Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (2024)

Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe

This old school comfort food casserole is hearty, delicious and just like Grandma used to make! This is a family favorite and perfect for any winter meal.


Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish


Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (1)




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Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (2)

What's better on a winter day than an amazing casserole?

Not much, in my opinion!

Today's recipe reminds me SO much of my childhood! "Hotdish" recipes like this one were a staple in my childhood growing up in Minnesota.

These casseroles were served for dinner, at potlucks, parties and everything in between. The term hotdish is unique to the midwest, especially Minnesota.

Hotdish meals were a great way to feed large families on a budget using small amounts of meat, canned or fresh vegetables, cream soups, rice or pasta.

Once two words, hot dish, then evolved into the one word phrase that us Minnesotans use today.

Another Minnesota thing... wild rice!

I love the earthy flavor and texture of wild rice. Wild rice is gluten free, low in calories, fat and sodium and isso great in soups and casseroles.

I love that it's a local product that I can purchase at the farmer's market.

Wild Rice grows in Minnesota lakes, marshes and streams and ripe wild rice is harvested every year between August and September. It's found in over 2000 Minnesota lakes and rivers!

Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (3)



What is in wild rice hotdish?

  • Wild rice: If you haven't tried it before, now is the time! Find it on Amazon here!
  • Ground beef: One of my absolute favorite meats to use in recipes! I buy 90% lean ground beef in bulk at Sam's Club, then package into one pound packages with freezer paper for our meals!
  • Carrots: Packed with vitamin a and fiber, carrots are a favorite vegetable at our house. I only buy regular carrots because the flavor is SO much better than the pre cut baby carrots.
  • Celery: Rich in vitamin k, folate and potassium, Celery is mostly water, but is a great dietary fiber. I only love raw celery with buffalo wings, but I like it cooked in so many different dishes.
  • Cream soup: You either love it or hate it! I love it in casseroles because it reminds me of flavors from my childhood, but don't eat it often because of the high sodium. You can also use homemade cream soup if you prefer!

Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (4)

Other wild rice recipes you may like:

This recipe is ready in these steps:

  • Preheat the oven and grease a glass baking dish
  • Brown the ground beef and onion, drain excess grease
  • Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, pour into the baking dish
  • Bake and let stand before serving

Full recipe below


Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (5)

You can add or substitute with the following ingredients:

  • sliced white mushrooms
  • ground turkey
  • chopped fresh rosemary
  • cream of celery soup
  • chopped bell pepper
  • green beans
  • sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • ground sausage
  • minced garlic
  • peas
  • chopped fresh parsley

Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (6)

Looking for more casserole or hotdish recipes?

Things you may need:


Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (7)




What to serve with this recipe:

  • Parmesan Dill Garlic Bread
  • Buttery Garlic Bread
  • Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic Paprika Butter


I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!


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Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (8)


Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Hot Eats and Cool Reads

ingredients:

instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.
  2. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion until beef is cooked. Drain excess grease.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet, stir until fully combined. Remove from heat and pour into the baking dish.
  4. Bake for 2 hours or until rice is tender. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Created using The Recipes Generator


Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (9)

What readers are saying about this recipe:

  • Pam- Make this all the time. Love it.....I also add mushrooms!
  • Garit- Great recipe! Didn't change a thing and it was delicious! Made this twice already and hubby loves it! It's really worth trying!
  • Madinah- One of the best things I have made. Brings me back to summers in Wisconsin. Tastes way better than it looks.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Minnesota Ground Beef and Wild Rice Hotdish Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a hot dish and a casserole in Minnesota? ›

so that counts. just keep in mind a hot dish is a one pot meal. a casserole is either a one casserole meal. or a side dish that you bake in a casserole dish and hope that heals.

Why is wild rice not a true rice? ›

Despite its name, wild rice is not rice at all. Although it is the seed of an aquatic grass like rice, it's not directly related to it. This grass grows naturally in shallow freshwater marshes and along the shores of streams and lakes.

What's the deal with wild rice in Minnesota? ›

Wild rice became was adopted as the state grain in 1977.

Wild rice (Zizania aquatica or Zizania palustris), called manoomin in the Ojibwe language, has been a staple food for Minnesota's Indians for centuries. It was adopted as the official state grain in 1977. It is an aquatic grass not related to common rice.

