Easy Hobo Casserole Recipe (2024)

Hobo casserole? Oh yeah! There are so many reasons you’ll love this recipe!

This hobo casserole recipe is a delicious but easy family dinner. It goes by a variety of names, including hobo stew, hobo hubby casserole, and hamburger casserole. Regardless of what you want to call it, your family will love this delicious hobo casserole dinner.

I highly recommend reading this entire post before you begin preparing the recipe. However, if all you want is the list of ingredients with full directions, please either click on the jump-to-recipe button above or scroll to the bottom of this post.

Ground Beef Casserole

I love to make any kind of ground beef casserole, and this hobo casserole is one of the best. With a delightful blend of creamy soup, sour cream, and cheese, you really can’t go wrong. If you prefer ground turkey for a hobo dinner recipe, you can use that instead. Keep in mind that it has less fat, so you might want to add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, your favorite cooking oil, or a splash of beef stock.

This is hobo dinner in a casserole dish one of my favorite recipes when I want comfort food. Whether you use bargain beef, lean ground beef, or ground turkey, you have a delicious casserole without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

We love casseroles at our house, so I rotate different ones. When I’m doing Keto, I like this low carb Italian beef and cabbage casserole. Another one we enjoy is this frozen burrito casserole that’s also super easy to make. My husband absolutely loves Mexican food, so I make it often.

Add a slice of southern style cornbread to your plate to make your taste buds very happy. It also helps scoop each bite onto your fork.

Ingredients

All of these ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store. In fact, you might even have most of them in your pantry and refrigerator.

Here is what I used:

• Ground beef
• Chopped onion (sweet onion or any yellow onion)
• Thinly sliced potatoes
• Cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken soup for a creamy sauce)
• Sour cream
• Milk (or half and half)
• Grated cheese (cheddar cheese, Colby cheese, or jack cheese)
• Crushed potato chips
• Salt and black pepper

Here are some alternate ingredients you might want to try:

• American cheese slices
• Tomato sauce or tomato soup instead of cream soup (for a tomato flavored sauce)
• Minced garlic cloves
• Almond or coconut milk
• Canned crispy French fried onions
• Red bell pepper
• Cut green beans
• Garlic salt or garlic powder
• Onion powder

If you want to spice it up, try one or two of these ingredients:

• Chili powder
• Taco seasoning
• Cayenne pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• Hot sauce
• Pasta sauce
• Italian seasoning

If you want this to be low carb, leave out the potatoes. Or only put the potatoes on one side of the casserole to provide options.

For exact measurements of each ingredient and full directions, go to the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You can even print out the card by using the “print” button.

How to Make Hobo Casserole

This is a super easy recipe to make. Basically, it’s all about layering the ingredients and making sure everything is evenly distributed.

First, preheat your oven to 350˚ F. Spray the bottom of a 7” x 11” casserole dish or baking pan. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Drain the ground beef and pour it into the baking pan.

Chop a small onion until you have at least 1/2 cup of chopped onion. Sprinkle that over the top of beef.

Thinly slice the potatoes. Place them over the onion layer.

Sprinkle with the desired amount of salt and black pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, and milk. Mix well.

Pour mixture over the salted potatoes. Spread it out evenly.

Sprinkle crushed potato chips over the mixture.

Then sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

Lightly grease or spray nonstick spray over aluminum foil (to keep the cheese from sticking) and cover the casserole.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese gets melty and bubbly. Serve hot.

What is a Hobo Casserole?

If you’re still not sure what a hobo casserole is, here’s a simple explanation. It’s ground meat layered with potatoes, and other ingredients to make a one-pan meal.

Slow Cooker Hobo Casserole

If you want to start this recipe in the morning and come home to a delicious dinner, follow the directions listed above until it’s time to add the crispy, cheesy topping. Leave those off until the last hour of cooking.

Cook on high heat for 3 hours or low heat for 7 hours. Add the crushed potato chips and shredded cheese and cook for an additional hour. This hobo casserole Crock Pot recipe makes it easy to have dinner as soon as you walk in the door after a long day. In other words, it’s the perfect weeknight meal.

More Tips to Make the Best Hobo Casserole Dinner

This is such an easy dish to make for a family dinner. Sometimes I serve it with a side dish, but other times it’s just a simple one-pan meal.

Here are a few tips to make this a successful meal:

• If you’re serving a lot of people, feel free to double or triple the amount of all of the ingredients in the recipe. Just remember to increase the size of the baking dish so it won’t overflow.
• Don’t be afraid to add your favorite veggies to the mixture. Just be sure to cut everything up into bite-size pieces so that they cook evenly.
• You can also add canned vegetables. However, don’t forget to drain them first, or you’ll wind up with a watery casserole.

What to Do with Leftover Hobo Casserole

This delicious casserole is just as good over the next couple of days as it was the day you originally cooked it. Cover the leftovers with foil or plastic wrap or put them in an airtight container. When it’s time to enjoy the leftovers, put them on a microwave safe plate and heat on high for about a minute. If it’s still not warm enough, continue to heat in 30 second intervals.

What to serve with Hobo Casserole

You can serve any side dish or salad with this yummy casserole. Here are some of our favorites:

Watermelon Cucumber Salad – This refreshing salad adds color and texture to your meal … and it’s absolutely delicious!

Broccoli Slaw – You’ll love the crunchy goodness of this nutritious side dish.

Heirloom Tomato and Green Bean Salad – This delicious salad from Julia’s Simply Southern is a fresh option that you’ll want to make often.

Tomato Cucumber Corn Salad – Colorful, nutritious, and yummy, here is a salad that goes with any casserole.

Balsamic Glazed Zucchini – Add a touch of sophistication and flavor to your meal. You don’t have to tell anyone how easy this is to make.

Sautéed Spinach and Tomatoes – Here is a delicious way to get everyone to eat their veggies. It’s so good!

Easy Casseroles

Any time you want a meal that’s delicious, satisfying, and easy, make a casserole. Most of the time, you can put the ingredients together in the morning and pop it into the oven when it’s time to cook dinner.

Even if you follow a gluten-free diet, you can enjoy a delicious dinner casserole. Here are some that we enjoy: Gluten-Free Casserole Recipes.