Granny's Cherokee Casserole Recipe

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 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 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 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 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~

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.

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,

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. :)

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.

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.

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!

The flavor was ok but the consistency was more like a filling than a main dish.

Great

My mom made this for years and years and years, I could make this blindfolded. I enjoy this recipe and it brings back fond memories recipe is exactly like the one my mom has, thank you for this timeless dish.

Instant favorite in our house.

Very good!!

I must have done something wrong, did not like at all. Would have been a good idea to offer suggestions on sides. Won't make again, but my search continues.

I made this tonight and thought it was just okay. If I make it again I'll add green pepper, and more rice.

I had taken out some burger and didn't know what I was going to do with it. Came across this recipe and since I had everything on hand, gave it a try. Had 3 unexpected dinner guests and it was more than enough to feed 5 of us. I added a little seasoning salt, but otherwise followed the instructions. Everyone raved about it! Thank you!

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