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Home » Recipes » Dish Type » Casseroles

Potato and Ground Beef Casserole (with spinach)

Published: Feb 23, 2020 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Sep 22, 2021 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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Potato casserole with spinach and beef in blue casserole dish
Pinterest pin with white text on blue background on the top and bottom and a photo of potato, spinach and beef casserole in a blue casserole dish, on a white wood background in the middle

This Potato and Ground Beef Casserole (with spinach) really is a complete meal in one dish. With meat (ground beef), potatoes, veggies and dairy, you will love that you don't have to make anything else for dinner but this! But you will especially love that you don't have to peel your potatoes for this recipe...

Potato casserole with spinach and beef in blue casserole dish “Whaaaat?” you say. Yep, it's true. But we do things the way we do because it's how we've always done them; the way we were taught. For example, I was recently at some friends’ for dinner and they were baking their potatoes in foil, so I asked them why they did it that way. I never bake my potatoes in foil. Old habits die hard. They had no idea why, except that it was because their Moms did it that way. They assumed that it helped them cook faster (Nope! See below). But did you know there are good reasons you shouldn't wrap you potatoes in foil, unless you are cooking them directly on coals or something they can't touch? However, you'd also want to wrap them in foil if you are cooking a hasselback type of potato with a filling that can run, like in my 3  Ingredient Onion Baked Potatoes in Foil. Baked Potatoes in Foil | with onion soup mix But otherwise, there's no good reason. But there are several reasons not to bake your potatoes in foil (see below)! Nor do you need to peel your potatoes....

💭 Why you don't need to peel potatoes

If you are peeling your potatoes, unless you really enjoy extra work, you can stop now. It's the most nutrient filled part of the potato so why would you want to peel all those nutrients away and add more unnecessary waste to the environment? Potato peels contain more iron than the flesh of the potatoes and they're also a good source of fiber, vitamin B, and vitamin C. And I don't know about you, but I really hate peeling potatoes. Maybe it was the endless buckets I peeled at my grandparents farm when I was a kid. Or the zillion I peeled that summer I worked at the fly-in fishing camp. But I'm guessing I'm not alone in my loathing of this task.  You can read more about why you don't need to peel your potatoes HERE and  HERE.

Potato beef and spinach casserole with some missing from the dish

🥔Why you don't need to wrap your potatoes in foil

Getting back to wrapping your potatoes in foil... Dr. Potato, from the Idaho Potato Foundation says, "No." Wrapping a potato in foil prior to baking traps the potato’s natural moisture, so you're actually steaming your potato instead of baking it! The result is a soggy baked potato, not the fluffy baker, with the crispy skin, that most of us prefer. Then there's also the misconception that wrapping potatoes in foil speeds up the baking process; but on the contrary, since the foil itself has to be heated before the potato begins to bake, cooking time actually slightly increases. Not only do you get better baked potatoes when you bake them unwrapped, you also save money (and the environment.) You should only wrap potatoes in foil AFTER baking and only if you need to keep them warm for a few minutes. You can read more about that HERE. Now all that potato slicing doesn't seem so bad when you don't have to peel them, does it?  Close up of potato beef and spinach casserole on a white plate I really love casseroles, but I don't make enough of them, mostly because it's really hard to find a good casserole recipe. But sliced potato casseroles are just so delicious! This ground beef and potato casserole has a similar texture to scalloped potatoes, which I also love. But sometimes you need to switch things up. And this casserole does an amazing job of that!

🥘 Ingredients

Ground beef and spinach are such a great combo, especially with cottage cheese. I love it in my lasagna so why not in another casserole? But it's really the Swiss cheese that's the crowning glory, elevating this casserole to an entirely new level. Yum! For this hamburger and potato casserole recipe, you'll also need:

  • potatoes
  • butter
  • onions
  • garlic
  • extra lean ground beef
  • cottage cheese
  • Swiss cheese
  • eggs
  • spinach
  • salt
  • pepper

Potato casserole with spinach and beef in blue casserole dish

📖 Variations

  • ground beef - you can use regular or lean ground beef, but drain it well (it will also increase the calorie count and fat content)
  • spinach - you could substitute fresh baby spinach instead of frozen (use a whole 10 oz bag)
  • potatoes - you could use any type of potato, but I like the look and taste of red potatoes in this recipe

💭 Storing

This ground beef and potato casserole recipe can be stored for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated in the microwave. I do NOT recommend freezing it.

