This is a recipe I have been making almost as long as I’ve been cooking. It’s one of those homestyle comfort meals that requires pantry ingredients that I usually have on hand. Classic comfort food you will crave all year long.
Layers of ground beef, potatoes, and a creamy sauce covered in cheese and corn flakes, this is a go-to family recipe. I’m telling you this is one of those meals that makes the house smell soooo good when it’s finishing in the oven.
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and then begin browning 1-1.5 lbs. of ground beef with about 1/2 cup of chopped onion. Drain.
While the beef is browning, you’ll need to start scrubbing and then slicing 5-6 average sized russet potatoes quite thinly.
Grease a 9×13″ or equivalent dish generously with butter, and put the cooked beef in a layer on the bottom, followed by the potatoes.
In a bowl, mix together 1 can of cream of mushroom or chicken soup or do like I do and whip up your own* (recipe at the bottom of this post), 1 cup of milk, and 8 oz. of sour cream with a whisk until smooth and fully combined.
Pour this mixture evenly over the potatoes and sprinkle with ground black pepper. I use about a teaspoon. You may add salt if you’d like, but keep in mind that there is plenty of sodium in canned soup so use it sparingly. Grate 8 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the potatoes. Crush 1 1/2 cups of corn flakes (I use a rolling pin and a plastic bag) and layer that on top of the cheese.
Bake the beautiful creation for 90 minutes at 350 degrees. It’s done when the potatoes are fork-tender.
And then, thank me for how good your house smells and your meal tastes! :o)
- 1-1/2 lbs. of ground beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 5-6 russet potatoes
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 1 c. milk
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1½ c. corn flakes
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
- Brown the ground beef with the onion and drain the grease.
- Scrub the potatoes and slice them thinly.
- Grease a 9x13" pan and layer the beef/onion mixture and then the potatoes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cream of mushroom soup, milk, and sour cream. Pour over the potato layer.
- Sprinkle with pepper
- Grate Cheddar cheese and sprinkle over the top.
- Crush the corn flakes and layer them over the top of everything.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 90 minutes or unit the potatoes are fork-tender.
*Pinch of Yum provided me with this awesome recipe for homemade Cream of Chicken Soup concentrate which is just like the can without any mystery ingredients. You can whip it up in minutes and enjoy it anytime in a recipe that calls for a can. I use half of one batch for my Connecticut Beef Supper recipe.
To begin, in a saucepan, combine 2 1/2 c. chicken broth with 1/2 c. milk and bring to a low boil. While that’s heating, in a small bowl whisk together the following ingredients: 3/4 c. flour with approx. 2 1/2 T. seasonings of your choice. I use 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt, 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning, 1/2 tsp. parsley, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Whisk an additional 1 c. milk into the flour and seasonings. Whisk the milk and seasonings into the hot broth/milk mixture and that’s it — homemade cream soup!
Can you make this ahead of time to freeze? Preparing for baby. If so, would you make any changes for freezing? Thank you.
Julie, I’m so sorry for my late response. I just found this comment. Sometimes they hide from me! :o) It’s possible to freeze it, but probably not recommended due to the sour cream. I mean, in all honesty, I would probably TRY it, but I’d hate to recommend that to you and have it curdle and get weird. It’s such a yummy casserole. I hope you find (found) a way to make it work. Thanks for visiting TWN!
Grew up also with the Wheaties on top. We make it with chicken now instead of beef
Wow! This is always so neat to hear! Chicken? That’s a new one! It’s gonna be hard for me to convince my husband to let me try this any way other than the one he loves! :o) Thanks, Alisa for the comment and ideas!
I grew up using Wheaties for this recipie and I love it! I also bake it without the Wheaties and cheese covered for an hour before adding the topping to ensure the potatoes are tender. Occasionally my sorry cream curdles, have you had this problem and if so any suggestions?
Hello, Claudia! That is so neat to hear! I love to know that you grew up with this recipe and used Wheaties! :o) So, does the sour cream curdle if you’re baking it without the topping? I have never had that problem, but I also haven’t ever baked it without the topping so I’m wondering if that would be the reason? I have found that the key is to slice the potatoes very thin and then they always cook through in the cook time without a problem. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you find lots more recipes to love here on TWN!
So, for many many years I have been making this (with my tweeks) and tonight I decided to see if anyone else made Connectcuit Beef Supper…holy moly! I do recommend using beef stew meat instead of ground beef (2 lbs) and Wheaties instead of Corn Flakes (I grew up on Wheaties and will try Corn Flakes next time.) So happy to see I’m not the only one!
Hello, Aunt Sissy! I LOVE that someone else out there knows this amazing yumminess!! I’m a ground beef purist on this one, but we’re allowed to have our presences, right? :o) I’ve switched to Organic Corn Flakes sweetened with juice and it works spectacularly! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you poke around That Which Nourishes and find some more things to enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!!
I have this in my oven, it certainly smells delicious!
I hope you absolutely loved it, Katryna! :o)