Chow Mein, Hamburger Rice Hotdish (Casserole)
Rich & creamy, this Hamburger Rice Hotdish is flavored with soy & garlic & topped with Chow Mein Noodles. A vintage casserole at its best!
Growing up, I never liked casseroles. Or jello. Yes, I was known as the picky child.
But there was one exception to my casserole aversion—today’s Chow Mein Topped Hamburger Rice Hot Dish.
Full of a creamy rice and ground beef mixture, then topped with cashews and chow mein noodles, it gets an added punch of flavor from soy sauce and garlic. Yes, even 8-year-old me couldn’t resist.
I never really came around to casseroles, even as an adult. And I did feel vindicated a few years ago when a journalist friend did a piece about them. After trying a series of vintage recipes, her summary to her food blogger friends? Maybe it’s not so surprising they went out of style.
But since I’m usually not one to say never, today I decided to reprise the favorite hotdish of my youth!
What is a Chow Mein Hamburger Rice Hotdish
Growing up we always referred to this dish as Hamburger Chow Mein Casserole. But in researching this post I learned that it is also commonly known as Hamburger Rice Hotdish. It was very popular in the 60s and 70s—until the crunchy granola health food vibe began to take over.
Per Clay Coyote, the term hotdish (or hot dish) is considered a midwestern synonym for a main dish casserole, generally containing cream of something soup. Although this Wisconsin gal had heard the term “hot dish to pass” I’d have considered it an adjective and noun and included things like lasagna or chili. But I’m happy to go with the flow here.
So call it Chow Mein Hotdish or Chow Mein Casserole or whatever you like. It’s good any way you say it!
Why You’ll Love This!
Tasty. Flavored with cream of mushroom soup, soy and garlic, this is creamy and delicious!
Simple. Just mix a few ingredients and bake. How easy is that!
Classic Comfort Food. Isn’t classic comfort food the best! And the Chow Mein noodle topping puts it over the top!
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef. This adds protein and meaty goodness.
- Onion, Celery, Garlic. These add flavor.
- Cashews. These add flavor and crunch and go both inside of, and on top of the casserole. You can omit or use another nut if you prefer.
- Cooked Rice. These facilitates the creaminess and comfort qualities of the dish.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup. Adds flavor and creaminess. I have also seen cream of celery and cream of chicken used as well.
- Soy Sauce. This adds an umami quality.
- Chow Mein Noodles. Provide crunch—and are super fun!
Special Tools
- This will need a casserole dish or 9 x 13 pan, but most people have one of these.
Step by Step Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F
In a large skillet or saucepan, brown the ground beef until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Add the onion and celery and saute until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the rice, soup, water, soy sauce and half of the cashews (1/4 cup) and mix until well combined.
Place this into a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish or deep round casserole dish.
Top with chow mein noodles and remaining nuts. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.
Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
How to Serve
Serve Hamburger Rice Hotdish for an easy dinner when life is busy (oh wait, that’s always). Or take it to your next potluck, especially if it includes older family members, for a fun, casual entrée.
Now if you’re serving this for dinner, I should point out that, while this has protein and starch, it has no vegetables. So you definitely want to add one or more when you prepare the meal.
Since the dish is casual, I often like a simple salad such as cole slaw. And don’t forget fun, classic salads like this Broccoli Bacon Salad or Carrot Raisin Salad. That will really keep with the vintage theme!
Variations
Some people use wild rice to make this as a Hamburger Wild Rice Hotdish. Personally, if I were spending all that money on wild rice, I think I’d want it to stand out more. Just sayin’.
There is another variation of this often called simply a Hamburger Rice Casserole. It’s very similar but doesn’t have the chow mein noodles and is loaded with cheese. Loaded with cheese?! May need to give that a try!
And if, unlike me, you’re a serious casserole lover, here are some recipes from my friends. Which even I have to admit look like they might be fun to try!
- Beef Noodle Casserole from That Recipe
- Corned Beef Breakfast Casserole from Hostess at Heart
- Ham & Veggie Noodle Casserole from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Lasagna with Cottage Cheese from Palatable Pastime
- Poppyseed Chicken Casserole from Jen Around the World
Leftovers
Refrigerate any leftovers and eat them within a few days. And while you can reheat this in the microwave, if you push the chow mein noodles up to the top and reheat in the oven, you may restore some of the crispness.
Tips & FAQs
Since I was making this over the holidays when life is uber busy, I broke down and used commercial creamed soup. But in slower times, I’ll consider one of the many homemade versions of cream soups online.
Just be sure that if you use a blog recipe that it is for the concentrate not the reconstituted soup or your casserole will turn into a soup.
Chow Mein, Hamburger Rice Hotdish (Casserole)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup cashews divided
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 ounces chow mein noodles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In a large skillet or saucepan, brown the ground beef until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and celery and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the rice, soup, water, soy sauce and half of the cashews (1/4 cup) and mix until well combined.
- Place this into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish or deep round casserole dish. Top with chow mein noodles and remaining nuts.
- Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.
Nutrition
This casserole looks like something I would have devoured growing up. But my parents never made casseroles like this one. Heck, we didn’t even tuna noodle casserole!
Ah, I should have grown up in a household like yours ;-)!
The creamy blend of rice and ground beef, enriched with soy and garlic, is comfort food at its finest. Love it
I love comfort meals like this! And this is perfect for our current weather!
Thanks David!
I love everything about this casserole dish! It’s the perfect comfort dish recipe and I had everything in the pantry!
Thanks!