I found this tucked inside a 1963 church cookbook at an estate sale. Four ingredients later, it became the only dinner my husband requests on chilly autumn evenings.

This old-fashioned oven baked 4-ingredient beef Winslow is the kind of practical casserole that earned its place in mid-century community cookbooks: inexpensive, filling, and built from pantry staples. With ground beef, a creamy binder, and a baked topping that turns golden in the oven, it delivers the sort of cozy, straightforward comfort that feels especially right on a cool evening when you want dinner to be simple and satisfying.

Serve this casserole with a crisp green salad, buttered green beans, or simple glazed carrots to balance its richness. Warm dinner rolls or toasted sandwich bread fit the vintage supper-table feel nicely, and if you want to stretch the meal a bit further, a side of mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles works very well alongside it.

Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Beef Winslow

Servings: 6

Hearty ground beef casserole with a golden bubbly top in a glass baking dish

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups sour cream
2 cups crushed potato chips, divided

Ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and crushed potato chips on a kitchen counter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until fully browned, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Drain off excess fat.

Ground beef browning in a skillet on the stove

3. Stir the condensed cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and 1 1/2 cups of the crushed potato chips into the browned beef until evenly combined.

Creamy beef mixture being stirred together in a skillet

4. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup crushed potato chips.

Unbaked beef casserole in a glass baking dish topped with crushed potato chips

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly around the edges and golden on top. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Finished beef casserole plated with a green vegetable side

Variations & Tips

Add onion: If you do not need to stay strictly with four ingredients, cook 1 small chopped onion with the beef for a deeper savory flavor that suits the casserole very well.

Beef casserole variation with visible cooked onion in the filling

Try a different soup: Cream of chicken or cream of celery can be substituted for cream of mushroom if that is what you have on hand, and each gives the casserole a slightly different old-fashioned character.

Use plain chips: Plain potato chips are the best choice here because flavored chips can overpower the dish. Crush them lightly so you still get some texture in the topping.

Make-ahead tip: You can assemble the casserole a few hours ahead and refrigerate it before baking. Add the final chip topping just before it goes into the oven so it stays crisp.

Drain the beef well: Because the filling includes sour cream and condensed soup, draining excess fat from the browned beef keeps the casserole from becoming greasy and helps the texture stay pleasantly creamy rather than heavy.