A blast from the past recipe that will fill your belly and comfort all of your food cravings; Shipwreck Casserole Dinner is not only super delicious, but also very easy to prepare, and as an added bonus, it’s loaded with veggies too!

To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure why Shipwreck Casserole Dinner has the word shipwreck in the title. I did a bit of internet research, but I didn’t pour my whole afternoon into it! For me, the word shipwreck conjures up images of pirate ships broken to bits on the jagged shoreline. Maybe I’ve seen too many movies; who knows?
My quick search resulted in no answers. So, I can logically assume that it’s called a shipwreck dinner because it looks like a mess! It’s like Christmas lights – you packed them away so nicely and then when you take them out the following Christmas, they’re knotted and bunched.
Like the casserole, traditionally, you would layer the ingredients, but when the dish was ready to serve it still looked a mess once you scooped it out and plated it.
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TOSS IT TOGETHER AND BAKE IT!
So, I was a rebel. I mixed all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and transferred them to my casserole dish. This way, everyone had an equal amount of everything. And, I wasn’t disappointed, because I knew going it that it was going to come out looking like a disaster.
But!!!! The taste – oh, the taste! It’s so good. It’s the ultimate comfort food! There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in this dish and you’re going to love it. And it’s so easy too! It’s a prep and bake dish, which means less work!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE
The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.
- Ground Beef – You will need two pounds, but make sure you get lean ground beef. Otherwise, your casserole will be greasy. Of course, you can drain it, but you can never get rid of all of the grease.
- Olive Oil – Just a little bit of olive oil is needed. Since it has a higher smoking point, it will prevent burning.
- Hash Browns – I’m not referring to those flat hash browns like you often get at breakfast. I’m talking about the hash browns that look like breakfast fries or breakfast potatoes. They are chunky like this.
- Onions – You can use yellow or white onions.
- Celery – I love celery in a veggie-heavy casserole. It adds such good flavour.
- Carrots – I save my thinner carrots for crudités, because the tend to be sweeter. If you buy carrots by the bag, use the larger carrots for casseroles.
- Bell Pepper – I’m using both a green and a red bell pepper. The red tends to be much sweeter and I prefer it, but I used both for colour only.
- Instant Rice – The rice is not cooked ahead of time. It will cook in the casserole. It has to be instant rice, otherwise, it might not be cooked through.
- Tomato Soup – Yes, you will need one can of tomato soup for this recipe!
- Spices & Seasonings – Dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Diced Tomatoes – Use the whole can including the juice.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
OMIT AND SUBSTITUTE FREELY
If there’s anything in this dish that you don’t care for, then just leave it out. Just be sure to add something else, or increase an existing ingredient in it’s place. If you don’t like celery, leave it out and increase the peppers or onions by the same amount of celery.
I like to use hash browns – not the flat ones like at McDonald’s, but the chunky type you find at Costco. If you don’t have hash browns, you can use the same amount of diced potato.
One time, I was out of tomato soup, so I made this casserole with canned cream of mushroom soup instead. The taste was completely different, of course, but it was completely delicious too!
The same thing goes for the ground beef. If you choose to use something else, you can. You can use ground turkey, ground sausage, or even vegetarian ground beef!
If you use the vegetarian ground beef, you can skip the browning part in the instructions below and just add it right in. It has no grease, so it doesn’t need to be drained, and doesn’t need to be cooked ahead of time.

BE SURE TO PREP THE VEGGIES PROPERLY
When chopping, slicing, and dicing, it’s important to cut the vegetables similarly so that they all cook at the same pace. You’ll also want to keep in mind that some vegetables will cook faster than others.
Since this dish is meant to be comforting and home-style, we are not too concerned with everything being absolutely perfect. After all, if we were looking for perfection, we couldn’t find it anywhere in a recipe with shipwreck in the title!
Slice the carrots and the celery thinly, because both of them will take longer than the hash browns and the peppers to cook. The onion will be finely diced. And I like to chop the red and green bell peppers the same size as the hash browns.

HOW TO MAKE SHIPWRECK CASSEROLE DINNER
In a large skillet, fry the ground beef with a dash of salt and pepper until cooked all the way through. Drain and discard the grease. Set the beef aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large, deep casserole dish with the olive oil. (The oval baking dish you see in the photographs is 9.5 x 14.5″)
Place all of the ingredients (except the cheese) into a large mixing bowl. Toss well to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 90 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven and remove the foil. Top the casserole with the shredded cheese and return to the oven (uncovered) for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven. Allow casserole to rest for 3-5 minutes. Plate and enjoy!

CONCLUSION
Shipwreck Casserole Dinner is a perfect example of the type of meal my mother would prepare back in the 1980s. I remember coming home from school and smelling this dish cooking in the oven when I opened the front. It was certainly a dish she would prepare in the winter months.
This casserole has it all – lots of texture, lots of flavour, lots of vegetables, and lots of protein too! Oh, and the cheese on top, is my addition. My mom never added cheese to her version. Enjoy!

QUESTIONS?
If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!
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Shipwreck Casserole Dinner
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, pan fried and drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups frozen hash browns
- 1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup instant rice
- 1 can tomato soup, 10 ounces
- 20 ounces water
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice, 28 ounces
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a skillet, fry the ground beef with a dash of salt and pepper until cooked all the way through. Drain and discard the grease. Set the beef aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large, deep casserole dish with the olive oil. (The oval baking dish you see in the photographs is 9.5 x 14.5")
- Place all of the ingredients (except the cheese) into a large mixing bowl. Toss well to combine.
- Transfer to prepared casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 90 minutes.
- Remove casserole from oven and remove the foil. Top the casserole with the shredded cheese and return to oven (uncovered) for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from oven. Allow casserole to rest for 3-5 minutes. Plate and enjoy!
Nutrition
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David says
Never heard of shipwreck casserole before, but I sure like the looks of it! My kind of meal, I like the versatility of it.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, David.
Lemmonee says
What a terrific versatile casserole. Never heard of Shipwreck but I am onboard for this one. Easy to substitute what ever you have on hand or stick to your guns and make as per recipe. Maybe that’s the answer. What ever you have with you, on your island becomes what goes into the shipwreck casserole. I have also had success in making a smaller version cutting in half. Love your site.
C. Morrissey says
Oh my I haven’t had Shipwreck in ages!!! I loved this dish as a kid. My Dad use to make it with bologna and green peas.
Brenda says
I haven’t made Shipwreck Casserole in years. This is delicious. Fatty, but delicious.
Veronika says
I love meals you can just throw together and cook in one dish. This casserole was just that! The ultimate comfort food.
Ann says
I have never heard of shipwreck casserole before. I made it the other night for dinner, and it was delicious! I love how I was able to just dumb it all in together!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Ann! 🙂
Amy Liu Dong says
This is so delicious and I am so excited to make this for everyone for tonight’s dinner.
Danielle says
This looks so comforting and delicious! I am a Midwestern gal so casseroles are a weekly staple! It is so comforting. Thank you for this recipe!