Food & Cooking Recipes Main Dish Recipes Casserole Recipes Summer Beef-and-Rice Casserole 5.0 (1) This quick, satisfying casserole is sure to become a family favorite. Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 50 mins Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Our easy beef and rice casserole is just the thing to make as summer turns to fall. Hearty without being heavy, it features a savory meat sauce, thinly sliced zucchini and onion, and a little rice for heft. It’s finished with a cheesy breadcrumb topping which turns golden and crisp in the oven, providing a pleasing foil to the saucy filling below. Making the meat sauce takes just 20 minutes on the stovetop, during which time you can slice the vegetables and prepare the topping. From there, simply layer the ingredients in a skillet—the vegetables go in raw, no par-cooking required—then briefly bake until golden and bubbling. Served with a crisp green salad, it's a satisfying, crowd-pleasing meal that's just right for moving between seasons. How to Freeze Zucchini (So It Actually Tastes Good Later) Credit: Brie Goldman The Best Ground Beef for This Casserole Our go-to pick for this recipe is ground chuck. Beefy in flavor with enough fat to stay moist as it simmers in the sauce and then bakes in the oven, it's an affordable, easy-to-find option that wins every time. If you can't locate ground chuck, use 80 percent lean ground beef instead. Equipment Needed for Beef-and-Rice Casserole You'll only need a few basic pieces of kitchen equipment for this recipe, including: Blender: Canned whole tomatoes bring the brightest, cleanest flavor to this quick meat sauce. To ensure they cook down during the short 20-minute stint on the stove, you'll need to puree them in a blender or food processor before adding them to the pot (just be sure the lid is on tightly as the juicy tomatoes are prone to splattering). Dutch oven: Use a heavy-bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven, to cook the sauce. It should be large enough to hold 1 1/2 pounds of meat and a large can of tomatoes. Fine-mesh strainer: Soaking the rice while the sauce simmers ensures it'll cook through evenly later on. Use a fine-mesh strainer to drain the soaked rice before stirring it into the sauce. Large ovenproof skillet: We like baking this casserole in a large cast-iron skillet, but you can use any ovenproof skillet you have on hand, provided it's about 12 inches in diameter. A lid is handy for covering the casserole during the first half of the baking time, but you can easily use aluminum foil instead. How to Make This Casserole Ahead To get a leg up on prep, you can make the meat sauce up to 3 days ahead of assembling the casserole. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature as you prepare the other ingredients. Directions Credit: Brie Goldman Heat oven; brown meat: Preheat oven to 475°F. In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over high. Add meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Credit: Brie Goldman Add remaining sauce ingredients; simmer: Add onion, carrot, and garlic and cook until meat is browned and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add tomato puree, and bring to a rapid simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Credit: Brie Goldman Soak rice; make breadcrumb topping: Meanwhile, place rice in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover by 1 inch; let soak while sauce simmers. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon oil and set aside. Credit: Brie Goldman Transfer sauce to skillet; add rice, then zucchini and onion: Transfer sauce to a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet. Drain rice, then stir into sauce. Top with onion, then carefully arrange zucchini in a single, slightly overlapping layer; season with salt and pepper. Credit: Brie Goldman Top with breadcrumbs; bring to a simmer: Drizzle vegetables with remaining tablespoon oil, and top with breadcrumb mixture. Return skillet to heat and bring to a simmer. Credit: Brie Goldman Cover and bake; remove foil and continue to bake: Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake until rice is cooked through and breadcrumbs are golden, about 10 minutes more. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Credit: Brie Goldman How to Store and Reheat Leftover Casserole Should you find yourself with leftover casserole, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat it, covered, in a 375-degree Fahrenheit oven until bubbling, about 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for a few additional minutes to re-crisp breadcrumbs. What to Serve With Beef-and-Rice Casserole Containing vegetables, protein, and a starch, this casserole is a meal in itself, but you can certainly round it out with a salad and/or vegetable side if desired. Summery salads: Choose a crisp, crunchy salad with a tangy dressing like this celery-cucumber salad with herbs or our green salad with pickled-shallot vinaigrette. For something simple and straightforward, try our tender lettuce salad, this peppery watercress salad, or our easy arugula salad, which features a briny caper vinaigrette. Easy sides: If you'd like to toss in another side, how about these roasted carrots with feta or some kicked-up broccolini? If green beans sound better, try them sautéed with butter, braised with lemon, or tossed with a tangy vinaigrette for something midway between a side and a salad. 5 More Vegetable-Forward Casseroles to Try Eggplant Meatball Casserole Three-Pepper Corn Casserole Stuffed Poblanos Tian Provencal With Polenta Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.