This beef noodle casserole is ground beef in a rich tomato sauce, tossed with egg noodles then topped with plenty of cheese and baked to perfection. An easy comfort food dinner that’s perfect for feeding a crowd.
When I have a package of hamburger in the fridge, I often make this simple yet hearty beef casserole. It’s cheesy, kid friendly, and quick to whip up on a busy night.
I love a good casserole, and this beef noodle casserole is always on our regular dinner menu rotation. It’s a simple yet delicious combination of ground beef, tomato sauce, egg noodles and cheese. Put it all together and bake until melted and bubbly, then serve it to your family and watch the compliments roll in!
How to make beef noodle casserole
The first step to making beef noodle casserole is to brown some ground beef with onions and garlic. I use 90% lean ground beef, it’s got plenty of flavor but isn’t overly fatty. I cut the onions small so that my kids won’t even notice that they’re in this dish. After the beef is cooked, some seasonings and tomato sauce go into the pan.
While the beef is cooking, I boil my egg noodles. The noodles go into the pan with the beef and everything gets mixed together and spread into a baking dish.
The finishing touch is shredded cheddar cheese, and plenty of it!
I add a sprinkling of parsley at the very end, but that’s an optional step.
Can beef noodle casserole be made in advance?
Yes, you can make beef noodle casserole in advance. Simply prepare the beef and tomato sauce and toss it with the noodles, then cover and refrigerate. Right before you’re ready to bake your casserole, add the cheese and pop it in the oven. You’ll need to add about 10-15 more minutes to the bake time to compensate for the fact that you’re starting with a chilled casserole.
This beef noodle casserole is a great basic recipe that can be altered in different ways to be customized to your tastes. Some variations include using ground turkey instead of beef, adding more vegetables like peas or green beans, using macaroni instead of egg noodles and trying different types of cheese for the topping.
If you’re craving comfort food tonight, grab a container of ground beef and try this casserole, you won’t be disappointed.
More fabulous casserole recipes
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Beef Noodle Casserole Video
Beef Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 ounces egg noodles uncooked
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 16 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes drained, I prefer to use the small diced (petite cut) variety
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the egg noodles and cook according to package directions. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While the noodles are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until onion has softened and beef is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes and Italian seasoning to the beef and stir to combine.
- Drain the noodles and add to the pan with the beef; toss to combine.
- Pour the beef and noodle mixture into a 9"x13" baking pan that's been coated in cooking spray. Top with cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Christine L Miller says
Made exactly as written, super easy and everyone liked it
Deborah Parker says
I LOVED IT. I ADDED PEAS. MY HUSBAND LOVED IT!
Annabelle Struck says
It was so easy.
Tate says
This was absolutely fantastic! Everyone loved it. Will definitely be putting this in the meal rotation. I didn’t use the cheddar cheese -used mozzarella and parm. But I think we’ll try the cheddar next time to see! Thanks for the great recipe:)
Rita Peden says
Can you use spaghetti sauce?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Debbie says
I made this dish and it was fabulous!!
Eva says
I cut the recipe in half as there is only 2 of us. This was quite good and I will make it again. Very simple and easy to make. Thank you.
Tori Ruby says
Would other kinds of pasta work? I have shells and penne on hand.
Sara says
Yes either is fine!
Erin says
So, So, So, SOOO good. Just made it now. Simple and delicious!!
Hughes Tessa T says
This was very good! I made it with pre-made spaghetti sauce, and added mushrooms, it was great!
Susan Hafner says
Can you use spaghetti sauce instead of diced tomatoes and the the tomatoes sauce
Sara says
Yes that should be fine!
william says
Easy and good. I added chopped sweet mini peppers and a chopped serrano chili. Also a 1/4 cup parmesan. And penn pasta because I didn’t have egg noodles.
Jenny says
is this a typo? “1 1/4 lbs lean ground”
Did you mean a QUARTER POUND? ONE fourth?
11/4 is 2 and three quarter pounds. Seems a bit much.
Looks delish, I’ll improvise.
Sara says
There is no typo, it’s 1 and 1/4 pounds.
Jenny says
Yea, I think it’s just the way my browser is displaying it.
Well…. we made this tonight. (Slightly varied.) I had some frozen mixed veggies, and a little bit of chopped spinach left over. Added it to the meat. Great way to sneak some veggies into my family. It was real tasty. Thanks.
Erin says
1 1\4 lbs is ONE pound plus ONE QUARTER lbs, just as it is written.
Cyndi says
Do you think chopped green pepper would be good to add?
Sara says
Yes that would be great!
Amanda says
This recipe is wonderful!!!! Enjoyed it very much. I went ahead and added some parsley when I mixed it up and I ended up using a cheddar jack shredded cheese for the top. Thanks for this recipe!!!!
Mar says
I made the Beef and Noodle Casserole tonight . It was very easy and my husband kept saying this is really good and He hard a hard time to stop eating..
Amy says
I recently made this for my boys. I don’t keep cans of diced tomatoes on hand, but I had a can of Rotele. I substituted that and added a mexican blend of shredded cheese to the top and it was delicious!
Beth says
Did you use fresh parsley?
Sara says
Yes I did!
Miriah Thompson says
This was very good. Ive made it twice. Added extra vegetables to sneak them in for my kids. Everyone loved it.
Can this be frozen after cooking?
Sara says
Yes it should be fine to freeze!
KrisAnn says
Any way to make this without the tomatoes? I cook for someone who is now allergic to tomatoes. Thanks..
Sara says
This recipe has a lot of tomato in it, so it would be a completely different recipe without the tomato products and I’m not sure how it would best be adapted!
Amy says
Can this be made with tomato soup or diced tomatoes? I do not have any tomato sauce.
Sara says
Both of those would be fine, I’d probably combine the two!
Raymond says
Awesome recipe. My inner-tweak is telling me to add an 8oz. layer of cream cheese/sour cream paste in the middle. If Italian seasoning and olive oil is included, I HAVE to add some pesto. 🙂
Elvira Barrios says
What is best way to heat this wonderful dish?
Sara says
You can microwave individual portions, or reheat the entire pan covered in foil in a 325 degrees F oven until warm!