You'll Want To Save This Hamburger Pie Recipe

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An Old-Fashioned Hamburger Pie That Still Works

This old-fashioned hamburger pie is a cozy, budget-friendly dinner made with ground beef, mashed potatoes, and cheese. It’s simple, filling, and the kind of meal everyone recognizes and actually eats.

If you are interested in more of my recipes that use ground beef, you might check these out:

American Goulash - a simple one-pan recipe made with ground beef and pantry staples, and it comes together in about 30 minutes.

Runza Casserole -This is the shortcut recipe I make when I want Runza flavor without messing with yeast dough.

Hamburger Noodle Hotdish - Another simple one-pan dinner made without boiling noodles!

Tater Tot Casserole - Take this classic comfort food up a notch when you bake and serve it in a cast-iron skillet!

This is a dish I have been making for over fifty years now, so I guess it must be called a vintage recipe! Am I vintage by now? I guess so! It fell out of our rotation for a long, long time for some silly reason.

Our youngest granddaughter joined us for lunch one day, so I decided it was time to bring out the hamburger pie recipe again because she loves mashed potatoes. The truth is, ALL our grandkids (except one) love mashed potatoes and often request them. (She may come around someday!)

Here's How To Make This Old Favorite Hamburger Pie Recipe

I'd say the only tricky part of this hamburger pie recipe is knowing your audience and measuring their love of potatoes. According to the US Department of Agriculture, a "serving size" of mashed potatoes is one cup. It takes about two medium potatoes because they lose volume when boiled.

If you feed small children, they will eat less, of course, but teenage boys would laugh to call that a serving. You can pile mashed potatoes high on the hamburger pie, and I doubt anyone would complain. Since the meat is fully cooked, the pan only needs to be in the oven long enough for the cheese to brown!

Start the potatoes before you make the meat mixture. The key is to cut the potatoes into uniformly sized chunks so they cook evenly. The potatoes should be tender and easily pierced. I use my cake tester! Keep them warm and set them aside to mash while the meat cooks.

I use butter and milk, or half-and-half, to make mashed potatoes. I've made them so often, I know I could make them in my sleep! Of course, if you are in a hurry, you can make instant mashed potatoes like the Idahoan brand or use some of the good refrigerated kinds like the ones made by Bob Evans.

But please make them from scratch if you can! They're so much better, and it saves a lot of money!

Put the onion right in the skillet when you brown the ground beef to ensure it is fully cooked. Then season the beef the way your family likes it. I used garlic powder, seasoned salt, and black pepper for our hamburger pie.

I love this clever hack for dealing with hamburger grease from Karen at The Food Charlatan. (I love her posts!) Drain any excess fat from the ground beef. Empty the grease into a bowl lined with foil, then stick it in the fridge to set up, crumple it, and toss it. Grease is "no bueno" for your drain, and once it's solid, it's easier to dispose of in the trash can! Some nature lovers mix it with oatmeal and feed it to the birds! 💙

When the beef is browned, drained, and seasoned to taste, add one 10.5-ounce can of tomato soup and two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.

Next, drain a 14.5-ounce can of French-cut green beans and spread them over the meat mixture. I prefer French-cut because with French-cut, every bite of hamburger pie gets some green beans!

A cast-iron skillet makes a great vessel for this casserole, and everything I serve in cast iron seems special because it looks extra tasty. You can make the meat mixture right in the skillet, then top it with potatoes, slide it into a hot oven until the cheese is beautifully browned, and serve it on the table!

Why Is Cast Iron So Great For Cooking

Cast iron is wonderful for any recipe that starts on the stove and ends up in the oven because it retains heat so well and can withstand high temperatures. When used properly, cast iron can last for generations. All of mine are even older than me!

Cast iron can be restored if you scratch it or let it get rusty or crusty. Every relationship should be so forgiving! I love the crispiness of anything cooked in iron and how gorgeous food looks against the jet-black background of a well-seasoned skillet!

No cast iron? Please don't let that stop you! This hamburger pie looks and tastes great in a casserole dish, too!

Now spread the mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle them with shredded cheese. I always recommend shredding cheese from a block because bagged shredded cheese has a coating on it that keeps the shreds from sticking together. That coating also keeps the cheese from melting smoothly.

And, of course, I sprinkled on some parsley for color, as usual, because I think parsley is green magic that makes everything taste better! Isn't that casserole gorgeous? It makes my mouth water as I get ready to make it again for dinner right now!

Hamburger pie is a complete meal in a pan! I served it with a tossed salad and some garlic toast. Fruit would be a wonderful accompaniment!

I love one-pot meals and casseroles because the cleanup is so much quicker and easier. I do not store leftover hamburger pie in my cast-iron skillet, though. I always transfer it to a dish I can put in the oven or the microwave to reheat. At our house, we eat a lot of leftovers, but we call them plan-overs. 😉

Here are a couple more casseroles that are popular at our house. I think your family will like them too!

Reuben Casserole - Here's a recipe for a casserole that tastes exactly like a Reuben sandwich but faster and easier than grilling sandwiches one by one. This would be a great way to use leftover corned beef next week!

Sausage and Potato Casserole - A creamy, comforting casserole filled with hash brown potatoes, sausage, peppers, onions, and celery, topped with a blanket of cheese and buttered cornflake crumbs.

Ham and Noodle Casserole - This recipe makes a wonderful casserole that goes together quickly and reheats beautifully! Use convenient packaged, diced ham, or this is a great way to use leftover ham!

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

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Yield: 6 servings

Hamburger Pie

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Here's a cozy vintage dish: hamburger pie. It uses the most basic ingredients in the kitchen, and everyone loves it. Hamburger pie is a complete meal in a pan! You can make it in a 10" cast iron skillet or bake it in a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp seasoned salt or more to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper or more to taste
• One 10.5-ounce can condensed tomato soup
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• One 14.5-ounce can of French cut green beans, drained
• 6 - 8 cups of mashed potatoes
• 1 cup or more shredded cheese
• Paprika and parsley for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef, along with the onion. Drain any excess grease.
3. Add tomato soup and Worcestershire sauce and stir well.
4. Spread green beans over the meat mixture evenly.
5. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake in a hot oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese melts and browns.

A coworker shared her hamburger pie recipe with me about 55 years ago, when I was a young bride. But Judy called it hamburger fluff pie because it is topped with mashed potatoes. Judy met her husband when his truck ran into her car in a blizzard, but that's a story for another day.

If you enjoyed a post, I'd love it if you left a review or comment. It helps my little business reach other cooks just like you! ❤❤

Love, GB (Betty Streff)

Real food. Real kitchen. Real easy.

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