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Take 20 minutes in the morning to throw together this cheesy hamburger potato casserole recipe in the Crockpot, and at dinnertime you’ll have a creamy, satisfying meal waiting for you.
I love having a few dump-and-go Crockpot recipes up my sleeve for busy days. On evenings when dinner is an afterthought or takes back burner to a hundred other things going on (or if it’s a cold winter weekend and you want a cozy meal with minimal effort!), casseroles like this save the day.
With ground beef, potatoes, and plenty of cheese, this casserole is hearty and warming. Did you know that potatoes are one of the most satiating foods? In a study in which white bread was given a satiety index of 100%, boiled potatoes scored 323%! Additionally, potatoes are nutrient-rich, providing vitamins, minerals, fiber (especially if you eat the skin), as well as protein.
Instead of using canned soup like a lot of hamburger and potato casseroles call for, here we take a couple minutes to mix up a homemade creamy sauce to add moisture and a ton of flavor. This means we’re skipping the added preservatives, and it lets us customize the recipe to suit our taste preferences.
Serve this up with a steamed or roasted vegetable or a leafy green salad for a meal the whole family will enjoy. And leftovers are even better the next day!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Olive oil cooking spray – For the inside of the slow cooker.
- Half and half – For this recipe instead of using canned soup, we whisk up a quick sauce to add moisture to the casserole. We dissolve cornstarch in half and half to form a slurry to help thicken the sauce. Make sure the half and half is cold from the fridge so the cornstarch dissolves properly and you don’t get lumps. Half and half works better than whole milk here so the sauce thickens properly. (TIP: If you don’t have half and half, use whole milk and increase the cornstarch by 1 tablespoon.)
- Cornstarch – A thickener.
- Sour cream – Full-fat sour cream adds rich, tangy flavor and creamy texture.
- Salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper – This is the spice blend we use to season this casserole. The amount of cayenne pepper that this recipe calls for isn’t enough to make this dish spicy-hot, so feel free to add more if you prefer. Another option is to use about a tablespoon of your favorite spice blend instead (but if your spice blend doesn’t have salt, make sure you add some so the meat and potatoes aren’t bland).
- Lean ground beef – Use 90% lean or leaner ground beef here because we aren’t pre-cooking it before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Onion and garlic – Adds savory depth of flavor.
- Potatoes – I like to use yellow potatoes (such as Yukon Gold) in this casserole. Not only do they keep their shape well, but they lend a buttery flavor. And they have a thin skin, so if you use organic potatoes, you can leave the skin on for maximum nutritional benefits. Cut them into 1/4-inch thick slices for this recipe.
- Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses – I like a blend of cheddar (for sharp, rich flavor) and Monterey Jack (for its buttery flavor and gooey, melty cheese pull). Feel free to swap out these cheeses for any that you like.
- Cooked and crumbled beef bacon – This is an optional garnish. Instead of beef bacon, you can use any kind of bacon you like.
- Minced fresh chives – This is another optional garnish that adds a pop of green color and mild onion flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Make Crockpot Hamburger Potato Casserole
- Make the sauce. Add the cold half and half and cornstarch to a medium bowl and whisk until there are no lumps. Add the sour cream, salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and whisk to combine.
- Spread the ground beef in the bottom of the slow cooker. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with olive oil cooking spray. Add the meat to the bottom of the slow cooker, using a wooden spoon to break it apart and spread it out evenly.
- Assemble. Spread the onion, garlic, and then the potatoes evenly on top. Pour the half and half mixture evenly across the top.
- Cook. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Add the cheese. Sprinkle the cheddar, Monterey Jack, and crumbled bacon evenly across the top. Cover the slow cooker again and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Cool. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes to cool before serving (TIP: it will thicken as it sits), and then serve it topped with minced fresh chives.
Storage and Reheating
Let the casserole cool completely, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave, or use the oven to reheat multiple portions at once (350F covered with foil until warm, about 20 to 30 minutes).
Serving Suggestions
- Leafy green salad – You can use a bagged salad mix or keep it simple and just toss your favorite salad greens with homemade honey lemon vinaigrette for a ton of flavor.
- Roasted veggies – You can roast a pan of veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, etc.
- Steamed vegetable – Or steam your favorite veggie and serve that on the side! One of my favorites with this meal is green beans (try green beans Polonaise, aka Fasolka Szparagowa for something a little different).
Tips For Making This Slow Cooker Ground Beef Casserole With Potatoes
- The half and half should be cold because that’s the liquid we’re using to make our cornstarch slurry. For a lump-free slurry, cornstarch dissolves better in cold liquid rather than warm liquid.
- Use 90% lean or leaner ground beef here to avoid a greasy casserole. This is especially important because we aren’t cooking the ground beef (and draining off any excess fat) before adding it to the Crockpot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because we’re slow cooking this casserole, I like to use potatoes that hold their shape well and aren’t prone to disintegrating with long cooking periods. Yellow potatoes (such as Yukon Gold) are perfect here, and red potatoes also work great.
Nope! You can add raw ground beef to the Crockpot. In this recipe, we spread the ground beef evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker and assemble the other ingredients on top.
More Easy Casserole Recipes to Try
- Crockpot Enchiladas (Ground Beef Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole)
- Vegetable Beef Guinness Casserole
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
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Crockpot Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole Recipe
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Ingredients
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 3/4 cup half and half still cold from the fridge so the cornstarch dissolves without lumps
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 90% lean or leaner
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 8 large cloves garlic crushed
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow potatoes peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or more Monterey Jack
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or more cheddar
- 2 slices beef bacon cooked and crumbled (or any type of bacon you like)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Add the cold half and half and cornstarch to a medium bowl and whisk until there are no lumps. Add the sour cream, salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and whisk to combine.
- Assemble. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with olive oil cooking spray. Add the meat to the bottom of the slow cooker, using a wooden spoon to break it apart and spread it out evenly. Spread the onion, garlic, and then the potatoes evenly on top. Pour the half and half mixture evenly across the top.
- Cook. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Add the cheese. Sprinkle the cheddar, Monterey Jack, and crumbled bacon evenly across the top. Cover the slow cooker again and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Cool. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes to cool before serving (TIP: it will thicken as it sits), and then serve it topped with minced fresh chives.
Notes
- Storage and Reheating: Let the casserole cool completely, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave, or use the oven to reheat multiple portions at once (350F covered with foil until warm, about 20 to 30 minutes).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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