Granny's Cherokee Casserole

This recipe is a great base to add what you would like. I actually changed it up quite a bit. I used real rice that I cooked while I cooked the ground beef and onions and 'minced' garlic. I omitted the oregano, thyme, and sugar. I added a good amount of salt, pepper, and Red pepper flakes ground through a spice grinder very finely. I used a can of rotel tomatoes (milder) and Cream of mushroom with roasted garlic. I blended everything together and added about a cup of milk so it wouldn't dry out in the oven. I topped it with shredded "mexican" cheese and some shredded 5 Cheese italian. Baked it as directed. It was really good. You could do so much with this recipe. My hubby and I were talking about stuffing tortillas with it, toppin them with the cheese and your choice of salsa or enchilada sauce!!

I really like the mix of flavors and texture in this recipe. Very creamy! I altered the recipe a little...Browned ground turkey w/ seasoned salt, italian spice, cumin and paprika, along w/ the onion and some fresh garlic, and then threw in the tomatoes, cooked rice and soup, letting it simmer for a few minutes, before adding shredded cheddar to melt. I did not bake this in the oven; just did it all on the stovetop. It came out great! Very easy and quick, using simple ingredients. Will make again...

I have the original recipe which was published in a Minute Rice calendar for 1968. It includes a bay leaf (remove before eating) and 3 sliced stuffed olives (which add an interesting twist and are small enough for kids to eat around) --- and no sugar (where did that come from?). I swirl the tomatoes in the blender for a couple seconds as son hates tomatoes; they disappear nicely. We ate this from 1968 onward; still a hit with the next generation. I love it warmed up for several days after the first take. Amused to see it on this site.

I made this for supper tonite..i made a few changes in the seasonings...i used paprika, garlic powder, salt/pepper and a little bit of chili powder and about 1tbs. of crushed red peppers, also used 1 can of tomatoes with green chilis, this was very good..my husband tasted it and said it was right up his alley, i offered him sour cream to top it off and he said no it was perfect the way it was! Oh yeah, i also used pepperjack and american cheese slices on the top. I will be making this again..Thanks for the recipe!

This recipe has now become one of my family's main dishes. We usually have this once a week. Better than Hamburger Helper and the kids love the cheese on top. I use grated cheddar on top instead of the processed slices and I don't put sugar in it.

This recipe can only be described as THE QUINTESSENTIAL COMFORT FOOD!! My husband and I just loved it!! I made some changes and took advice from one of the previous reviews (Thanks Lilspinster!!). I used Season Salt, Paprika, Cumin, and Hatch Green Chile Powder to season the meat while it was browning. I threw in some minced garlic too. I added corn and black beans to the soup, etc. and cut the thyme and oregano in half. I used a pinch of raw sugar instead of white sugar (raw sugar doesn't have such a sharp flavor). I then topped the dish with four slices of Velveeta instead of American. It's a good thing the recipe makes such a generous amount because my husband ate the majority of the leftovers before I even got up this morning!! I was lucky to have some to bring to work for lunch!! This is a fantastic tummy-warming recipe...already a family favorite!!

I gave this recipe 5 stars for the combination of ease, availability of ingredients, and it tastes pretty good, too! This is a perfect recipe for a busy weeknight. It has quickly become a go-to for me. I everything on hand. The only thing I change - I omit the oregano. Instead I add a teaspoon each of chili powder and cumin.

Very tasty! I added canned mushrooms and used grated cheddar and jack cheese instead of American. My husband and I loved it - was even tastier the next day for lunch. Not sure about 12 servings though, we got about 4 out of it as a main dish. Definitely a keeper!

If you don't like oregeno, leave it out or skip this recipe. I never realized how much I don't like it!

While this is by no means a gourmet meal, it is a kid pleasing easy meal!!! My family of five all happily chowed down on this and let me tell you that doesn't happen often. I only have a handful of meals that everyone will eat without complaining and now I can thankfully add one more. This is just a perfect meal for a busy family because it is so easy. I have to say it reminds me of the filling of stuffed peppers which is a good thing.

Was suprised at how good this was. Very fast! I did use Rotel, shredded cheddar cheese and omitted the sugar. Also, it looked a little unappetizing so I added 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring and now tastes as good as it looks!

This was just okay in our book. It was super easy and I did bake it right in my pan so it was a 1 dish cleanup- but way to herby for us.

