Description
Southern Five Layer Beef Casserole brings hearty comfort straight to your dinner table with layers of ground beef, potatoes, and cheesy goodness that’ll make your family ask for seconds.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 2 large onions
- 2 large tomatoes
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1½ green bell peppers
- 1 (15 ounces) can diced tomatoes
Seasonings and Oils:
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray at 350°F. Arrange 3 thinly sliced russet potatoes across the bottom, creating an even base layer.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over potato layer, ensuring complete coverage.
- Distribute 1 pound of browned ground beef evenly across potato surface.
- Separate 2 large onion rings and spread them uniformly over beef layer.
- Add 2 sliced tomatoes or 15 ounces of diced tomatoes across onion layer.
- Sprinkle 1½ chopped green bell peppers over tomato surface.
- Season each layer generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Drizzle additional 1 tablespoon olive oil over entire casserole top.
- Cover baking dish completely with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 350°F for exactly 2 hours until vegetables become tender.
- Remove foil, let casserole rest 10 minutes before serving warm.
Notes
- Always slice potatoes super thin for even cooking and a tender texture that melts in your mouth.
- Brown the ground beef completely before layering to lock in deep, rich flavor and prevent excess moisture.
- When adding tomatoes, drain canned varieties first to keep the casserole from becoming watery and losing its hearty consistency.
- For a lighter version, swap regular ground beef for lean ground turkey and use less olive oil during preparation.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 325 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg