Beefy French Onion Baked Rice Casserole

If you have kids that you cook for (whether you’re their parent or not), you know the pain and struggle of trying to find a meal that everyone will eat, let alone tolerate.

This is a recipe that came from that struggle. They both absolutely LOVE my stick of butter rice… but it’s a side dish, so I’d still be left trying to plan a main dish.

Some amazing readers had shared that they like to add ground beef to the rice to make it a whole meal in one dish, and it definitely got me thinking!

So I bumped up all the flavors here… really leaned in on the french onion aspect, seasoned up the ground beef, added golden brown mushrooms, extra flavor from more spices and sauces, and finished the dish off with a little cheese and crunchy fried onions.

And oh man… both my teen and younger kiddo absolutely loved this recipe! Even though they’re not mushroom fans, since I left them in whole slices, they were easy to pick out (or you could even omit them entirely).

Plus, this recipe can be prepped, made partially ahead of time, and can even be frozen after baking! Oh, and it lasts a full week in the refrigerator, so it’s great for meal prep too.

How to make beefy french onion baked rice?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Combine soups and broth. This is depicted in several photos, but is really just pouring the cans into a baking dish.
2. Add the rice and butter. I like to stir to evenly distribute the rice, then just lay the butter on top.
3. Cover and bake.

1. Cook onion. No need to caramelize them, just sauté until soft. Transfer to a plate.
2. Cook beef. Crumble it as finely or chunkily as you’d like as it browns. Drain.
3. Cook mushrooms. You’re looking for a nice golden brown color here.
4. Combine. Add the onion and cooked beef to the skillet and stir in the optional sauces.
5. Add to the partially cooked rice. Be careful when adding, so the liquid doesn’t splash everywhere.
6. Bake uncovered.
7. Add toppings and bake again. This doesn’t take long, just enough for the cheese to melt and fried onions to brown.

Variations of this recipe

• Other protein – in place of the ground beef, feel free to use bite-sized pieces of steak, ground turkey, or even ground sage sausage. Just make sure the protein is cooked first.
• Mushrooms – if you don’t have fresh mushrooms, you can substitute with canned sliced mushrooms. Just make sure to drain them and pat them very dry before cooking.
• Butter amount – this recipe a spin-off of my stick of butter rice, which calls for 1/2 cup of butter to 1 cup of rice. This recipe uses 2 cups of rice, so if you really want more butter flavor, you can increase the butter amount to up to 1 cup in total.
• Cheese – if you’d prefer to use other types of cheese, or use additional cheeses, monterey jack, gruyere, gouda, and Parmesan are all great choices.
• Toppings – we love the crunch of french fried onions, but you swap it out for crushed Ritz crackers tossed with some melted butter, or leave it off entirely.

Making baked rice casserole ahead of time

While I don’t advise making this casserole completely ahead of time (since it can dry out during the reheating process), you can certainly prep ahead and make parts of the recipe ahead as well!

• To prep – the onion and mushrooms can be sliced, spices can be combined, rice measured out, and butter can be sliced.
• To make ahead – the onion, mushrooms, and ground beef can be cooked, cooled, and kept refrigerated. This way over half of the work is done for you!

Freezing

The baked rice casserole can be cooled and frozen in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3-6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat as desired.

You can also freeze the cooked onion, mushroom, and beef mixture. Thaw in the refrigerator and then stir into the rice at the halfway point of cooking, as directed.

Storage

Leftover casserole should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 5 days.