This is so easy to prepare and so good tasting. I used 1 packet of instant brown rice, heart healthy cream of mushroom soup, Rotel tomatoes with green chilies and 1/2 tsp sugar. Everything else was according to the recipe. Next time, I will decrease the oregano a bit.

This was okay, but too watery for my taste. I cooked it on the stovetop instead of oven as someone else had suggested. I would have liked it to be thicker. Maybe I can adjust a few things if I make it again.

Not bad, and so easy.

Just wasn't what I thought it would be. Didn't care for it at all. Husband thought it was okay.

This was fast, cheap, and easy to make. My daugther even loved it. Highly recommend.

My rice came out a lil under done, so I would add a lil more liquid and add a lil more time in the oven. But turned out VERY tasty!!

I have already made this twice in two weeks...very adaptable recipe. Love it!

My husband and I really liked this. I used ground turkey and brown rice and it was great. Served with corn. Next time may just mix the corn in with it. I didn't change the recipe other than the two substitues above. Great because I have most of these ingredients in my pantry everyday.

Very good and easy to make. My family loved it. I did change it up a bit tho, I cooked my rice with beef bullion, plus added more rice. I also minced 3 cloves of fresh garlic using a press. Next time I'll use pepper jack cheese to spice it up a bit

This was very good and easy to make. I added a can of Rotel instead of plain diced tomatoes.

good recipe, easy to alter if needed. Family was a little leary, but the whole pan was empty in 20 min.

This dish was very good. I am not a huge fan of American cheese and it was still delicious. Makes a great base recipe that can be altered to suit your taste, budget or pantry. Next time I will use brown rice and cheddar cheese or a taco cheese blend for extra kick.

My entire family loved it- even my daughter who typically hates rice. (She gave it 4 stars.) The only thing I altered from the original recipe is I drained the tomatoes because I used already cooked rice leftover from another meal.

A really good recipe that reminds me of what grandmas used to cook like. Staple ingredients that will feed all the grandchildren! If you are looking for a gourmet recipe, this is not it. This is a pleasing,homey, comfort food. Recipe can be adapted to make it taste Mexican, Italian, or just classic American with commonly used spices and/or veggies. Thanks for posting and sharing this recipe.

This was a tasty dish...a tad more oregano than I like but still very tasty. Next time I will reduce the oregano by half. Very maker friendly with little effort necessary. I would serve it with a nice green salad to round out the meal.

The first time I make a recipe I try to follow it pretty closely. Thought this recipe was okay. Few minor changes-made reg. rice in beef broth instead of instant rice, used cheddar cheese. fresh garlic and garlic powder, and added in some worchestshire sauce. To me, although the thyme and oregano were very evident, they didn't do much for the flavor of the dish. Ironically, picky middle child thought it was good! I will try some other reviewers suggestions next time.

Loved it and so did my husband and son. I didn't have cream of mushroom so I used cream of celery, instead of the oregano I used italian seasoning and montery jack colby cheese for american. I also didn't have instant rice so I used regular rice and added 2 cups of water to the dish and cooked it all on the stove so I didn't have to dirty another dish.

As others have said, this is a great basic recipe that can be customized in so may ways.

So good but next time I would add more tomato chunks.

I found this recipe to be very versatile, which I like! I can change it according to my mood! It was very good!!!

My mother used to make a recipe called Cherokee Casserole years ago. I asked her for the recipe, but she couldn't remember it. I remembered just about all the ingredients. She looked thru all recipes, came across this one - and it's exactly the same (except we use stewed tomatoes and 1 cup grated cheese). It's a fantastic recipe, tastes great and kids will love.

I used whole grain macaroni instead of rice. My family loved it!!!!! Very easy and quick to make.

This was pretty good but seemed like it was missing something. Maybe a different cheese??

My husband is picky and he said this was a keeper! It does freeze well and if you need smaller portions just place casserole in two smaller baking dishes and freeze one. I used fresh garlic and subbed original Mrs. Dash for seasonings. Also subbed cheddar for american. Had no instant rice so added 2 cups of cooked rice but drained the tomatoes before adding. My daughter and I thought it was even tasty without the cheese. I like the stove top method idea. :)

I used salsa instead of canned tomatoes (husband doesn't like) brown rice instead of instant (son doesn't like)minced garlic instead of garlic powder and tex mex shredded cheese instead of cheese slices. I also added a can of corn and a soup can of water so the rice wouldn't be dry. Family really liked it. Easy meal that made lots.

