Southern Charm Casserole–an Instant Pot (or slow cooker) dish with tender potatoes, seasoned ground beef, bell peppers, and onions in a savory tomato sauce, with optional melted cheddar for extra richness.
Southern Charm Casserole
This one pot meal is flavorful and satisfying, with protein, veggies, and starch all in one dish. The Instant Pot speeds things up, and using a steamer basket* for the potatoes let’s them cook in just a one minute pressure cook time. You can add cheese or skip it…it’s up to you. I’ve adapted this recipe from Southern Five Layer Beef Casserole on Long Bake the Queen. The original recipe takes a two hour cooking time in the oven. My version speeds up the process and adds more seasonings and sauce. Enjoy!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Russet potatoes–or red potatoes
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
- Onions
- Green pepper–or orange, yellow, red
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Dried oregano
- Dried parsley
- Roma tomato
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tomato sauce
- Cheddar cheese–I like sharp
Steps
Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Scatter the sliced potatoes into a steamer basket*. Drop the steamer basket into the Instant Pot. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute. When time is up move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Set the steamer basket aside, discard the water in bottom of the pot.
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Add in the onions and green peppers. Cook for about 7 minutes, until beef is cooked through and onions are soft. Drain off any excess grease.
Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, parsley, tomatoes, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes.
Fold in the potatoes to coat in the sauce. If using cheese sprinkle it into the pot and let it melt.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with corn on the cob and spinach salad.
- This recipe can be gluten free if you use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- I used my silicone steamer basket*.
- 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 Love Your Neighbor Casserole and Bob Clark Casserole.
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.
Southern Charm Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
An Instant Pot (or slow cooker) dish with tender potatoes, seasoned ground beef, bell peppers, and onions in a savory tomato sauce, with optional melted cheddar for extra richness.
Ingredients
- 24 ounces Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into quarter inch rounds
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onions, sliced into thin half moon slices
- 1 cup diced green peppers
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of smoked paprika
- Pinch of dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 large roma tomato, diced
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Scatter the sliced potatoes into a steamer basket*. Drop the steamer basket into the Instant Pot. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 1 minute. When time is up move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Set the steamer basket aside, discard the water in bottom of the pot.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up. Add in the onions and green peppers. Cook for about 7 minutes, until beef is cooked through and onions are soft. Drain off any excess grease.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, parsley, tomatoes, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes.
- Fold in the potatoes to coat in the sauce. If using cheese sprinkle it into the pot and let it melt.
- Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Brown the ground beef, onions, and green peppers in a skillet first to avoid excess grease in the slow cooker. Drain well.
- Add to slow cooker. Stir in the potatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, parsley, diced roma tomato, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2-3 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
- About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top, cover, and let it melt.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
More Instant Pot beef and potato recipes…
Instant Pot Mexican Picadillo
Ground beef, potatoes and rice in a flavorful sauce of peppers, tomatoes and garlic. A one pot, Instant Pot version.
Bob Clark Casserole
A cozy Instant Pot casserole with layers of seasoned tangy BBQ ground beef, green beans, buttery mashed potatoes and melted cheddar.
Mac Attack Casserole
An easy Instant Pot meal with seasoned beef, tender potatoes, cheddar cheese, and tangy pickles, all topped with a creamy homemade Big Mac-style sauce.
*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.
The potatoes were still crunchy after 1 minute pressure cooking in my Instant Pot. Increase to 2 minutes? Thanks. -Rod
yes you could try that for sure!
like to look at the recipes
🙂
An 85 yr. old man sincerely thanks you for all that you do.
ahhh, thanks John!