Ground Beef Broccoli Casserole
My ground beef and broccoli casserole with rice is an easy go-to recipe that everyone will love. It’s comfort food, yet made with lighter ingredients like yogurt, extra lean ground beef, lite cheese, vegetables and rice. One hundred percent gluten-free! This ground beef and broccoli casserole has the right combination of soft creaminess and full flavored texture to delight your palate and is ready to serve in 30 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
When a recipe calls for ground beef and cheese, you know it’s going to be good, right?! And this recipe – packed with healthy vegetables, lean protein, and grain – is nutritious and filling. Best of all, it remains full of flavor and tang with the lovely addition of yogurt.
Ground Beef and Broccoli Recipe
A simple, delicious, and nutritious dish like this ground beef and broccoli recipe with rice is a perfect example of simple, healthy food made from scratch. So no more excuses for not having perfect homemade food. You can cook the ingredients beforehand, mix them right before baking and serve it hot and fresh out of the oven in 30 minutes.
Although this is a complete dish, you can serve it with fresh spring salad or fermented vegetables. I served it with fermented cabbage called sauerkraut.
Ingredients
- Broccoli. Either chopped fresh or frozen broccoli works fine. Thaw the frozen broccoli in a microwave and remove the excess water then chop it small. You may add any other vegetables you like, for example, sliced mushrooms, zucchini or peppers, or corn kernels. Adding vegetables adds nutrition of a dish.
- Onion. Onion adds flavor. I love it, but if you don’t, feel free to leave it out.
- Ground beef. Either fresh or frozen. I use extra lean ground beef to keep the meal lower in calories. If you are using frozen ground beef, please thaw it in the refrigerator beforehand. Ground chicken or ground turkey are other lite options. Alternatively, try pork mince. For the vegetarian version of this recipe, you can use cooked legumes or lentils.
- Cooked rice. I used white rice in this version, but usually prefer brown rice. Any variety of rice works fine. Make sure to cook any rice you use thoroughly. Follow the instructions on the rice package.
- Plain/ natural/ Greek yogurt. Plain, natural, or Greek yogurt makes the casserole rich, creamy and full of flavor. If you weren’t focused on a leaner casserole, you could substitute the yogurt for cream cheese or sour cream – both delicious!
- Cheese – sliced or shredded. I use a sharp cheddar cheese as it adds a lot of flavor to the dish. Adjust the amount and type of cheese to suit your preferences.
- Garlic powder. Flavor enhancer. Alternatively, use garlic paste or chop fresh garlic.
- Butter. The flavor of butter is delicious, but you may wish to substitute it for olive oil – or any other type of fat you prefer.
- Oil. I used avocado oil to brown the onion and sear the ground meat, but – as above – you can use any type of oil that you have on hand.
- Salt & pepper to taste. Add in any other seasonings, spices, herbs, or sauces you like. Parsley and chopped chives make a delicious addition to the recipe.
How to Make Ground Beef and Broccoli Casserole
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make ground beef and broccoli casserole in your own kitchen.
Step 1. Prepare the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (or 200°C).
Step 2. Sauté onion and ground beef. Add butter and oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Then sauté onion until softened and browned. Set it aside. Then, add the ground beef to the same skillet and sauté it until all the liquid is released and starts to brown up. Do not overcook the ground meat. Then add to it garlic powder, salt, and black pepper and stir around for one more minute.
Step 3. Incorporate all the ingredients. Place all the ingredients in a larger bowl or a tray, and mix them all. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
Step 4. Bake it. Transfer the mixed ingredients to a baking dish and bake it uncover for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is browned.
Step 5. Serve it. Serve it hot out of the oven with fresh salad or fermented vegetables. Enjoy!
Tips
- Cut broccoli small and thaw frozen broccoli. Cut broccoli into small bite-size pieces. And, If you use frozen broccoli, thaw them well before mixing them into the casserole.
- Sauté onion. This will add more flavor to the dish.
- Sauté ground beef. Sauté ground beef before adding it to the mix. This will lessen the cooking time in the oven and adds more flavor to the dish. Use up any leftovers in my eggplant casserole with ground beef.
- Cook rice. This will shorten the casserole baking time in the oven. You may use less rice to make the dish low-carb and high-protein.
