Amish Hamburger Casserole–a one-pot meal with seasoned ground beef, orzo, tomato sauce, green bell pepper and melty cheddar cheese made in either the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Amish Hamburger Casserole
Yum! This is an easy recipe with ground beef and orzo in a tomato sauce that has really simple ingredients but has the best flavor! I grabbed the idea for this recipe from Amish 365’s Amish Hamburger and Rice Comfort Casserole. I made a half batch and had a few bites and then when I looked back at the pot it was all devoured by Greg. I guess I will be cooking this again soon!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
- Onion–yellow or white
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Beef or chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Orzo
- Tomato sauce
- Chili powder
- Green bell pepper
- Cheddar cheese–or another type of cheese like colby jack, parmesan, mozzarella, etc.
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Sprinkle in the orzo. Dump tomato sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle in chili powder and the green pepper. Don’t stir.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes. Move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir. Sprinkle cheese on top and let it melt. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad, roasted vegetables, garlic bread or sauteed spinach.
- Try adding in a cup or two of shredded cabbage when you add in the tomato sauce.
- Try subbing mushrooms for the green bell pepper.
- You can use rice instead of orzo. Use 2 cups of broth and 1 ½ cups of white rice. Pressure cook for 5 minutes with 10 minute natural pressure release.
- You can use another cut of pasta for this recipe like macaroni. Pressure cook for 4 minutes with a 5-10 minute natural pressure release.
- For extra flavor, add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or a pinch of smoked paprika when browning the beef.
- I used my 3 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 6 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with green bell pepper are My Mom’s Casserole and Instant Pot Sloppy Ottos.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Amish Hamburger Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A one-pot meal with seasoned ground beef, orzo, tomato sauce, green bell pepper and melty cheddar cheese made in either the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 8 oz orzo
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the orzo. Dump tomato sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle in chili powder and the green pepper. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes. Move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir. Sprinkle cheese on top and let it melt. Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Heat a pan over medium high heat and add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the broth, orzo, tomato sauce and green pepper.
- Cover and cook on high for 90 minutes-2 hours, or until orzo is cooked through.
- Stir. Sprinkle cheese on top and let it melt. Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
More recipes with orzo…
Boomshakalaka Casserole
A creamy, flavorful dish made with tender chicken, orzo pasta, crushed tomatoes, and a rich Boursin garlic cheese topping, all cooked quickly in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot “Welcome Home” Soup
A brothy lemon, chicken and orzo soup that is a welcoming, comforting dinner.
At the Lake Casserole
A creamy chicken, orzo and broccoli one pot dish. An easy dump-and-go recipe with a 1 minute pressure cook time.
Colorblind Love Casserole
Cheesy orzo with smoked sausage and green beans made fast in the Instant Pot.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Made this and we thought it was GREAT!
Thanks so much for another wonderful recipe!
Thanks so much Jeannie!
thank you for replying. how much uncooked rice should i use?
1 1/3 cups of rice should work
I’d say the same thing as I said to Joe’s comment above. Uncooked rice because it needs all the liquid to cook.
Thanks for the recipe, I think it would be good to add a can of kidney beans, when should I add them? Thanks!
good plan! Add them in with the green pepper.
Ok cool thank you for replying. Can’t wait to try it!!
As someone who lives in Amish country I can tell you there is nothing in this recipe that is close to Amish (except maybe beef). But it was still very tasty
add cooked or uncooked orzo?
uncooked 🙂
in the amish hamburger casserole you said you could sub rice for the orzo. in a crockpot do you add uncooked rice to it?
yes uncooked rice!