This Beef and Hominy Casserole recipe is everything you want in comfort food in one hearty and warming dish; it's easy to make and full of chewy hominy, satisfying beef, onions, and tomatoes all covered in cheese.
About Beef and Hominy Casserole
In need of easy comfort food? You'll love this hearty Beef and Hominy Casserole.
While soup is great, sometimes you might want something a little more substantial, and that's what you'll find with this hominy casserole recipe.
Oh, and it's great to take to friends, family members, loved ones, and even strangers who don't have the time, energy, and/or resources to cook for themselves at the moment. (Don't forget to double-check that they eat beef and aren't allergic to any ingredients)
What is Hominy?
If you've never had hominy, you might be wondering what hominy even is. It's a lot like corn. Well, hominy is corn, specifically field corn that has been soaked in a solution (like lime or lye) and rinsed to remove the hull and the germ of the corn.
This makes it chewier and larger than regular corn, and it helps make it easier to grind and cook with as well as digest.
Hominy is excellent for adding a different kind of texture to soups, stews, and casseroles.
Plus, hominy is high in fiber and budget-friendly so you can have larger portions without spending more at the grocery store. This is especially nice considering how prices for meat have risen significantly.
Ingredients
Beef: Ground sirloin or 90/10 ground beef was used to test this recipe. A beef with less fat like 93/7 or 96/4 will likely not need to be drained, but the casserole will have a little bit less flavor. If you use beef with a higher fat content (like 80/20), you will lose some volume since the fat will turn to grease which you'll be draining off to keep the casserole from being greasy. Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or a mild ground sausage would all work too.
Onions: Yellow, white, sweet, Vidalia, or red onions will all be tasty in this hominy casserole.
Cornstarch: The cornstarch will help thicken the casserole. If you don't have it, you can skip it but the mixture will be a little bit thinner.
Seasoning: Garlic powder, chili powder, and salt give this hominy casserole with ground beef its flavor.
Diced tomatoes: I prefer petite diced tomatoes because I don't love having bigger pieces of tomatoes, but any kind of diced tomatoes will be perfectly fine. I also try to buy the no-salt-added kind to keep the sodium from being incredibly high in this hominy casserole. However, it's not a huge deal to use regular canned tomatoes.
Hominy: This recipe uses canned hominy, so you only need to open and drain a can. You'll use either one (15-ounce) can or about 1.75 cups cooked hominy. If you realize that you don't have hominy in the pantry, you can substitute an equal amount of cooked corn (yellow or white will both work).
Cheese: Pretty much any cheddar will work from mild all the way to extra sharp. Use whatever you have in the fridge that you like. You can also use pepper jack, Monterey jack, mozzarella, or mild parmesan cheese. Technically, the cheese is optional but bubbly cheese is one of the best parts of this beef and hominy pie in my opinion.
Cost of Recipe
- Beef 1 pound: $5.99
- Onions 2 medium: $1
- Cornstarch 1 tablespoon: $0.06
- Chili powder 1 teaspoon: $0.08
- Garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon: $0.04
- Salt 1/4 teaspoon: $0.01
- Diced tomatoes 15 ounce can: $0.78
- Hominy 15 ounce can: $0.78
- Cheese 4 ounces: $2
TOTAL COST: $10.74 or $2.69/serving (Based on San Diego Walmart 2021)
Note this is not the recipe; it's simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Be sure to scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.
How to Make Beef and Hominy Casserole
Time needed: 55 minutes.
Making hominy casserole with ground beef is quite simple and can be done all in one skillet. Brown your beef with the onions, drain and add all the other ingredients. Cook for a little bit. Pour into a casserole dish (or leave in the oven-safe pan you're using), cover with cheese, and bake.
- Cook the ground beef and onions in a large skillet or pan.
Drain and return to pan.
- Add cornstarch and spices.
Stir to coat completely.
- Pour in canned tomatoes and their juices.
Stir well.
- Stir in hominy.
Cook until most of the juices have been absorbed.
- Cover the mixture with cheese, and put it in the oven.
Transfer to a casserole dish if desired or if the pan is not oven-safe.
- Remove from the oven, let cool, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Variations
Ingredient & Flavor Options
Onions: Instead of onions, you could use any color bell pepper.
Spices: In place of the chili powder, you can use an equal amount of Italian seasoning or creole seasoning. Omit the additional salt if the seasoning has salt in it already, so your hominy casserole isn't too salty.
Alternative Prep & Cooking
You can transfer this to a casserole dish before baking or leave it in the pan if it's oven-safe.
How to Make Allergy Friendly
This hominy casserole with ground beef is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and egg-free. To make it dairy-free, you can use a dairy-free cheese or omit the cheese altogether.
How to Fix a Mistake
Ground beef mixture is too thick: Add a few tablespoons of water or broth until it has the consistency you prefer.
Ground beef mixture is too thin: Either simmer the mixture a little longer on the stove or add more cornstarch. To add more cornstarch, stir together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Add to the mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened.
