Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe Ground Beef Slow Cooker

This old school comfort food casserole is hearty, delicious and just like Grandma used to make! This is a family favorite and perfect for any winter meal.

Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish

This post contains affiliate links. Hot Eats and Cool Reads may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you! Thanks for the support!

Looking for more recipes, books, food and travel fun? Follow me!

PIN THIS RECIPE

This old school comfort food casserole is hearty, delicious and just like Grandma used to make! It's full of vegetables like onions, carrots and celery and is packed with protein from the ground beef and wild rice. This is a family favorite and perfect for any winter meal.

What's better on a winter day than an amazing casserole?

Not much, in my opinion!

Today's recipe reminds me SO much of my childhood! "Hotdish" recipes like this one were a staple in my childhood growing up in Minnesota.

These casseroles were served for dinner, at potlucks, parties and everything in between. The term hotdish is unique to the midwest, especially Minnesota.

Hotdish meals were a great way to feed large families on a budget using small amounts of meat, canned or fresh vegetables, cream soups, rice or pasta.

Once two words, hot dish, then evolved into the one word phrase that us Minnesotans use today.

Another Minnesota thing... wild rice!

I love the earthy flavor and texture of wild rice. Wild rice is gluten free, low in calories, fat and sodium and is so great in soups and casseroles.

I love that it's a local product that I can purchase at the farmer's market.

Wild Rice grows in Minnesota lakes, marshes and streams and ripe wild rice is harvested every year between August and September. It's found in over 2000 Minnesota lakes and rivers!

What is in wild rice hotdish?

Wild rice: If you haven't tried it before, now is the time! Find it on Amazon here!

Ground beef: One of my absolute favorite meats to use in recipes! I buy 90% lean ground beef in bulk at Sam's Club, then package into one pound packages with freezer paper for our meals!

Carrots: Packed with vitamin a and fiber, carrots are a favorite vegetable at our house. I only buy regular carrots because the flavor is SO much better than the pre cut baby carrots.

Celery: Rich in vitamin k, folate and potassium, Celery is mostly water, but is a great dietary fiber. I only love raw celery with buffalo wings, but I like it cooked in so many different dishes.

Cream soup: You either love it or hate it! I love it in casseroles because it reminds me of flavors from my childhood, but don't eat it often because of the high sodium. You can also use homemade cream soup if you prefer!

Other wild rice recipes you may like:

Grand Casino Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole
Blueberry and Wild Rice Breakfast Bowl
Mushroom and Wild Rice Black Bean Burger
Ground Beef and Wild Rice Alfredo Skillet
Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole

This recipe is ready in these steps:

Preheat the oven and grease a glass baking dish
Brown the ground beef and onion, drain excess grease
Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, pour into the baking dish
Bake and let stand before serving

Full recipe below

You can add or substitute with the following ingredients:

sliced white mushrooms
ground turkey
chopped fresh rosemary
cream of celery soup
chopped bell pepper
green beans
sliced baby bella mushrooms
ground sausage
minced garlic
peas
chopped fresh parsley

Looking for more casserole or hotdish recipes?

Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Sour Cream Hamburger Hotdish
Creamy Ham and Noodle Casserole
Sweet Butternut Squash Casserole
Salmon Macaroni Casserole
Easy Beef Stroganoff Casserole

Things you may need:

Hotdish Heaven cookbook
My absolute favorite cutting boards!!
Handy casserole carrier

What to serve with this recipe:

Parmesan Dill Garlic Bread
Buttery Garlic Bread
Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic Paprika Butter

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

PIN THIS RECIPE

Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish

instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion until beef is cooked. Drain excess grease.
Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, stir until fully combined. Remove from heat and pour into the baking dish.
Bake for 2 hours or until rice is tender. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.