This homestyle ground beef casserole recipe will become your family's favorite easy dinner. Ground beef is cooked in a seasoned rich tomato sauce. Egg noodles are tossed with cream cheese, sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Then it's topped with 3 cheeses and baked to golden bubbly perfection! It's the best casserole ever! Kids and adults will love it!
Before I give you the deeds on this ground beef casserole, I just want to apologize for being m.i.a This month has been crazy hectic. So school started back after labor day but why were so many kids (including mine) sick so soon?
Like my kids went to school for maybe a week before the caught the bug. First it was my 6 year old (coughing, sneezing) for almost a week.
My 5 year old caught the bug next. They're no longer sick and back in school. Yay! So now that the fam is good, I should celebrate by making them this ground beef casserole.
GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE
Okay so a few things I love about this ground beef casserole.
- It's EASY (Not labor-some) Chop up the veggies and saute. Brown the beef. Toss the egg noodles with the white sauce. Top with cheese and bake. I provided step by step pics and more detailed instructions below.
- A FLAVOR BOMB! hamburger baked in a rich tomato sauce, creamy egg noodles and melty cheeses! Get in my belly!
- It's CHEAP! All of the ingredients, except for the ground beef, is probably $1 and change.
Like I can probably eat the whole pan in one day haha! It's so delicious. For real! Egg noodles, ground beef, diced tomatoes and cheese and a few other ingredients are all you need. If you're tired of the same ground beef recipes, you MUST try this easy recipe.
HOW TO MAKE GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE
You may look at the ingredients and think it's too much work. It's not! Trust me. It's straight forward and super easy. You'll have dinner ready in no time!
PREP YOUR INGREDIENTS
Cook the noodles in salted water then drain. Have all the seasonings ready and vegetables cut. Combine the Colby jack and sharp cheddar cheese and set to the side. Shred the mozzarella cheese and set to the side as well.
1. EGG NOODLES
The first step to making this casserole is to prepare the noodle mixture. To a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, parsley and green onions. Parmesan cheese in the container is my go to for this recipe.
Use a whisk and whisk it real good lol. Sorry, had to do it lol. Little chunks are fine. Big chunks are not. You can use an electric mixer at this point but it's not really necessary. Next, Add the slice green onions and mix to combine. Salt and pepper for taste. 
Add the drained egg noodles to the cream cheese mixture.
Mix until all of the noodles are covered with the cream cheese mixture. Set to the side.
VEGETABLES
Over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil to the skillet. Once hot, add the red bell peppers and onions. Saute for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it's fragrant.
GROUND BEEF
I like to use 85% fat ground beef. Add the beef and cook until browned. You don't want big chunks of ground beef in the casserole, so with your wooden spoon or spatula, chop up the ground beef very well. Drain the beef then add it back to the skillet.
Pour the diced tomatoes with it's juices into the the pan, along with the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and the rest of the seasonings.
Mix well to combine. Next, pour the ground beef mixture into bowl. Mmmm juicy tomatoes and hearty beef. Homestyle deliciousness! Doesn't it look good!?
If the skillet is messy, wipe it down with a paper towel then add a bit more vegetable oil.
PREP HOMESTYLE GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE
Spread the egg noodles mixture evenly then top with ground beef mixture. Next, spread it evenly over the noodles. I know the pic above doesn't show the meat sauce spread to the edges. But I actually did spread it close to the edge but forgot to snap a pic! Don't worry if some of the edge noodles aren't completely covered.
Next, in this order, add the mixture of Colby jack and sharp cheddar cheese. To finish it off, top with the mozzarella cheese. Add extra cheese if you like.
BAKE
Tent the foil over the skillet. This will prevent the cheese from sticking to it. Bake for 30 minutes. Next, remove the foil and broil for a couple minutes until melty and bubbly. Keep an eye on the casserole otherwise, it will burn.
SERVE THE CASSEROLE
Top the casserole with sliced green onions. Cut and serve. Ciabatta and a simple side salad goes well with this!
CAN GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE BE MADE IN ADVANCE?
