Ground Beef Chow Mein casserole is a popular classic Midwestern hot dish combining ground beef, rice, creamy soup, and seasonings, that is topped with Chow Mein noodles.
It is easy to put together and a perfect comfort food to add to your dinner rotation for the family.
"I grew up in WI and we always loved when mom made this. We usually double it and have leftovers." ★★★★★-Mare
This is my grandmother's recipe. She actually called it Chop Suey Casserole, but it is more popularly known as Beef Chow Mein Casserole or Chow Mein Hot Dish.
My grandmother lives in Wisconsin and this was one of our favorite family meals we looked forward to on the dinner table when we came to visit.
I hope you love it as much as we do! Enjoy! Xoxo.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following ingredients for this easy Chop Suey casserole.
- Ground Beef- You can substitute with ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Cream of Chicken Soup-You can substitute with Cream of Celery.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup-You can substitute Cream of Celery.
- Diced Onion-yellow or white
- Chopped Celery- For best result, thinly slice or finely dice.
- Chopped Water Chestnuts
- Uncooked Rice
- Water
- Soy Sauce-You can substitute with liquid aminos. If you are monitoring your salt intake, use a low-sodium soy sauce.
- Chow Mein Noodles-you find these in the Asian isle in grocery store
The full recipe with ingredient measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Note
Want to use Homemade Cream Soup? If you want to make your cream soups from scratch, try Cream of Chicken Soup from Pinch of Yum and Cream of Mushroom Soup from Damn Delicious.
Watch video to make chow mein casserole
Steps
Follow these easy steps to make Beef Chow Mein:
- Cook ground beef. Drain any excess grease. (photo 1)
- In a mixing bowl, mix ground beef, cream of chicken soup, cream of chicken mushroom soup, diced onion, chopped celery, chopped water chestnuts, uncooked rice, water, and soy sauce. (photo 2)
- Add mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish. (photo 3)
- Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours. (photo 4)
- Remove from oven and remove tinfoil.
- Top with Chow Mein noodles and bake an additional 10 minutes. (photo 5)
Flavor tips
Tip: The soy sauce seasons this dish with a light flavor. If you want a more intense flavor, you can add a table spoon or two more. I prefer to cook it as it as-is and allow each person to add a little more if they wish once served.
Tip: You can also add a can of La Choy chop suey vegetables for additional veggies. Just drain the liquid and add to the casserole with the other ingredients when you bake it.
Please leave me a comment below if you make this Ground Beef Chow Mein casserole, and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your Midwestern Hot Dish on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
For more of my favorite family recipes, try:
📖 Recipe
Ground Beef Chow Mein Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 8 oz water chestnuts drained
- 1 cup rice uncooked
- 1 ½ cup water
- 3 tbs soy sauce
- 5 oz chow mein noodles
Instructions
- Cook 1 lb of ground beef. Drain any excess grease.
- In a mixing bowl, mix ground beef, 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup, 10.5 oz cream of chicken mushroom soup,1 diced onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 8 oz chopped water chestnuts (drained), 1 cup uncooked rice, 1 ½ cup water, and 3 tbs soy sauce.
- Add mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours.
- Remove from oven and remove tinfoil.
- Top with Chow Mein noodles and bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes.
Carol says
Just wondering if this casserole can be made in the crockpot?
Katie Crenshaw says
I haven't tested this recipe in the slow cooker, so I can't guarantee the results. However, if I were going to try it, this is how I would do it.
Lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker to help prevent sticking. Brown the ground beef first and drain off any excess grease. In a large bowl, combine the cooked ground beef, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, diced onion, chopped celery, drained chopped water chestnuts, uncooked rice, water, and soy sauce. Stir everything together, then transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on High for about 3 hours, or until the rice is tender. Since every slow cooker cooks a little differently, I would check it around the 2½-hour mark. If the rice seems dry before it's fully cooked, stir in a splash of additional water or chicken broth.When you're ready to serve, sprinkle the chow mein noodles over the top so they stay nice and crunchy.
Again, I haven't personally tested this method, so I can't promise the exact results. I'm basing my suggestion on similar slow cooker recipes that have worked well for me. If you decide to try it, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
KarenElaine says
I’m from IL originally and ate this growing up. Your recipe is a little different so I’m going to make it because it sounds delish. I’ll let you know how I like it. The Asian style crispy noodles is what we like but they are hard to find. They are by LaChoy and I order them on line.
Jane says
I made this and added mushrooms, peas, and baby corn chunks. It was delicious.
Sue says
Instead of canned asian vegetaables, could I use frozen stir fry vegetables?
Katie Crenshaw says
I haven't tried it myself, but yes, I would think that would work.
Krystal says
I always made this growing up but I swore it was 1/2 cup uncooked white rice per 1 1/2 cups water. Thanks for reminding me about it.
Katie Crenshaw says
Hi Krystal. Just to clarify, the ratio is always 1 1/2 cups of liquid to 1 cup of rice – not 1/2 cup of rice, even when you're notm making it in this recipe. I hope that helps and I am glad you were happy to find my recipe.
Carol Moore says
I made this for a neighbor pot luck,it was a Big Hit! Everyone loved it! I did add Chinese vegetables to it and a can of bean sprouts.
Carol Moore says
This was very delicious! Everyone loved it.
Rose says
Family loves this old-fashioned reciepe. I precook the rice and reduce the baking time to 45 minutes.
Jan says
I use gluten free soy sauce and top this casserole with broken up gluten free pretzels bits. My gf family members really enjoy it.