Make Ahead Ideas
You can prepare the casserole ahead of time and transfer it to the fridge before cooking for up to 24 hours. Remove from the fridge before preheating the oven, then bake as directed. (Be sure your casserole dish or pan isn't very cold when putting it in the oven. Otherwise, the dish could break)
Storage Suggestions
Store the cooked casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or freeze in individual serving sizes in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Reheat from frozen in the microwave on 50% power in 60-second intervals, stirring once thawed until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Beef and Hominy Casserole is my favorite way to enjoy hominy. Other recipes with hominy are Pork Posole and Taco Soup.
Yes, if you are looking for a recipe to bring someone (like new parents or someone who doesn't have the capability or access to make their own dinner every night), this Beef and Hominy Casserole is a great option.
Simply prepare as directed and transfer to a disposable casserole dish.
Tell the recipient to keep in the fridge until ready to bake. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and warmed through.
Nutrition Benefits
This beef and hominy pie is an excellent source of protein (35 grams) and fiber (6 grams), plus potassium (25% RDA), calcium (28% RDA), and iron (30% RDA). It's also a good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A.
What to Serve with Beef and Hominy Casserole
You get all that you need in this one-pot meal. Protein from the ground beef and cheese, carbohydrates from the hominy, and veggies from the onions and tomatoes.
With it being a hearty dish, you don't necessarily need a side dish, but you could add a side salad with avocado cilantro dressing or easy lemon-herb vinaigrette or an extra side of veggies like sauteed green beans.
Final thoughts:
Recipes that have everything in one are the best, especially if made in one pot, and that's this beef and hominy casserole.
It's why I love having canned food in my pantry to save me in moments where I don't have time or energy to go to the store.
I always have at least 3 cans of diced tomatoes in the pantry because they are great for so many dishes.
And while hominy isn't the most common ingredient but it is so tasty, I always try to keep canned hominy in the pantry, especially since it's in my beloved Taco Soup. Plus, hominy is a good source of fiber.
Your family will love this and you can even bring it as a casserole to a friend or loved one in need of a hearty, filling meal.
MORE CASSEROLE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:
- Cheesy Bean Casserole
- Taco Casserole
- Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Lemon Chicken Pasta Casserole
- Skillet Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
Beef and Hominy Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 medium onions about 2.5 cups, diced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 (15 ounce) can hominy rinsed & drained
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese grated, about 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef and onion over medium-high heat. Drain and return to skillet.
- Sprinkle in cornstarch, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Stir well. Add in canned tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add in hominy and stir. Simmer for 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has absorbed.
- Transfer to a casserole dish (like a 9-inch baking dish), if desired, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Tell the recipient to keep it in the fridge until ready to bake.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and warmed through.
What to Use in This Recipe
Meme
This post was originally published on December 21, 2015. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.
Beef and Hominy Casserole Nutrition Facts
Doesn't this recipe look good?! You should probably share it:
Lindsey says
This looks like savory, comforting perfection for a chilly night!
Holly Pelton says
Its finally cool enough where I can actually eat warm things and not sweat to death to so this will be perfect for the upcoming fall dinners!!
Liz says
I need to send this to my dad! He loves hominy!
Lorie says
Is it bad that this is the first time I’m learning of hominy? What a fun name for a good!
Terry says
I have always loved hominy, but it's been a heated out of the can, little butter, little salt side dish.
I got to wondering what I could do with it besides my every time and came across this recipe... looked *way* easy to put together with everything I needed on hand.
I pretty much made it as written (I say 'pretty much' because the can of hominy I had was near 3 cups, same with the canned tomatoes.... one can wasn't enough, so I used 2 and I used the new Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes and bonus my burger is home grown pasture raised beef).
This turned out so, so good.... a really unique blend of flavors... and a great excuse to go all out on onions...which I love.
Most times when I try a new recipe, I'll make it as written THEN tweak it the next time if I want to serve it again.... not this one.. it's perfect as it stands to my tastes... AND my husband's.... he loved it too.
Thanks for a really great way to have more hominy!
Meme says
AH!! Thank you thank you thank you for coming back to share, Terry!! I am so glad y'all enjoyed it 🙂
Stephanie H says
This was really good! We added 1/2 pound more beef, used garlic cloves and a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes And added a green pepper. Amazing! Thanks for the recipe- it will be enjoyed again.
Meme says
Ohh love the addition of green bell peppers and using whole tomatoes and adding more beef 🙂
Thanks for coming back to share! It's such a tasty comfort food recipe! xo
Misty says
After making this as written, I have to assume there is a typo in the recipe as there was almost no liquid to simmer or "absorb". Guessing it should read 2 cans, not cups of tomatoes???? If so what size cans?
Meme says
Hi Misty! Sorry if that was confusing. I updated the recipe but you can use about 1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes since there are about 1.75 to 2 cups per can, so I just add the whole can.
Hope that helps!
Wheeler says
Delicioso! Such a perfect comfort food recipe!!!
Meme says
woohoo!! Thank you!