Amish Shipwreck Casserole Recipe (7-Layer Dinner) - Amish Heritage (2024)

Seven Layer Dinner

Amish shipwreck casserole is a complete dinner in one dish. It's an old-fashioned frugal recipe that comes together very quickly and easily.

This seven-layer dinner recipe is a go-to for busy days when you don't have much time to cook. Just layer a bunch of ingredients into a casserole dish and pop it into the oven.

It's a simple make-ahead dinner that's hearty, flavorful, and kid-friendly.

It takes about two hours to bake, but while it's baking, you're free to get other jobs done. And when you come back to the kitchen two hours later, dinner is ready.

Why Is It Called Shipwreck Casserole?

I don't know where this 7-layer dinner got its interesting name from?

Some say the name may have come from sailors throwing together whatever ingredients they had left to create a meal.

Others say the name could come from the fact that when you spoon this dish onto your plate, the layers just sorta fall all over each other, creating the idea of a shipwreck.

But even though the name is interesting and your plate may look disastrous, this dump-style casserole is delicious.

Amish Dinner

I grew up on an Amish farm in a family of ten kids, so you can guess that my mom was always busy (Here I shared what a day in her life may have looked like).

She cooked three meals a day, so of course, she spent lots of time in the kitchen. But she also had many other things to attend to, especially on days when she was busy gardening, canning, etc.

So, on especially busy days, she tried to find quick and easy meals to make. And this Amish Shipwreck Casserole was one of her go-to's.

Ground beef, potatoes, kidney beans, rice, and vegetables all layered in one casserole dish (affiliate link) make a complete meal that is hearty and filling. And we all enjoyed it. Although, a couple of my brothers picked out the kidney beans. 🙂

And if you don't like one of the items that are layered in this dish, feel free to omit and adjust the ingredients.

Amish Six Layer Casserole

I have a recipe in one of my Amish cookbooks that's very similar to this shipwreck casserole. But it's called a six-layer supper, and it does not include kidney beans.

And the nice thing about this old-fashioned dinner recipe is that it is versatile. You can add extra layers of vegetables, or leave out any ingredients that your kids won't eat. Add extra spices, etc.

And you can use tomato soup, tomato juice, or canned tomatoes.

If you need a vegetarian Shipwreck recipe, omit the ground beef. The beans can serve as your source of protein.

Or you could also turn this dish into an eight or nine-layer casserole. I think that shredded cheese on the top would be a nice addition. Although, I would wait to put it on until it's almost finished baking.

So get creative in the kitchen and have fun making a dish that your family will love!

What Could I Serve with Shipwreck Casserole?

This layered ground beef casserole can easily be a complete meal on its own. But sometimes it's nice to have a side or two to serve with a casserole dish.

My mom often served applesauce and homemade bread, or a side lettuce salad, with casserole dishes.

This Amish seven-layer salad or broccoli and cauliflower salad would also be great sides to serve with Shipwreck casserole.

If you Enjoy this Amish Shipwreck Recipe, Perhaps you'd like to try More Amish Dinner Recipes...

Yumasetti - Amish Noodle Casserole Recipe

Amish Haystacks Recipe

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie Recipe