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? ›

the biggest difference between casserole and hot dish is the hot dish. will always be the main entry. hot dish will always have a protein a starch and often times a vegetable. usually bound together by some sort of creamy substance. usually canned cream of something soup.

Why is wild rice so popular 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.

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.

Which state has the most wild rice? ›

In the United States, the main producers are California and Minnesota (where it is the official state grain), and it is mainly cultivated in paddy fields.

What is the oldest known casserole? ›

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

What is a Midwest hot dish? ›

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.

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.

Why is wild rice disappearing? ›

Crop failure rate for wild rice is increasing with climate change.

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.

Should I soak wild rice before cooking? ›

Optional but recommended: Soak Wild Rice for a minimum of 4 hours at a ratio of 2 1/4 part water to 1 part rice and reduce cooking time to 30 minutes. Lipids such as Butter, Ghee, Olive Oil, Coconut oil and Salt can be added at time of cooking.

Is wild rice anti-inflammatory? ›

Instead of acid-forming like most grains, wild rice is alkaline-forming. The balance created by consuming alkaline-forming foods helps your body treat and prevent all sorts of inflammation.

Did Native Americans eat wild rice? ›

Food Use. Wild rice, being indigenously considered an important dietary element, was a staple food among the Dakota, Menominee, Ojibwa, Omaha, Ponca, Winnebago, and the Pottawatomie (Moerman 1998: 614).

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.

What is another name for wild rice? ›

Early English explorers called it wild rice or Indian rice, and the French called it 'folle avoine' or crazy oats. Other names were Tuscarora rice, Canadian rice, water oats, blackbird oats, and marsh rice. The English name has persisted, although we think 'good berry' more apt.

Is a casserole the same as a hot dish? ›

What Minnesotans — and some North Dakotans — call hotdish is a type of casserole, although its definition is somewhat narrower. A hotdish must be a main course, and almost always a hearty one that includes a protein, starch and at least some vegetables. It can't be a breakfast or side dish, for instance.

What classifies a dish as a casserole? ›

Casseroles Are Largely Defined by Their Baking Dish

agrees, telling us that "a casserole is baked in a casserole dish—a deep baking dish. The word casserole comes from a French word meaning 'saucepan. '"

What do Midwesterners call casseroles? ›

The term hot dish is typically utilized in the upper parts of Minnesota and North Dakota because people up there like to coin their own verbiage, much like “uff da” or “you betcha.” You probably called it a casserole, like this one, and, not to sound like a hot dish snob, but the parameters of hot dish are a bit more ...

What's the difference between tater tot casserole and tater tot hot dish? ›

But the main difference between hotdish and other casseroles is where you make it. What someone in Minnesota or North Dakota would call hotdish, a person in Indiana would simply know as tater tot casserole. It's not really about the ingredients, or even the dish you bake them in.

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