Add this Simple 5-Minute Cheesy Hamburger and Potatoes recipe to the growing list of reasons it is awesome to have a stash of frozen hashbrowns waiting in the freezer!
Around here, we like our recipes to be both easy to prepare and made with real food. Why?
Because loving God and loving people is more important than well, anything else in this world.
(Matthew 22:36-40)
Therefore, we’re learning to do everything possible to keep our food as nourishing as possible, all while preparing it as quickly as possible. This frees up our time and energy to spend doing what God calls us to do each day.
Frozen Hashbrowns for the win!
I shared in this post about my happy hashbrown find and why I now rely on it for a healthy, convenient option. (In summary, Mr. Dells frozen hashbrowns has one ingredient: Potatoes. Beautiful!)
Since discovering these, I’ve come up with a variety of fun Hashbrown Casseroles that my family loves and that take only a few minutes to put together. Many can be made either in the oven or in the crock pot, which means I can make adjustments based on what we have going on each day!
Other super easy (but still real food) Hashbrown Casseroles I’ve shared:
- Simple Ham and Hashbrown Casserole
- Simple Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups or Casserole
- Simple Hashbrown Casserole
- Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests
Today we’re adding 5-Minute Cheesy Potatoes and Beef to the list! How can this be made in 5 minutes? Well, with our trusty frozen hashbrowns of course. And also, IF you follow this handy trick of cooking hamburger meat ahead of time, then all you have to do is pull out cooked meat, add it to your crock pot or baking dish with the other ingredients, and in 5 minutes, dinner is ready to bake!
Simple 5-Minute Cheesy Potatoes and Beef
- 1-2 pounds ground beef
- 30-ounces frozen hashbrowns (or 5 medium potatoes sliced thinly)
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 cups shredded cheese (we use Colby jack)
- ½ cup chicken or beef broth
- Brown hamburger meat in a skillet on the stove-top.
- In a large crock pot, layer ½ of the potatoes followed by ½ of the cooked meat.
- Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon minced onion, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and 1½ cups shredded cheese.
- Repeat with another layer of potatoes, meat, seasonings, and cheese.
- Drizzle broth over the ingredients and put the lid on the crock pot.
- Cook on "Hi" for 4 hours.

Need some veggies to go with this meal. YES. Always. :) Here are my favorite easy ways to prepare veggies to go with our meals!
Want more Simple Recipes?
- Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
- Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
- Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
- Last-Minute Lentil Chili
- Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
- 20-Minute Taco Soup
- Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
- Simple Creamy Chicken Stew in the Crock Pot
- Simple Italian Beef and Broccoli Skillet
- Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
- Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
- Simple Taco Rice Dinner
- Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
- Simple Chicken Cheeseballs with a Kick
- Simple Beanie Weanies
- Simple Crock Pot BBQ Spareribs
- Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
- Simple Italian Chicken and Green Bean Bake
- Last Minute Creamy Bacon Spaghetti
- Simple Hamburger Soup
- Simple Parmesan Broiled Fish
- Simple Overnight Saucy Crock Pot Chicken
- Simple 15-Minute Meal
- Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast
- Simple 3-Cheese Crock Pot Pasta
- Simple Oven Fried Chicken
- Simple Honey Mustard Chicken Legs
- The Easiest Mashed Potatoes in the World
- Simple Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Simple Crunchy Ranch Chicken Strips
- Simple Crock Pot Shredded Ranch Chicken (for salad or tacos)
- Simple Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
- Simple Barbecue Beef Roast
- Simple Spanish Rice Bowls
- Simple Roasted Rotiserie Chicken
- Simple Green Chile Chicken
- Simple Tex-Mex Creamy Chicken
- Simple Waffle Omelets
- Simple Crock Pot Taco Pasta
- Simple Grilled Chicken
- Simple Hawaiian Beef Roast
- Simple Crock Pot Creamy Stew Meat
- Simple Cheese Stuffed Burgers
- Simple Hashbrown Casserole (For Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Oven!)
- Simple Lasagna Casserole (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)
- Simple Chili Mac
- Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- From Burrito Bar to Casserole (a 5-Minute Meal!)
- Simple Bacon Cheeseburger Roll
- Simple Garlic Parmesan Chicken Legs
- Super Simple Lasagna
- The Simplest White Chicken Chili
- Simple Lentil Nachos
- Simple Tuna Patties
- Simple Banana Pancakes
- Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken
- Simple Hashbrown and Egg Nests
- Simple Cornbread Waffles with Chili
- Simple Veggie Fritters
- Simple Lemon Garlic Chicken Legs
- Simple Noodle Soup
- Simple Three Cheese Spaghetti
- Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef
- Cheeseburger Hashbrown Cups or Casserole
- Easiest Beef Roast in the Instant Pot
- Simple One-Dish Chicken Florentine
- Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas
- Simple Ham and Hashbrown Casserole
Join Simple Meals!
We love how Simple Meals has been saving family time for so many, and helping people put great food on the table each night! Join us for just $1/week!
[wp_eStore_subscribe_fancy id=28]
Laura I make something similar to this that’s good too, and super simple. I brown a pound or two of hamburger meat with minced onions and then put in casserole dish followed by a 2 lb bag of tator tots, then 8 oz cheddar cheese, and pour two cups of heavy cream evenly over top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered then covered for another 30 minutes. I call it tator tot casserole and it’s delicious ( kind of reminds me of loaded fries) for a meal to take to new mom etc… Yours looks great too by the way! Hope you’re doing well. Thanks as always for the simple and healthy recipes, so we can spend more time loving and serving our families :).
Laura, how long should your recipe bake for? I didn’t get the ingredients until this evening, so crock pot tonight is out! Thanks!!
I’d go with an hour at 350!
And do we cover it? (I didn’t get it into the crockpot on time, either!) and just in a casserole? Thank you, Laura!
I think I’d go uncovered for this!
Should the Hashbrowns be frozen or thawed? I need simple meals while prepping for Thanksgiving
Either frozen or thawed is fine! I usually use frozen. :)
This was good. I was looking for something easy with these ingredients. I didn’t use paprika. I diced fresh onions, added sour cream to my chicken broth and used a little dried spicy red peppers. It turned out great. However, at 3 hours on high, the cheese was really burnt on and I sprayed my crockpot with olive oil. It’s going to take me forever to clean it off! Lol. Thanks and happy 2022!
How long on low? 6 hours?
Yep, I’d go with 6. :)