🍲 More Casserole Recipes

So... if you're also looking to expand your casserole horizons, then do give this ground beef and potato recipe a try! And be sure to check out my other casserole recipes. You won't be disappointed!

Chow Mein Casserole (aka Minnesota Hot Dish) with ground beef

Chow Mein Minnesota Hotdish in large orange casserole dish

Ukrainian Daughter's Crockpot Casserole

Ukrainian recipe for casserole in slow cooker

Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole with ground beef

Healthy Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole - Foodmeanderings.com

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Potato casserole with spinach and beef in blue casserole dish
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5 from 2 votes

📋 Potato and Ground Beef Casserole (with spinach) Recipe

This Ground Beef and Potato Casserole (with spinach) is a complete meal in one pot. With sliced potatoes, frozen spinach, ground beef/hamburger and Swiss cheese, you get your entire dinner in one dish!
Course dinner, main dish, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Canadian, North American
Keyword casserole, ground beef, potato, spinach
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 281kcal
Author Terri Gilson
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 8 small - medium potatoes * I use red because I think they look really nice, but you could use white as well
  • 5 tbsp butter, melted
  • 2 small onions, chopped
  • 2 clove garlic
  • 1 ½ lbs extra lean ground beef
  • 2 -10 ounce pkgs of frozen spinach Defrosted, drained with liquid squeezed out
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 2 cups grated Swiss cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon Pepper

Garnish

  • chopped chives (shown in photos) or green onions

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and Grease and 9" X 11" casserole dish
  • Cook ground beef in skillet with diced onion until browned and cooked through. Drain and set aside.
  • Slice potatoes into ¼ inch thick rounds.
    potato being sliced
  • Place sliced potatoes on a plate and cover with saran wrap. Alternatively, you can simply cover it with a microwave safe cover if you don't want to use saran wrap.
    sliced potato on white plate covered in saran wrap
  • Cook in the microwave for 8 minutes or until fork through easily. *I do this in 2 batches
    **BE CAREFUL when you take the saran wrap off ( if you use it) as lots of steam is released and it's HOT!
  • Melt butter in separate bowl in microwave safe bowl.
  • Arrange half of the potatoes in bottom of dish and drizzle with butter.
    butter being drizzled on sliced potatoes
  • In a separate medium mixing bowl, mix ½ cup grated Swiss cheese, spinach, cottage cheese, garlic and egg. Then add ground beef. Mix well.
  • Spread the spinach and ground beef mixture over the first layer of potatoes and butter.
    ground beef mixture layer on first sliced potato layer
  • Cover with remaining potatoes, drizzle with remaining 2 ½ tablespoon butter.
    last layer of sliced potatoes on casserole
  • Sprinkle with remaining 1 ½ cups Swiss cheese.
    Swiss cheese sprinkled on casserole
  • Bake 40-50 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Cool for 5 minutes

Garnish

  • Garnish with chopped chives or green onions
    Potato casserole with spinach and beef in blue casserole dish

Notes

My Amazon Recommendations (affiliate links)

Nutrition Facts
📋 Potato and Ground Beef Casserole (with spinach) Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 281 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 138mg46%
Sodium 596mg26%
Potassium 397mg11%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 402IU8%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 304mg30%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 596mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 402IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 304mg | Iron: 2mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vanessa

    February 25, 2020 at 4:55 pm

    This sounds so good and the best part is that my kids will eat this - which makes for happy family dinner time!

    Reply
  2. Colleen

    February 26, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    Terri, I'm so with you on don't use foil, and don't peel potatoes. This casserole looks amazing and I am for sure making this recipe this week.

    Reply

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I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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