Creamy Shipwreck Casserole
My parents were shift-workers, my father a Fire Commander at the local Fire Hall and my mother as a Licensed Practical Nurse. There were many times my parents were passing in the wind, missing holidays and working many nights. Easy meals became a staple, especially those you could pop into the oven all in one dish, like a classic hamburger casserole, better known as Shipwreck Casserole.
Now that I have a family of my own, casseroles are a favourite when I’m feeling the need for a comfort meal; this weekend was no different. The cold kept us inside and I was feeling the need for one of my childhood favourite casseroles that mom used to make. With an updated version of this classic I quickly felt a little nostalgic with the aroma of my childhood drifting through the house.
Tell me, did you have this as a child?
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- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 medium potatoes, sliced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup sliced carrots
- ½ cup corn niblets
- ½ cup light cream cheese
- ¾ cup long grain white rice
- 1 can Tomato soup
- 1 can boiling water
- Salt, pepper and paprika
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the tomato soup, cream cheese and can of boiling water until mixed; set aside.
- In the bottom of a large casserole dish evenly layer starting with half the onions then half the potatoes and sprinkle a pinch of salt, pepper and paprika of the layer. Next layer the carrots and then hamburger and press down. Add another layer of onions, potatos, sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and top with a layer of rice and corn.
- Once layered, pour the mixture of soup and cream cheese over the top of the casserole, cover and cook for 2 hours.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
It sounds really good! I make something similar i’ve been eating since I was a child.
It’s baked riced with fresh tomato sauce (which includes carrots and onions), thinly sliced potatoes and parmesan cheese. Delicious comfort food.
Do you think this could be made in a crockpot???
I’ve never done it but I can’t see why not.
Is the ground beef cooked first
No, it’s put in raw. It cooks in the time specified.
So where does the rice come into play? It’s listed as an ingredient but the directions say nothing about the rice.
The rice is listed in the recipe 🙂
Is the rice cooked beforehand?
No it’s not; it all cooks together.
I can’t find cream of tomato soup??????
Campbell’s Tomato Soup is popular, I’m surprised you can’t find it but you can use tomato sauce if you can’t find it.
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but I made this and it was awful. Potatoes and rice were not cooked, tomato soup and cream cheese didn’t mix. I have been cooking for 45 years so I have sime experience. Only thing I can figure is I doubled the recipe and maybe should have doubled the cook time. Nevertheless, thanks for putting your recipes up.
Hi Jackie. Unfortunately if you alter the recipe, even if you double the recipe, you have to adjust the recipe…in this case you would have had to cook it far longer with double the potatoes. I don’t recommend doubling this recipe or it would be indicated in the recipe. I have made this recipe for years, my parents before that when I was a child; I can assure you this is a solid recipe when cooked as to the directions.
This sounds like our kind of dinner! Thanks for the recipe, I’ve never had anything like it!
Am going to try this tonight, do you serve it with anything on the side or is the meal enough on its own?
With the potatoes and rice, it’s perfect on it’s own but you could have a tossed salad with it.
Ok thank you, I’ll try it on its own.