Yes, you can make this ground beef casserole in advance. But it's not a good idea to use a cast iron skillet in the fridge. It's best to use a baking pan and prepare it per the recipe but do not add the cheese or cook it.
Cover and refrigerate. When you're ready to bake the casserole, add the cheese. Cover with foil.
Since the casserole is chilled, it will take longer to bake, so add 15 minutes to the baking time.
VARIATIONS:
Make this homestyle ground beef casserole to suit your own taste. For instance, if you don't like hamburger meat use something. Ground sausage, turkey or chicken are some ideas. Add different vegetables. Use macaroni if you like. FYI, use two cups of macaroni. For the cheese, you can add your favorite cheeses.
If you’re craving comfort food tonight, grab a package of ground beef and make this casserole, you won’t be disappointed
Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole
Ingredients
For the noodles
- 4 cups egg noodles cooked in salted water and drained
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup Parmesan plus an additional ⅛ cup (See notes)
- ½ cup green onions sliced thin
- 1 ½ tsp dry parsley
- salt and pepper for taste
Casserole
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil plus more as needed
- ½ cup diced red onions
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ cup diced red bell peppers
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 14.5 oz diced petite tomatoes do not drain
- 6 oz tomato paste
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 ⅛ tsp seasoning salt more or less to taste
Shredded Cheese
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese use block cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheese use block cheese
- 1 ¾ cup mozzarella I used whole milk mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine the Colby jack and sharp cheeses. Set to the side. Do not add in the mozzarella cheese.
Egg Noodles
- To a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, parsley and green onions. Mix well. Add the noodles. Combine the noodles with the cream cheese mixture. Bit of salt and pepper for taste. Set to the side.
Beef
- In a large skillet over medium high heat add the vegetable oil. Once hot add the onions and bell peppers. Saute for about 2 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant about 20 seconds.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet with the vegetables. With a spatula or wooden spoon, chop the beef up pretty well until the big chunks of beef are gone. Cook until browned. Drain. Add the beef back to the skillet. Add the Worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder and seasoning salt or use your favorite seasonings. Combine the seasonings, tomato and the rest of the seasonings into the ground beef and tomato mixture.
- At this point, you can transfer the ground beef to a lightly greased baking dish then proceed with the next steps or remove the ground beef from the skillet then wipe it down with a paper towel.
- Lightly grease the skillet then add the noodle mixture. Spread the noodles evenly into the pan. Top with the ground beef mixture. Spread it evenly as well. Next, in this order, add the mixture of colby jack and sharp cheddar cheese. To finish off this hamburger meat casserole, top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Add extra cheese if you like.
- Tent foil over the skillet or baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil. Set oven to broil. Leave the oven cracked so you can keep an eye on it. Broil for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Serve immediately or warm.
Notes
TIPS TO MAKE THIS GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE
The cream cheese mixture should be smooth. Tiny small chunks in the mixture is fine. Big chunks are not fine. You can use an electric mixer too but it's not really necessary. A hand whisk works fine. TO MAKE IN ADVANCE: Only use baking pan to make this in advance. Do not use a cast iron Prepare the ground home-style ground beef casserole per the recipe but do not add the cheese or cook it. Cover and refrigerate. When you're ready to bake the casserole, add the cheese. Tent with foil. Since the casserole is chilled, it will take longer to bake, so add 15 minutes or so to the baking time. When you're ready to broil the top of the casserole, leave the oven door cracked so you can keep an eye on it.If you think this home-style ground beef casserole recipe looks good, save it to your Pinterest Board or share it on Facebook. Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest too!
More Ground Beef Recipes:
Sarah
Obsessed! This was so good!! I made the recipe as written and also a vegetarian version by omitting the beef. Both were delicious. This one is a keeper.
karen t beadle
Wow, this is so delicious. I guess I have made it 10 times. Have to leave out the peppers and onions, add onion powder for my picky eater but it is so good.
April Boller Wright
Thank you!!!