WE REALLY ENJOYED THIS. I WOULD TOTALLY MAKE THIS AGAIN. MADE ALOT AND WAS TASTY.

I don't eat meat, but my hubby and Dad said it was good. I left out the sugar and added corn.

Very good comfort food. Me and my husband loved it. Gave it only 4 stars because my 7 year old didn't like it.

very good! i added 1 can of cut green beans and reduced garlic powder to 1/2 T the first time i tried. i used the full amount on the next try. it does make a lot. i use 2 dispaosable 8 x8 pans and put one unbaked in the freezer for later use. it freezes quite well. great to have on hand when you just don't know what to have for dinner. thanks heather for a great recipe!

We didn't care for it.

This dish has sentimental value to me. My grandma made it for my mom and my mom made it for my brother and me at least once a month. It's super simple to make, really inexpensive, and it actually tastes better as leftovers than when it's first made!

Good, not great. I added 6 sliced mushrooms, deleted the sugar added 1 diced tomato, used shredded cheddar and added 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard. That made it a lot better!

I did not care for this recipe.

This was one of three meals my stepdad could make (bacon and eggs and spaghetti rounded out the week!). He also put green olives, sliced in half, in the pot. I thought he made this up until I saw it on allrecipes! Really good, even without all the spices.

As usual I needed something easy to make for dinner, and, as usual, I had very little time. Good thing I found this recipe. I did have some leftover cooked rice, and I used that instead of uncooked rice, so I didn't cook it for the 10 minutes before putting it in the oven. Also, I didn't have just plain oregano, so I used Italian seasoning instead. This was very good, and my family all decided I should make this again.

Very tasty meat recipe! My boyfriend and I enjoyed it very much. I followed the recipe and also added some cumin and paprika for added flavor. I also used instant brown rice and it came out nice and cooked all the way. I ate the leftovers with some tortilla chips, it was great the next day as well. It's definitely a recipe good for a potluck!

This is one of our favorite "comfort foods". Easy and so tasty.

This was just ok. The garlic seemed to over-power the other flavors. I probably won't make this again.

My very picky two-year-old really like this therefore we gave it 4 stars. Followed the recipe exactly except used less garlic powder, 1 T just seemed like and awful lot. The oregano and tyme did have a stronger flavor than I would've thought with only 1 t each. Husband thought it'd be a good filling for stuffed green peppers.

It was an ok recipe but it seemed like it was missing something.

This wasn't that bad, but not that good. I followed the recipe, but it seemed to lack something for me and my crowd. Thank you for your recipe though.

My mother made this when I was a kid, and it has been "in our rotation" all my life. We use 3 Cups of cooked rice and an 8oz can of tomato sauce, no oregano or thyme, just salt and pepper. Really is comfort food, I like it with toast,

Hubby liked it. Good thing to make when there isn't a lot in the pantry. I used grated chedder, i added frozen corn.Next time i'll try canned or frozen peas and/or mushrooms too.

This was okay, not bad but nothing to really rave about. But it is super simple to make.

I didn't care for this recipe, however, my husband thought it was good. I didn't think it had any flavor to it. I think if I try it again, I may skip the seasons in this recipe and add taco mix and some green chili's. I did like that it was easy to put together. I made it in the skillet and then put it in the 9x13 and cooked it the next day for dinner.

This was way better than I thought it would be. I used cumin, paprika, salsa, and beef broth along with the rest. I cooked it all in the skillet on the stove. Delicious!

This is probably the worst casserole I ever made. The thyme and oregano do not belong in this casserole. I thought the mushroom soup with the tomatoes would be a good match with the browned ground beef and onions, the spices were way off! If you bake the casserole until the cheese begins to brown, the cheese turns solid, not creamy. Do not waste your time or money on this recipe!

Very good, reliable dish. Nothing fancy, but certainly good. I followed the recipe to a "T", but didn't use cheese slices as I had shredded Cheddar that needed to be used up. I'll put this in my rotation on a once every other month basis. Thanks, Heather and Granny!!

I felt there was something lacking to the flavor of this dish. The seasonings didn't seem to blend as well as they could have, leaving the flavor a little...empty. I added polish sausage to this (what I had on hand) and a few extra seasonings and it turned out OK. Other than that, this was a good base to start with. It really is actually much better the day after it's made because the flavors have time to incorporate. Make it a day ahead of time.

