Beef And Drop Biscuit Casserole Recipe

People often turn to comfy classics as weeknight staples thanks to their simplicity and ability to please a tough crowd, especially with kids. This satisfying drop biscuit-topped casserole is no exception: Requiring only 30 minutes of preparation and less than an hour in the oven, it's ready to earn its place in your family cookbook. Though similar to chicken and dumplings, which is more like a soup, this casserole has less broth and a generous biscuit-to-filling ratio. The bottom side of the drop biscuits stays nice and moist, while the top becomes golden brown and delicious. While most old-school casseroles often rely on canned cream of mushroom or chicken soup to make a filling, this recipe is completely from scratch.

First appearing in America in the 1800s during the food industrialization era, casseroles surged in popularity during the Depression, thanks to their cost-effectiveness and reliability. These low-lift dishes are also extremely adaptable, using widely available ingredients like vegetables or fruits that can be easily swapped out for something else you have on hand. 

Once you've tried this warming beef and veggie combo topped with drop biscuits, why not test out a sweet breakfast casserole with brioche or a savory cottage pie with cauliflower? The options are endless, and so is our archive of casserole recipes.

Our beef and drop biscuit casserole comes together with common ingredients that are easy to grab at your local grocery. First, we'll use sirloin for its tenderness and quick cooking time. Then we will form a roux with butter and flour, milk, and vegetable (or any other) broth. Diced onion will be seared and added to the mixture with a frozen vegetable medley of carrots, peas, green beans, and corn. 

For basic pantry ingredients, you'll need flour, salt, baking powder, cornstarch, garlic powder, and ground black pepper. You'll also need a little buttermilk for the biscuits (which also use a little butter). The only other ingredient you'll need for this casserole is a little oil for cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Grease a square baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Add the olive oil to a pot over medium heat.

Add the sirloin and sear for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan, add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add the black pepper, garlic powder, and cornstarch to the pot. Stir to combine.

Add the stock and milk to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Stir in the frozen veggies and beef and bring to a simmer.

Pour the cooked filling into the greased baking dish. Set aside.

Add the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk them together.

Add the melted butter to the cold buttermilk and stir to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined, do not overmix.

Use a spoon to dollop the drop biscuit batter over the filling in an even layer.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until bubbling and browned on top.

Serve the casserole hot.

You might want to know how to prepare this beef and drop biscuit casserole ahead of time, especially if you're a fan of meal prepping. The cooked beef and veggie filling can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. When you're ready to bake and serve, make a fresh batch of drop biscuits as instructed in the recipe, (which takes less than 10 minutes) then dollop them over the filling and throw the casserole in the oven to bake as directed.

Ideally, mixing the drop biscuits fresh is going to result in the best taste and make them bake up more tenderly. If that's not possible, you can fully bake the entire dish ahead of time, then cool it before covering and refrigerating. When you're ready to reheat, it's best to let the casserole come to room temperature, then rewarm gently at 350 F, covered, until heated throughout. If it's baked uncovered or left in the oven too long, it can further dry out the biscuits. Single servings can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, and make a perfect leftover lunch.

If you're really short on time but still want to make this casserole, you have several options for biscuit hacks. You can use two cans of premade biscuits from the grocery store, cut them into quarters, and sprinkle them on top of the casserole. If you're just missing a few of the ingredients, you can try our recipe for 2 ingredient drop biscuits (buttermilk or regular milk will work here, too). If you don't want biscuits at all, get creative and bake a layer of cornbread mix, crescent rolls, or even squares of puff pastry on top of the beef and vegetable filling. For a gluten-free option, you can create a shepherd's pie-style dish with spoonfuls of mashed potato. 

If you do decide to make a swap for the drop biscuits, be sure to still bake the casserole for a minimum of 20 minutes. This will ensure the sirloin in the filling is entirely cooked before you take the casserole out of the oven. If possible with your topping, leave some spaces between the dollops of dough for the filling to ventilate, which helps it thicken more.