Easy Ground Beef Casserole
Ground beef casserole is creamy, cheesy, and super easy to make. Full of seasoned ground beef, tender egg noodles, and tons of cheese. Comfort food that the whole family will love!
Also known as beef noodle casserole, this has all the beefy flavor of a great beef stew, but cooked as a casserole.
It tastes like you worked hard on it for the last three days. But really, you can get this on the table in just over 30 minutes.
Quickly brown some ground beef, boil some wide egg noodles to al dente, then mix with the other ingredients in a casserole dish. Pop it in the oven and twenty minutes later then food is on the table. Perfect for busy weeknights and picky eaters.
I can’t get enough of ground beef casseroles because they are super easy and budget friendly. This will quickly become your new favorite weeknight meal.
Craving a chicken casserole? Try my Ultimate Chicken Casserole, Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole, or my cheesy Baked Spaghetti Casserole.
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef – I prefer to use lean ground beef (93/7) but feel free to substitute ground turkey if desired. Although, it won’t be ground beef casserole anymore, LOL.
- Condensed soup – Cream of onion and cream of chicken soup, try cream of mushroom soup if you prefer.
- Wide egg noodles – Substitute penne pasta or rigatoni noodles if you prefer.
- Grated cheese – I suggest Jack but a blend of Mozzarella cheese and Cheddar cheese works great too.
- Tomato sauce – Your favorite marinara sauce works great.
- Garlic powder – Substitute some Italian seasoning for even more flavor.
- Sour cream – Substitute a couple of ounces of cream cheese if needed.
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How To Make Ground Beef Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Cook noodles until al dente and drain. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onions with the olive oil over medium-high heat until onions are soft and ground beef no longer pink.
- Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
For the full recipe and detailed cooking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Serving Suggestions
This easy dinner recipe has a little bit of everything so you can serve it all by itself.
But if you like more sides or need to stretch it, add a side of green beans, a simple green salad, and some crusty bread.
How to Prevent Mushy Noodles
When you prep the noodles, then be sure to undercook them just a bit. Cooking the noodles al dente helps them retain their texture and not get too mushy.
Don’t worry, the noodles will finish cooking during the bake time.
Storage
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also leave in the baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Best Ways to Reheat
Microwave: Reheat on a microwave safe dish in 1 minute intervals.
Oven: In an oven, preheat the oven to 300 degrees, then put it in for about 7 to 10 minutes for unfrozen, and 15 to 20 minutes if you are starting with a frozen piece.
Skillet: You can also reheat your beef casserole in a skillet. Use medium heat and cover, then let it heat for about 10 minutes. Add in a little beef broth or chicken broth if it starts to get a little dry.
How To Freeze
If you are planning on making this ahead of time, and freezing for a busy weeknight, undercook the noodles a few minutes. This will help them to not be soggy or mushy when you bake it.
Freeze wrapped tightly in a freezer safe dish for up to 3 months. I prefer freezing it in the dish I plan on cooking it in.
Tips For The Best Casserole
- Always spray your casserole dish first with a non-stick spray or brush with cooking oil. This helps you most when it is time to clean up the dish afterwards.
- You can cover for the first 15 minutes of baking with foil, but then take it off and let that melted cheese turn a golden brown on top and get some crispy edges. My FAVE! Spray the underside of the foil before covering the dish to keep the cheese from sticking to it.
- Toss in come diced bell pepper or chopped green chiles, and taco seasoning, for a Mexican ground beef casserole.
- Garnish with a bit of chopped parsley and or chopped green onions to add a bit of color.
- Serve with some sour cream and hot sauce on the side too.
- If you don’t have a 9×13 inch casserole dish handy, then you can use a 10″ cast iron skillet as well. Any pan that offers about two inches deep and safe to put in the oven is ok.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, pin this to your favorite casserole Pinterest board and share it on your favorite social media channels!
This ground beef casserole recipe is made with simple ingredients from the pantry and perfect for busy nights! Something the whole family will enjoy!
Ground Beef Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ½ cup onion diced small
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 ounces cream of onion soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Spray a 9×13 oven safe baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook noodles until al dente and drain.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onions with the olive oil.
- Cook until onions are soft and ground beef no longer pink.
- Drain the fat if desired.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked ground beef, onions, both cream soups, cooked egg noodles, garlic powder, pepper, ½ cup cheese, and tomato sauce.
- Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
- Top with remaining cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the edges are bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Notes
- I found that spraying the foil with nonstick spray before putting on the casserole dish. This way the cheese doesn’t stick to it when it melts and it doesn’t get pulled off when you remove the foil.
- Always spray your casserole dish first with a non-stick spray or brush with cooking oil. This helps you most when it is time to clean up the dish afterwards.
- You can cover for the first 15 minutes with foil, but then take off the foil and let that melted cheese turn into a nice melted cheese crust over the top.
- Garnish with a bit of chopped parsley and or chopped green onions to add a bit of herbal zest and sprinkle of color.
- Serve with some sour cream and hot sauce on the side too.
- If you don't have a 9×13 inch casserole dish handy, then you can use a 10" cast iron skillet as well. Any pan that offers about two inches of depth and safe to put in the oven is ok.
Nutrition
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I love the combination of classic foods. Thanks for a great recipe!
This is a simple and affordable meal for a growing family! Everyone loved the flavor and it was affordable to make. Thank you for the recipe!
Perfect casserole for family dinner, thanks!
My boys’ new favorite dinner! And, of course, I love it because it’s so easy and delish!
This is the ultimate comfort food! So delicious, my kids asked for seconds!