- Use plain, natural, or Greek yogurt. This will add extra creaminess and and a tangy flavor to the dish.
- Use sharp cheese. Sharp cheese like cheddar complements well with ground beef.
- Add your favorite spices/ herbs/ sauces. Taste it before baking and feel free to use your favorite herbs or spices in the dish. This is an easy way to make the dish flavorful without adding more calories. Italian seasonings, cumin, tomato sauce, or Worcestershire sauce to customize the flavor of the dish.
- Make a meal plan. Ground beef and rice are easy and cheap ingredients to make dinner. Double the casserole recipe and meal prep it for another day. Freeze it uncooked for later. When ready to serve it, defrost it in the fridge the night before and bake it for additional 10-15 minutes.
- Add more cheese. This is a light casserole recipe. Feel free to add a layer of cheese on top of the casserole for a golden-brown finished look.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute broccoli. Fresh or frozen vegetables, including cauliflower, green beans, spinach, or kale, are great options.
- Replace onion. Leeks, chives, garlic, or shallots work fine.
- Substitute ground beef. Ground turkey or ground chicken are other great proteins. Or steak and chicken strips. Make sure not to overcook them.
- Replace white rice. Brown rice, quinoa, barley, or couscous are great alternatives. small-shaped pasta, diced potatoes, and breadcrumbs are other options.
- Substitute whole milk yogurt. Sour cream, buttermilk, or milk kefir are other options.
- Replace cheddar cheese. Cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, or any other cheese you like will work.
- Substitute butter. Use live oil, coconut oil, or ghee instead.
- Substitute garlic powder. Go with fresh garlic instead.
- Serve it as a vegetarian side dish. Leave out the ground beef and serve it as a vegetarian side dish or a light meat free meal.
- Make it low-carb/ Keto. Skip the rice, and use cauliflower rice or shredded cabbage. Substitute whole milk yogurt with plain Greek yogurt. And replace cheddar cheese with cottage cheese.
- Make it spicy. Add more of black pepper, cayenne, chili, or red flake peppers.
- Make one pot ground beef, broccoli rice. Cook the entire meal in one dish. Saute onion and ground beef in the same pot and add to it one cup uncooked rice and 3 cups stock of choice or water and the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil, cover it, and let it simmer on low heat over the stovetop for 3o minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. If needed add a little more liquid. Or bake it at 400 °F in the oven for 3o minutes.
Equipment
- I used this 10-inch cast iron skillet to bake the casserole. Everything tastes extra delicious when cooked in cast-iron cookware.
Storage and Reheat
Store the leftover ground beef and broccoli casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This dish reheats well. Whenever ready to serve it, let it heat up low and slow on a stovetop or microwave for a few seconds. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Defrost it the night before in the fridge.
What to Serve With it
Serve this beef rice broccoli casserole dish with a fresh spring salad mix or fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut.
I hope you get to try and love this hamburger broccoli rice cheese casserole recipe as much as my family and kids liked it. It is an excellent quick and easy dinner recipe for weeknights. It is a budget-friendly and kid and family-friendly recipe too.
Please let me know how you did it. I love to hear from you!
Please rate, comment, and share this recipe on Pinterest. Thank you!
FAQ
It is better to add cooked rice to the casserole than uncooked rice. It will shorten the casserole baking time.
1. Rinse one cup of dry rice with water before cooking (optional).
2. Next, add 2 cups of water to the rinsed rice in a pot, and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bring it to a boil and simmer on medium-low heat until most of the water is absorbed.
4. Then, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes on low heat or until the rice is soft and fluffy.
It is a matter of your preference and how much time you have.
Placing all the ingredients and uncooked rice in a pot is an easy way to cook the casserole, but it might result in much mushy and overcooked rice in the casserole.
I prefer to cook the rice separately since it will result in an even fluffy cooked rice in the casserole.
Yes. Make a meal plan. Ground beef and rice are easy and cheap ingredients to make dinner. Double the casserole recipe and meal prep it for another day. Freeze it uncooked for later. When ready to serve it, defrost it in the fridge the night before and bake it for additional 10-15 minutes.
Ground Beef and Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
- 1 medium size chopped onion
- 1 lb of extra lean ground beef fresh or frozen
- 3 cups of cooked white rice. equal to 1 cup of uncooked rice.
