Hamburger green bean casserole is the kind of cozy, no-nonsense comfort food that saves dinnertime on cold winter nights. This easy casserole layers seasoned ground beef, tender green beans, and a creamy mushroom sauce, then finishes with melty cheese and crispy fried onions.
And the best part? It can be prepped and on the table in under 45 minutes.
Quick Look at the Recipe
This hearty hamburger casserole takes everything we love about classic green bean casserole and turns it into a filling, family-friendly main dish. It's quick to assemble, endlessly flexible, and perfect for busy weeknights or make-ahead meals.
Ready in: 45 minutes | Serves: 6-8 | Difficulty: Easy | Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes
Jump to:
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- Why you'll love this recipe
- Main Ingredient Notes and Easy Substitutions
- Recipe Variations and Twists
- How to Make Hamburger Green Bean Casserole (step-by-step)
- Serving Ideas
- Recipe FAQs
- Tips for Perfect Results Every Time
- More Reader Favorite Casseroles You’ll Love
- Join the conversation
- Recipe:
Why you'll love this recipe
- Comfort food at its best: Like these recipes for Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole and Hamburger Noodle Casserole with savory ground beef, creamy sauce, and a crunchy topping, what's not to love?
- Weeknight-friendly: Like my Walking Taco Casserole, it has simple ingredients, straightforward steps, and no fussy techniques.
- Flexible and forgiving: Swap proteins, change cheeses, or use fresh, frozen, or canned green beans.
- Great for leftovers: Reheats beautifully and even freezes well.
This is the kind of casserole that feels familiar in the best way, warm, filling, and reliably delicious.
Main Ingredient Notes and Easy Substitutions
Let's talk ingredients: what you need, what you can swap, and how to make it work with what's in your pantry. These are the main ingredients; the full list is waiting down in the recipe card.
- 80/20 ground beef: The higher fat content adds flavor and keeps the casserole from drying out. Ground turkey or chicken works well if you want to lighten it up.
- Green beans: Fresh, frozen, both work. Frozen steam-in-bag beans are a great shortcut on busy days.
- Cream of mushroom soup: Cream of celery or cream of potato soup are easy swaps. Homemade works too, about one and a quarter cups.
- Cream cheese: Just a tablespoon adds extra richness, but you can leave it out if you prefer a lighter texture.
- French fried onions: No onions? Crushed potato chips make a surprisingly great substitute.
Recipe Variations and Twists
- Keto hamburger green bean casserole: Skip the fried onions and use a low-carb cream soup.
- Spicy version: Add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes to the beef.
- Extra-hearty: Add a mashed potato layer over the green beans for a full comfort-food mash-up.
- Slow cooker option: Combine everything except the fried onions and cook on low for 3 hours. Add onions just before serving.
How to Make Hamburger Green Bean Casserole (step-by-step)
This is a summary of the steps; the complete directions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sauté the onion. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft and translucent.
- Brown the beef. Increase the heat to medium-high, add ground beef, and cook until fully browned. Drain excess grease.
- Season and cream. Turn off the heat and stir in cream cheese, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard powder until smooth.
- Mix the green beans. In a large bowl, toss green beans with the cream of mushroom soup until well coated.
- Layer the casserole. Add half the beef to the dish, top with half the green beans, then repeat.
- Top it off. Sprinkle with Colby Jack and mozzarella, then finish with french fried onions.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until bubbly, and the cheese is melted.
Serving Ideas
- Pair with my classic crisp green house salad or simple American coleslaw for balance.
- Serve with Southern buttermilk cornbread or mini cornbread muffins to soak up the creamy sauce.
- A slice of lemon cheesecake with lemon curd or pecan pie cheesecake would make this a meal to remember.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Assemble the casserole except for the french fried onions, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add the onions and bake just before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat larger portions in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes. Microwave individual servings for 3-4 minutes. I like to add some french fried onions to the top before reheating in the oven for some crunch, or after reheating it in the microwave.
Yes. Freeze the fully assembled and cooled casserole for up to 3-4 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
Absolutely, just use an 8×8 baking pan. It's perfect for smaller households.
Tips for Perfect Results Every Time
- Drain the cooked beef well to prevent the casserole from being greasy.
- Add fried onions at the end if you're reheating to keep them crispy.
- Let the casserole rest 5 minutes before serving so it sets up nicely.
More Reader Favorite Casseroles You’ll Love
Join the conversation
Did you make this hamburger green bean casserole? I'd love to hear how you liked it! Leave a star rating and comment below and let me know what swaps or twists you tried.
G&P Wisdom
Sometimes the best comfort food is the kind that shows up hot, bubbly, and right on time.
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Easy Hamburger Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
- 1 ½ pounds green beans, trimmed, cooked, and well drained (about 3 cups)
- 1 Tablespoon full-fat cream cheese
- 1 Tablespoon minced roasted garlic
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 10.5-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 cups french fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare the dish. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sauté the onions. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Toss in the onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
- Add the beef. Increase the skillet temperature to medium-high and add the ground beef. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat into crumbles, and cook it for 7-8 minutes, until it's completely browned, before draining off the grease.
- Stir in seasonings. Turn the heat off and add the cream cheese, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard powder to the mixture. Stir everything well until the cream cheese has melted into the mixture and everything looks creamy.
- While the ground beef is cooking, boil the green beans in lightly salted water for 4-7 minutes until crisp-tender, or steam them covered for 6-8 minutes. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked green beans and the whole can of cream of mushroom soup. Stir it all together, making sure that the green beans are completely coated in the soup.
- Layer. Add half of the ground beef to the bottom of the casserole dish, then top with half of the green beans. Repeat with another layer of meat and green beans. Sprinkle the top with Colby Jack and mozzarella cheeses and cover with crispy fried onions.
- Bake and serve. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble around the edges. Serve warm.
Notes
- Drain the cooked beef well to prevent the casserole from being greasy.
- Add fried onions at the end if you're reheating to keep them crispy.
- Let the casserole rest 5 minutes before serving so it sets up nicely.
Sharon Rigsby
My husband loves this dish, it’s one of his favorites! And, I love it because you can make it ahead, and then add the french fried onions and bake it later! A winning combo in my book!