan spray. Add the ground beef to a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until no pink remains. Break it into pieces as it cooks. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook for a few minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft. Drain off the fat and turn off the heat.
- Potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, placing the slices into a large bowl of cold water.
- Whisk: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, cream of mushroom soup, and cream of chicken soup.
- Dry: Drain the potatoes and pat them dry with clean paper towels before layering half of the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared baking dish to start your hobo casserole.
- Layer: Layer half of the meat and vegetables mixture over the sliced potatoes.
- Layer Sauce: Pour half of the sauce over the meat mixture.
- Repeat: Then, sprinkle half of the cheese. Repeat the layers using the remaining half of the potatoes, meat, sauce, and cheese.
- Bake: Top with the crispy french-fried onions before covering the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 75-80 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the foil and broil under high for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let the hobo casserole sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Hobo Casserole Tips and Variations
Casseroles are the best because you can easily switch things up to suit your taste preferences. Or simply to just use what you have. Here are some ideas for you to get creative and try something new.
- Potato Type: I recommend using russet potatoes over yukon gold or red potatoes. The more waxy varieties release more liquid as they cook and you may end up with a watery hobo casserole.
- Meat: If you don’t want to use lean ground beef, you can use ground turkey or chicken instead.
- Dry Potatoes Well! Be sure to really pat the potatoes dry! Any water left on the potatoes will add moisture to the casserole. So, you may end up with a watery hobo casserole if the potatoes aren’t dried well.
- Check Doneness: Use a fork to test the potatoes and be sure to test all the way to the bottom layer. I found that if the casserole looked quite watery, the potatoes needed longer to cook. It can take almost an hour and twenty minutes to fully cook!
- Soups: You may use cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or cream of celery for either or both cans of soup in this recipe. You can use homemade or store-bought.
- Bell Peppers: I used green and red bell peppers, but you can use whichever color you prefer. Just make sure you have 1 cup of peppers to add to your hobo casserole.
How to Store Leftovers and Make Ahead Instructions
- Leftover and Reheating: Store Hobo Casserole in the fridge in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap. It will keep for up to 5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave. Or the whole casserole in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Or until the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make Ahead: This hobo casserole can be prepared the night before and stored covered with plastic wrap in the fridge until baking. You will need to increase the baking time by 20-30 minutes.
- Freezer: If you would like to make this casserole and freeze it for later, I recommend fully cooking it before freezing it. When you are ready to serve it, let it thaw for 24 hours in the fridge. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 25 minutes, or until the center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
More Beef and Potato Casserole Recipes
If you loved this hobo casserole, then I know you will love these other recipes that include similar ingredients and amazing flavor.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish with pan spray.
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Add the ground beef to a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until no pink remains, breaking it into pieces as it cooks. Stir in the salt and pepper.
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Add the onion and bell peppers to the skillet and cook for a few minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft. Drain off the fat and turn off the heat.
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Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, placing the slices into a large bowl of cold water.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the evaporated milk, cream of mushroom soup, and cream of chicken soup.
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Drain the potatoes and pat them dry with clean paper towels before layering half of the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
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Layer half of the meat mixture over the potatoes, then half of the sauce, followed by 1 ½ cups of the cheese. Repeat the layers using the remaining half of the potatoes, meat, sauce, and the remaining 1 ½ cups of cheese.
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Top with the fried onions before covering the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
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Bake for 75-80 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the foil and broil under high for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown on top.
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Let the casserole sit for about 10 minutes before serving to allow the potatoes to soak up any residual liquid.
Calories: 576kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 30gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 907mgPotassium: 857mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 737IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 367mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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