With a family of 6, I'm lucky to get half to like what I serve. THEY ALL LOVED THIS ONE. I added the garlic, and used colby-jack slices. Pepper Jack would be great too.

we love it and it is also great with shredded cheddar cheese instead of american cheese too

I thought this recipe was just okay. Hubby really seemed to like it. It's a great recipe for a quick weeknight meal. The oregano was a little too overpowering for me, I might add less next time. I might also try adding a can of corn and maybe some different cheese.

This was a good quick meal. I used Sargento's Mexican shredded cheese instead of cheese slices and it worked very well. Nice meal with salad.

a very good go-to recipe when your looking for something different in a ground beef recipe. the family loved it

This did not go over well in our house.

Great for fast suppers, kids love it.

This was a great base! I know many get frustrated with reviews that deviate from the recipe, but I appreciate review variations that use ingredients I have on hand. I was looking for a way to use my abundant garden tomatoes. As I was dicing four 3" tomatoes, my 10-yr-old begged me to puree them instead. I used onion powder along with the garlic powder. I didn't have thyme or oregano. I covered the casserole with shredded cheese and my family loved it! My 10-yr-old even went back for seconds! She did add ketchup, but that's usual! I will be making this again~

We really like this recipe, My 14 month old baby loves this meal! The only thing I did different is used grated marble cheese rather than sliced cheese. This dish is convenient because it requires ingredients that we almost always have in the house. Thanks for sharing!

I actually changed this recipe quite a bit also. That's why the three stars. I had to use tomato sauce intead of the diced tomatoes as my son doesn't like chunky tomatoes, and I added 1/2 cup of white wine to the sauce for extra liquid. I also threw in 1 cup of frozen corn and 1 cup frozen cut green beans. I reduced the seasoning to 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp thyme. Then I used Velveeta, which was a big mistake. Next time I'll use real cheese like cheddar or a mexican blend cheese. I topped it off with about 1 cup of french fried onions sprinkled over all. My family liked it except for the velveeta.

I really enjoy this recipe. I used zesty diced tomatoes and use pepper jack cheese to give it a bit of a kick. I followed others' suggestions to cut the oregano and thyme to 3/4 (I've also tried it with 1/2 but found it too bland). Also, I found that a smaller casserole dish works better. Overall this is a great recipe that my husband loves.

Very good. Easy to make. Next time I will use less oregano, it was a little bit to strong for my taste.

I thought this recipe was very good. Easy and tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipe

I wouldn't make this again.

Loved it! It needed one more can of the soup, but otherwise great!!

This was good. My husband didn't care for all the cheese. My children and I all liked it, but I don't know if I'll make it again.

My family loved this dish. It is quick and very simple to make! Definitely will make this again.

Great recipe, the only thing I changed was the cheese...I used about a cup or so of shredded cheddar to top it off...very good!

Feeds 12? No! I'd say 3 max with a side dish! Unlike most cooks on here I always try to use only listed ingredients and other than salt which I have to avoid for the most part we thought this recipe was very good as is. Next time I'm going to add some diced red peppers.

I changed this recipe a bit and liked it more: I used all fresh ingredients (tomatoes, mushrooms etc) Instead of mushroom soup i used broth and substituted whole wheat grain for the instant grain which makes the whole thing healthier. It was still easy to make and delicious and my family loved it.

Very good, easy meal, flavorful. Kept to the recipe w/only minor changes; baked in a round casserole dish and topped w/mild shredded cheese rather than the American slices. Will plan to make again!

I made this for dinner tonight. I omitted the sugar, and changed the spices around. I didn't use oregano, but I did use thyme and garlic powder. I also added a dash of cayenne pepper, some paprika, and salt. I used chili ready tomatoes, and I topped it with colby-jack cheese. Since I made corn muffins to go with it, I baked it at 400° for 10 minutes. I put it in the oven 5 minutes into the muffin baking time. I thought it was really good, and I would make it again.

This recipe is nothing special (sorry Heather). I had to make so many changes I my as well have made my own recipe. I used beef broth instead of the cream of mushroom, not a big fan of soup in my food, also added many extra spices. Then it tasted pretty good.

Super versatile, too! I love adding peppers.

This was a really easy recipe. I had everything in my cabinet which is rare. My boyfriend & roommate really liked it. I think next time I make it I'll add some other stuff like corn & some other spices. The rice also was a little undercooked.

This was a gross looking and pretty bland.. I won't make it again.

A nice and hearty dish! Really easy and quick to make, and super cheap too!