- 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
- 4 ounces of cheddar cheese sliced or shredded
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. avocado oil
- Salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
- Saute onion and ground beef. Add butter and oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Then saute onion until softened and browned. Set it aside. Then, add the ground beef to the same skillet and saute until all the liquid is released and starts to brown up. Do not overcook the ground meat. Then add to it garlic powder, salt, and black pepper and stir around for one more minute.
- Incorporate all the ingredients. Place all the ingredients in a larger bowl or a tray, and mix them all. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
- Bake it. Transfer the mixed ingredients to a baking dish and bake it uncover for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is browned.
- Serve it. Serve it hot out of the oven with fresh salad or fermented vegetables. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cut broccoli small and thaw frozen broccoli. Cut broccoli into small bite-size pieces. And, If you use frozen broccoli, thaw them well before mixing them into the casserole.
- Sauté onion. This will add more flavor to the dish.
- Sauté ground beef. Saute ground beef before adding it to the mix. This will lessen the cooking time in the oven and adds more flavor to the dish.
- Cook rice. This will shorten the casserole baking time in the oven. You may use less rice to make the dish low-carb and high-protein.
- Use plain whole-milk yogurt. This will add extra creaminess and tangy flavor to the dish.
- Use sharp cheese. Sharp cheese like cheddar complements well with ground beef.
- Add your favorite spices/herbs/sauces. Taste it before baking and feel free to use your favorite herbs or spices in the dish. This is an easy way to make the dish flavorful without adding more calories. Italian seasonings, cumin, tomato sauce, or Worcestershire sauce to customize the flavor of the dish.
- Make a meal plan. Ground beef and rice are easy and cheap ingredients to make dinner. Double the casserole recipe and meal prep it for another day. Freeze it uncooked for later. When ready to serve it, defrost it in the fridge the night before and bake it for additional 10-15 minutes.
- Add more cheese. This is a light casserole recipe. Feel free to add a layer of cheese on top of the casserole for a golden-brown finished look.
- Substitute broccoli. Fresh or frozen vegetables, including cauliflower, green beans, spinach, or kale, are great options.
- Replace onion. Leeks, chives, garlic, or shallot works fine.
- Substitute ground beef. Ground turkey or ground chicken are other great proteins. Or steak and chicken stripes. Make sure not to overcook them.
- Replace white rice. Brown rice, quinoa, barley, or couscous are great alternatives. small-shaped pasta, diced potatoes, and breadcrumbs are other options.
- Substitute whole milk yogurt. Sour cream, buttermilk, or milk kefir are other options.
- Replace cheddar cheese. Cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, or any other cheese you like will work.
- Substitute butter. Use live oil, coconut oil, or ghee instead.
- Substitute garlic powder. Go with fresh garlic instead.
- Serve it as a vegetarian side dish. Leave out the ground beef and serve it as a vegetarian side dish or a light meat free meal.
- Make it low-carb/Keto. Skip the rice, and use cauliflower rice or shredded cabbage. Substitute whole milk yogurt with plain greek yogurt. And replace cheddar cheese with cottage cheese.
- Make it spicy. Add more of black pepper, cayenne, chili, or red flake peppers.
- Make one pot ground beef broccoli rice. Cook the entire meal in one dish. Saute onion and ground beef in the same pot and add to it one cup uncooked rice and 3 cups stock of choice or water and the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil, cover it, and let it simmer on low heat over the stovetop for 3o minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. If needed add a little more liquid. Or bake it at 400 °F in the oven for 3o minutes.
- 10-inch cast iron skillet.
Do you drain the ground beef?
Hi Sherri 🙂 I don’t drain drain it. I use extra-lean ground beef and olive oil or avocado oil to brown it, and I enjoy those flavors in the recipe. However, if you’re using a more fatty ground beef, you might want to drain some of those fat juices off, then add an extra tablespoon of yoghurt to replace the moisture.
Easy recipe .. well written and so delicious. I really appreciate you posting it on the Internet. It fed my family yesterday and I am going to make it again this week for dinner because my husband requested it. You rock!
Kassandra, thank you ever so much for your lovely feedback! I’m very happy to hear that your family enjoyed the casserole – mine do, too! Bx