Stephanie Adams
I followed this recipe almost exactly and it really was delicious. It was not a traditional pasta bake taste which I loved because I like to try different flavors. I am waiting to get a couple other opinions since I cooked it late last night and I have family members eating it for leftovers today but I’m sure they will love it. The only variations I made were: I used the two cups of raw elbow macaroni noodles, which I guess made 4 cups of cooked.I used fresh tomato diced instead of canned, and I baked it in a 9x 13 casserole dish. I didn’t tent the foil so the cheese stuck but I rectified it. Everything turned out exactly as the the recipe stated. My favorite part was broiling for 2 minutes and seeing the end result, all bubbly and browned just right on top. Will definitely make this again. Thanks! ☺️
April
Thank you so much for the great feedback Stephanie!!
Nina Ann
Delicious!! My husband and I say it’s a new fave. 2 of my 5 kids didn’t care for it but the other 3 loved it! All I changed was that I used pork instead of beef and I sliced the cheese and laid it on top instead of shredding it. I’ll definitely be making it again!!
April
Wow that's great to hear Nina! Thank you so much for the great feedback!
Patty
Can this be prepped and frozen? Also, I added red chili beans and mushrooms to this recipe. I doubled the recipe and made 2 pans. Was hoping to just freeze the other. Thank you.
April
Sorry for my late response. I love the additions! I've never tried freezing it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work!
Maria
This is my first time making this recipe. It took longer than anticipated. But, the individual components do taste pretty good. Looking forward to dinner right now. LOL I'm sure once I fix it a couple of times the prep time will come way down.
April
I hope you enjoyed it Maria! Thank you!
Suzan Hudak
Should I measue the egg noodles before cooking them or after? It makes a big difference.
Thanks for your speedy reply --I will be making this very soon and need to know right away.
Thanks
Suzan Hudak
April
Hi Suzan! Measure the noodles before you cook it. Hope you like it!
Stephanie
Hi April, I'm looking forward to making this today! My egg noodles come in packages of 16 oz. I am trying to figure out how much to use- as this recipe calls for 4 cups. Are the 4 cups cooked or uncooked?
Thank you in advance!
April
Hi Stephanie! 4 cups of uncooked noodles. Hope you enjoy it!
Pat
Looks good. Wonder if you ever tried putting a can of beans in with it.
April
I haven't tried adding beans. Thank you Penny!
Kathleen Johnson
I've been eating this casserole since I was a small child (minus the hot peppers). It was something my grandmother made often and later taught me to make. It never jad the hot peppers though so I'll have to try it that way soon! It was called something else and had 3 layers, more similar to lasagna with the final layer being the ramaining half of the noodles then topped with cheese and green onions. She called it Super Supper Casserole. Lol, my kids call it ghetto lasagna or white lasagna but its still a family favorite! Thanks, it was awesome seeing this recipe online after a lifetime of making it from memory!
April
Hi Kathleen. Thank you for your comment. I love hearing warm stories like yours. It's funny you mentioned that because my oldest calls it bootleg lasagna. He'll eat the entire pan if let him. I hope you can make it! Enjoy the rest of your week!
Theresa
This looks amazing. and up my alley quick, easy one pan meal I love casserole type meals. especially for those nights when short on time or just don't feel like cooking. gona make this soon. I like a lot of recipes I see on you're site.
April
Thank you Theresa! Yup this one is definitely quick throw together meal. It's one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it and I'm glad to hear that you like the recipes you've seen so far! Thank you :)!
Harriet
After reading your recipe, it looks like something that my family would love. The ingredients in your recipe a staple in our pantry, so I will be making it soon.
Danielle
It is the perfect time for casseroles like this. Fabulous dinner that is easy to make yet hard to forget 🙂 Love those 3 cheeses - they sound extra delicious!
Byron Thomas
April, this is the type of casserole that makes me hungry. I'm seriously drooling just reading through your description of this gooey, egg noodle beef casserole. You say you can finish it all in a day; I bet I could finish it all in one meal! 🙂
April
My family absolutely loves it! Thanks for your comment Bryon!
Mirlene
My kids are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. I like the fact I can use ground turkey with this recipe as I mostly have it in my freezer. This is perfect for meal planning.
April
They are going to gobble it up fast girl! Thank you:)