Casseroles are perfect dishes to make to use up leftovers in your fridge, and today’s vegetable beef casserole is no exception.
This delectable dish features common ingredients such as ground beef, fresh vegetables, tomato sauce, and cheddar cheese.
Prepare the ingredients and make a meal for the entire family with this recipe.
Is This Vegetable Beef Casserole Healthy?
This casserole can be part of a healthy diet based on our nutrition guidelines.
This dish has 466 calories and 9.4 g of saturated fat per serving. Also, the sodium content per serving is limited to only 543 mg.
Thanks to beef being a great source of protein and the addition of cheddar cheese, this dish offers you 25 g of protein from each serving.
The vegetable collection of this dish includes potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and celery. They contain valuable nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Beef: Ground beef is an ideal protein choice for its convenience and tender texture. Beef also contributes to the flavor base with its natural taste.
- Vegetables: The starch ingredient of this casserole is potato, replacing rice or pasta. Tomatoes, carrots, celery, and green beans make up the rest of the diverse vegetable lineup. You can substitute these vegetables with the ones you love. We suggest butternut squash, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus, etc.
- Sauce: We use our homemade tomato sauce for this casserole. It is a flavorful tomato-based sauce made from fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, and paprika.
- Aromatics and seasoning: Garlic, onions, and thyme are the three aromatics that help you get things started in this recipe. Other than that, we only season this dish with salt and pepper to allow the natural taste of the ingredients to shine.
Which Types of Cheese Are Good for This Casserole?
We use cheddar cheese in this recipe for its versatility and flavor. It is a popular choice in dishes all around the world, and it tastes beautiful when melted.
However, cheddar is not the only option. Some options for you to pick from are parmesan, gouda, mozzarella, etc.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers
This casserole should last in the fridge for up to 3 days in airtight containers. Freezing it in heavy-duty Ziploc bags will extend the shelf life to 2-3 months.
We recommend storing the casserole in individual portions to make reheating easier. However, if you plan to eat the leftovers within 3 days, refrigerate the whole dish and cover it carefully.
You can reheat portions with the microwave for 1 minute in a microwave-safe container. Continue cooking in 30-second increments until warm.
To reheat the entire dish, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Reheat in a 350 °F oven for about 20 minutes or until hot. Cover the dish with foil to prevent drying.
What to Serve With
What better to accompany this hearty casserole than a light, fresh salad or a fun snack? Check out our recommendations.
From Classic to Creative, These Oven-Baked Beef Recipes Will Make Your Diet More Interesting
Calzone is an Italian dish that is similar to pizza but with a twist: the fillings are folded inside the pastry, resulting in crispy pockets bursting with flavors. We use ground beef, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce to create a delicious, simple filling that anyone should enjoy.
Or, spice up your weeknight dinner with this taco pie recipe. Made with ground beef, cheese, and all your favorite taco toppings, it's a fun twist on the traditional taco that everyone knows and loves.
If you have leftover beef, you can also make these dishes in the oven.
How to Make Vegetable Beef Casserole
Our vegetable beef casserole recipe brings together everyday ingredients using ground beef and fresh vegetables to make a generous meal.
- cook TIME 55 mins
- prep TIME 12 mins
- total TIME 1 hr 7 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 466 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 12 oz 85% lean ground beef
- 14 oz potatoes (cut into cubes)
- 8 oz carrots (diced)
- 6 oz tomatoes (diced)
- 6 oz green beans (trimmed and cut into segments)
- 2 oz celery (chopped)
- 2 oz onion (chopped)
- 2.5 oz cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 3/4 cup homemade tomato sauce
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Cut the potatoes: Peel the skin and cut the potatoes into thick slices. Cut the slices lengthwise into fingers then crosswise into cubes.
Dice the carrots: Slice off the top part and cut the carrots into two or three segments. Cut the segments lengthwise into thin slices. Cut the slices lengthwise into fingers then crosswise into dice.
Dice the tomatoes: Cut the tomatoes in half, slice off the stem, and remove the seeds. Cut the halves into thin strips then cut the strips into dice.
Prepare the green beans: Trim off the stems and cut the green beans into 1” segments.
Chop the celery: Cut off the leaves and cut the stalks in quarters lengthwise. Chop the stalks into small cubes.
Grate the cheese: Press the block of cheese against the grater and push it downwards.
Mince the garlic: Slice off the root of the cloves and mash them with a knife to peel off the skin. Mince the peeled garlic cloves with a knife or mincer.
Chop the onion: Cut the onion in half and peel the skin. Make vertical slices 1/4" from each other but leave about 1/4" from the root. Turn the half 90 degrees. Cut horizontally from the bottom to make a crosshatch pattern, and also leave 1/4" from the root. Chop the onion into even cubes.
Chop the parsley.
Cook:
Caramelize the aromatics and cook the beef: Place a pan on medium heat until hot. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp garlic, 2 oz onion, and 1 tsp thyme. Stir for 1 minute. Then add 12 oz ground beef and stir for 3 minutes.
Add the vegetables: Add 6 oz tomatoes, 8 oz carrots, 14 oz potatoes, 2 oz celery, and 6 oz green beans. Mix thoroughly for 7 minutes.
Add the seasoning: Add 3/4 cup homemade tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix for 4 minutes.
Transfer to a baking dish: Move the mixture to a baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake the casserole: Bake the casserole at 400 °F for 30 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
Add the cheese: Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle 2.5 oz cheddar cheese on top.
Melt the cheese: Resume baking at 475 °F for another 5 minutes on the top rack.
Garnish and serve: Take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle with 2 tbsp parsley. Cut the casserole into portions and serve.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary ConsultantLuna Regina
Writer, AuthorSaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer- PanvacI made this last week with bell peppers, potatoes, carrots and eggplants. The hubbies and kids loved them.