Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole with Rice

A cozy and flavorful bacon cheeseburger casserole is always a kid-friendly, easy weeknight dinner! Ground beef, bacon, cheese, and rice come together in a zesty tomato sauce with crunchy potato chips on top.

If you’re looking for even more easy ground beef recipes, be sure to try this Southern meatloaf, these cast iron skillet burgers, a pot of the best spaghetti sauce, a bowl of classic beef chili, and this crescent roll Sloppy Joe casserole, too!

Cook the Rice Before Adding it to the Casserole

This easy casserole calls for 4 cups of cooked rice. You can boil your own rice on the stovetop, use leftovers from a previous meal, or cook parboiled rice (such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice) in the microwave for a shortcut.

If using the microwaveable rice or Minute Rice instant rice, cook the rice according to the package directions before using it in this casserole. Each packet of the Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice contains about 2 cups of cooked rice, so you’ll need 2 pouches for this recipe.

Serving Suggestions

Here are a few sides that go well with bacon cheeseburger casserole:

• Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
• Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Southern Caesar Salad, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, House Salad with Candied Pecans, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, or Classic Caesar Salad
• Cast Iron Cornbread, Sour Cream Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Sweet Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Corn Sticks, Broccoli Cornbread, Honey Butter Cornbread, or Cornbread Muffins
• Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins or Blueberry Corn Muffins
• 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Easy Drop Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, or Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon
• Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
• Corn Salad, Jiffy Corn Casserole, or Fried Corn
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
• Refrigerator Dill Pickles, Cucumber Salad with Vinegar, Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad, or Cucumber Dill Salad
• Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad or Marinated Vegetable Salad
• Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Broccoli
• Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon or Roasted Root Vegetables
• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
• Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
• Southern Succotash
• Southern Collard Greens or Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens
• Fried Okra
• Broccoli and Cheese
• Easy Pasta Salad
• Okra and Tomatoes
• Southern Squash Casserole
• Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage

Recipe Variations

• Instead of topping the casserole with potato chips, add a layer of frozen tater tots on top. If you use the tater tots, you’ll need to bake the casserole in a 400°F oven uncovered until the tater tots are golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 30-35 minutes.
• Swap out the potato chips for buttered breadcrumbs or buttered crushed Ritz crackers.
• Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
• Any variety of cooked rice will work in this casserole. I typically use long-grain white rice, but you can substitute with brown rice if you prefer.
• Swap out the bbq sauce and use ketchup instead.
• Add other vegetables to the casserole. For instance, try corn, frozen cut green beans, frozen mixed vegetables, or sliced fresh mushrooms. Canned vegetables will work, too.
• Any variety of cheese is fine. In lieu of the shredded cheddar, try American cheese, Swiss cheese, Colby, Monterey Jack, cheddar Jack, or Pepper Jack cheese.
• Season the filling with extra herbs or spices. Good options include chives, parsley, oregano, or basil, as well as garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika. Make it spicy with cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.

Tips for the Best Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole Recipe

• Use microwaveable rice for a shortcut. If you’re using Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice, microwave the rice according to the package directions before adding it to the dish. Each pouch contains about 2 cups of rice, so you’ll need 2 packets for this recipe.
• For even more flavor, sprinkle crispy fried onions over the top of the casserole at the same time that you add the potato chips.
• Garnish the casserole with chopped fresh herbs or sliced green onion for a bright, flavorful finishing touch. Good options include fresh parsley or chives. You might also like to add some more of your favorite burger toppings, such as diced red onion, extra pickles, chopped lettuce, or a drizzle of ketchup or mustard.
• Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.

More Ground Beef Casserole Recipes to Try

Cheeseburger Pie (Impossible Cheeseburger Pie)

45 minutes mins

One-Skillet Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole

1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Johnny Marzetti Casserole

1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole with Rice

5 from 1 vote

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 40 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour

Servings 8 people

Calories 545 kcal

An easy, kid-friendly ground beef casserole with rice, bacon, cheese, and potato chips on top!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup total)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons total)
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce (or sub with ketchup)
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles or dill pickle relish
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I used a shredded “triple cheddar” blend)
• 2 cups lightly crushed potato chips (or more to taste)
• Optional garnish: sliced green onion or chopped fresh herbs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Drain off excess grease.
  
• Stir in the tomato soup, diced tomatoes, milk, barbecue sauce, dill pickles, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, chili powder, pepper, rice, bacon, and 1 cup of cheese. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
  
• Transfer the beef mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
  
• Bake uncovered until the filling is hot, about 20-25 minutes. Top with the crushed potato chips and bake for about 5-10 more minutes, until the chips are lightly toasted. Garnish with sliced green onions or chopped fresh herbs and serve.
  

Notes

• Use microwaveable rice for a shortcut. If you’re using Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice, microwave the rice according to the package directions before adding it to the dish. Each pouch contains about 2 cups of rice, so you’ll need 2 packets for this recipe.
• For even more flavor, sprinkle crispy fried onions over the top of the casserole at the same time that you add the potato chips.
• Garnish the casserole with chopped fresh herbs or sliced green onion for a bright, flavorful finishing touch. Good options include fresh parsley or chives. You might also like to add some more of your favorite burger toppings, such as diced red onion, extra pickles, chopped lettuce, or a drizzle of ketchup or mustard.
• Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the casseroleCalories: 545kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 28gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 989mgPotassium: 947mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 771IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 282mgIron: 4mg

Keyword: bacon cheeseburger casserole, bacon cheeseburger casserole recipe, easy bacon cheeseburger casserole, ground beef casserole with rice

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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