Which state has the most wild rice? ›

Minnesota has more acres of natural wild rice (Zizania palustris) than any other state in the country. Wild rice has been historically documented in 45 of Minnesota's 87 counties and in all corners of the state.

What is the oldest known casserole? ›

Macaroni and cheese is the oldest written casserole recipe found in 1250.

What is a Midwest hot dish? ›

Only a Midwestern staple for which every home cook has a go-to recipe waiting in their back pocket. A hotdish is essentially a casserole that typically consists of a starch (potatoes or pasta are most common), frozen vegetables, a meat, and a can of cream-of-something soup.

Does wild rice spike blood sugar? ›

No, wild rice does not spike insulin. Wild rice is a complex carbohydrate that has a low glycemic index, meaning it is digested and absorbed slowly by the body, resulting in a gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream. This slow release helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent insulin spikes.

Why is wild rice disappearing? ›

Over the past two centuries, indiscriminate logging, dam building, mining, and industrial pollution have decimated the wild rice beds, and today climate change and irregular weather patterns threaten the species' future.

What are the side effects of wild rice? ›

Side Effects of Wild Rice

Wild rice seeds can be infected with a toxic fungus called ergot, which may be dangerous if eaten. Some side effects of ergot toxicity include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, dizziness, seizures and mental impairment. Similarly to regular rice, wild rice may contain heavy metals.

Is it legal to harvest wild rice in Minnesota? ›

Harvesting wild rice is open to Minnesota residents and nonresidents. Nonresidents must purchase a one-day license and residents may purchase either a season or one-day license. All harvesters are required to be licensed unless they are residents under 18 years of age and accompanied by a licensed harvester.

Is Minnesota wild rice Healthy? ›

Wild rice is higher in protein than the majority of other whole grains. It is rich in vitamin B, fiber, antioxidants, folate, phosphorus, niacin, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. Wild rice grain is an excellent nutritional source, especially over other grains like white rice, corn, and wheat.

Is wild rice only grown in Minnesota? ›

The scientific name for wild rice is Zizania palustris. It is found in fresh water lakes of Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Algonquin, Ojibwa, Dakota, Sioux, Fox, Winnebago, and Chippewa tribes used wild rice as an important staple in their diets.

Did Native Americans eat wild rice? ›

Before contact with Europeans and as late as the early twentieth century, Ojibwe people depended on wild rice as a crucial part of their diet, together with berries, fish, meat, vegetables, and maple sugar. They moved their camps throughout the year, depending on the activities of seasonal food gathering.

What is another name for wild rice? ›

Wild rice, also called manoomin, mnomen, Psíŋ, Canada rice, Indian rice, or water oats, is any of four species of grasses that form the genus Zizania, and the grain that can be harvested from them.

What culture eats wild rice? ›

Wild rice, known by the Ojibwe as manoomin, has been important to Native Americans not only as a food source, but also economically, culturally, and spiritually. The rice is stored and eaten all year, but it is also given away for funerals and used during festivals (Densmore 1929).

Is a hot dish the same as a casserole? ›

Definition: Casserole is the name of the dish used to cook with, whereas hot dish is the meal itself. Ingredients: Casseroles can contain any ingredients under the sun practically, where hot dishes have set ingredients they have to have.

Why do Minnesotans call casserole hot dishes? ›

What is known, though, is that the term "hotdish" first appeared in a 1930 Mankato cookbook, published by Grace Lutheran Ladies Aid. "What's clearer is that the dish has become a symbol of Minnesotan identity," Deustch said. "That is exactly why there are so many debates over what a hotdish can be."

What is a hot dish in Minnesota? ›

What is the Minnesota tater tot Hotdish? Tater tot hotdish is a casserole dish that contains starch, meat, cheese, and veggies mixed with soup. The most classic example is ground beef, topped with tater tots and flavored with thick cream of mushroom soup sauce.

Is hotdish the same as casserole? ›

A hotdish or hot dish is a casserole dish that typically contains a starch, a meat, and a canned or frozen vegetable mixed with canned soup.

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