Barn-Raising Beefy Potato Casserole

This flavorful Barn-Raising Beefy Potato Casserole recipe comes to us from an Amish woman in Indiana.  The beauty of meals like this is you can sort of tailor them to your taste.  Personally, I'd leave the carrots out, I'm just not a huge carrot fan, but you can do whatever you wish.  I can see how this dish would be great at a barn-raising where you have an army of hungry workers.  This recipe could easily be quadrupled or more and probably is for events like this one is named for.  

Barn-raisings are a hallmark of Amish culture. They have sort of captured the pop-culture imagination, because you see barn-raisings often portrayed in movies that have Amish themes.  But, in reality, barn-raisings among the Amish are relatively rare.  I mean, in older established Amish communities, there’s plenty of barns already built. In newer Amish communities, they often just buy existing farms that are for sale and those often have perfectly good barns. I’m not saying they never happen, but they’re not terribly common.

Often, there are smaller events called “frolics”  that bring together maybe a dozen or so men to work on a task, like tilling a garden or fixing a roof.  Whereas a barn-raising requires hundreds of heads.

And if you’re feeding hundreds of people, you need a dish that will do that… A recipe like this beefy barn-raising casserole is easy to multiply many times over and it can feed literally hundreds of people, or just a family.

I’ll make the same comment about this Barn-Raising Beefy Potato Casserole recipe that I’ve made about some other recent ones: this is not really very spicy… Some of you prefer a little extra flavor to your recipes, Amish recipes are notoriously not spicy. But feel free to add spices of your own to any of these dishes, or a dash of hot sauce, cayenne pepper, whatever your fancy. You’re not going to hurt anything with the structure of the recipe

Barn-Raising Beefy Potato Casserole isn't the world's most colorful casserole. You know, I'd be tempted to sprinkle a cup of cheese on top and melt in the oven.

It's a bit more colorful when you pair it with some sides!

🍲 Casserole Ingredients

• 4 cups potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 /8 teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 cup carrots thinly sliced, optional
• 1 pound hamburger
• 1 /2 cup cracker crumbs
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¾ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

📋 Casserole Instructions

1. Mix together the first 4 ingredients and place in a 2 quart casserole.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients and put on top of potatoes.
3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender.

.🚜 Other Barn-Raising Favorites

Amish Barn-Raising Breakfast - Super!

Amish Country Casserole - A classic!

Grandma Graber's Quick and Easy Casserole - perfect for a crowd

Pizza Casserole - a crowd-pleasing favorite!