Amish Washday Casserole

Wow, Amish Washday Casserole. What a classic! But, before getting to the recipe, lets's talk a bit about washday. Washday is a busy day for the average Amish homemaker.

I mean, wash and laundry for a family of 8, 9, or 10 people would be a gargantuan job in a house that has an electric washer and dryer. Most Amish don’t have that luxury, so they’re washing it by hand.   And that takes a long, long time. By the way, Monday tends to be the "wash day" for many Amish, although you'll see laundry on the line any day of the week. But if you drive through an Amish community on a Monday, you'll see lots of laundry. Lots of clothes pile up over the weekend, so Monday is a good day to get caught up!

So, wash day is often that… a day… It’ll take a whole day to plow through all that laundry, hand-wash it and line dry it. Yet, even with such a long job, other stuff needs to happen….such as getting supper on the table, helping kids with schoolwork, greeting visitors, and on and on. And this is where this big "Washday Casserole" is a favorite… Throw it together easily, stick it in the oven, and get back to getting clothing off the lines.

While it is true that Monday is often washing day, that certainly isn’t set in stone. If you drive through an Amish settlement, you’ll likely find laundry hanging on the line virtually any day of the week.

This Amish Washday Casserole has ground beef, potatoes, bacon, cream of mushroom soup, and on and on, I mean, it definitely has everything needed. My parents made this and really liked it. They did not, however, use spaghetti, they used some other pasta they had on hand. It worked fine, you can do that, but I think it would have worked best with spaghetti. More of the casserole would adhere to spaghetti because of the surface area and, yeah, I just think it would plate better with spaghetti.

Here is a photojourney of that casserole:

Ground beef and onions are always a great combination! Most Amish farms have a ready supply of home-sourced ground beef.

Get the ground beef good and brown. Most Amish would probably use a nice, cast-iron skillet.

Cream of mushroom soup is used in this recipe. Canned, processed soups became popular among the Amish during the post-WWII era. Some Amish cooks have their own homemade recipes for cream of mushroom.

Lay the potatoes and celery over the beef layer.

Top with cheese and bacon and pop into the oven!

Pile it onto your plate! Again, my parents didn't use spaghetti pasta in their version, they used these little O-shaped pastas, I think the dish would look and taste better with spaghetti. Anyway, a Washday Casserole isn't about looking pretty, it's about ease and providing a filling meal at the end of the day. Enjoy!

👩‍🍳 Amish Washday Casserole Ingredients

• 3 lbs. ground beef
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 9 slices of bacon
• 3 cups cooked spaghetti
• 3 onions (sliced)
• 1 qt. tomato juice
• 3 cups of sliced potatoes
• 1 lb. Cheddar cheese
• 3 cups of sliced celery

📋 Casserole Instructions

1. Brown the beef and the onions in a pan, drain and pour in bottom of casserole dish.
2. Layer the potatoes, celery and spaghetti.
3. Pour the cans of mushroom soup over the mixture.
4. Fry the bacon and cut into small pieces and put on top.
5. Pour tomato juice over the bacon and then sprinkle cheese over the top.
6. Bake at 350 for about 90 minutes, perhaps a little less.

More Amish Washday Suppers

Mrs. Mast's Easy Washday Dinner

Grandma's Washday Supper

Beautiful photos of Amish Laundry on the Line

Wilma's Homemade Laundry Soap

🖨️ Washday Casserole

Amish Washday Casserole

2 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Amish

Ingredients

  

• 3 lbs. ground beef
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 9 slices bacon
• 3 cups cooked spaghetti
• 3 onions (sliced)
• 1 qt. tomato juice
• 3 cups sliced potatoes
• 1 lb Cheddar cheese
• 3 cups cups sliced celery

Instructions

 

• Brown the beef and the onions in a pan, drain and pour in bottom of casserole dish.
• Layer the potatoes, celery and spaghetti.
• Pour the cans of mushroom soup over the mixture.
• Fry the bacon and cut into small pieces and put on top.
• Pour tomato juice over the bacon and then sprinkle cheese over the top.
• BAKE AT 350 FOR 1 & ½ HOURS.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!