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.
Melanie says
This was fantastic comfort food! I did not drain the tomatoes, added canned whole mushrooms and a can of chipotle peppers- awesome! Thanks for this recipe!
CAIT says
Are you supposed to drain the grease from the ground meat?
Sara says
If there’s excess grease you can drain it off, I typically use 90% lean beef so there’s not much grease!
Tricia says
I had some leftover egg noodles (from that one day that I thought reliving my tuna noodle casserole days would be a good idea) and found this recipe to make that would use them up. It was LOVELY. I substituted 1lb of Impossible “meat” instead of ground beef and (to the point of other commenters) did not drain the diced tomatoes. I cooked the “meat” with the onions since I wasn’t using ground beef and knew it would cook a little faster. This turned out so well. I actually made all of the recipe up to the point of baking in my cast iron skillet (boiled noodles separately obviously) and then I portioned out a couple servings and topped with cheese to store and bake fresh throughout the week. Then topped the remaining amount with cheese and stuck it – pan and all! – in the oven. This is almost a one-pot dish if you use a large cast iron pan!
The only negative is I think I received like 20 pop-up ads while writing this comment and since I am on my phone the ads kept covering the comment box. Holy ads, Batman!
Sara says
You should not be seeing 20 ads, if this happens again please take a screen shot and email it to me, thanks. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Michael Kane says
This was delicious, best recipe for this type of dish that I’ve found yet. I used a 50/50 mix of freshly ground sirloin steak and pork chops, that certainly helped! As did using freshly grated extra sharp cheddar cheese. I did not drain the diced tomatoes, and agree with an earlier comment, if I had drained them the dish would have been dry.
Karyn says
This was easy, quick and yummy. Everyone liked it and had seconds. I followed the recipe except that I used 1 lb of ground beef instead of 1.25. Since I buy grassfed ground beef in 1 lb packages when they are on sale and then freeze them, I would have to thaw a whole additional pound to get the extra quarter and then have 3/4 lb of ground beef to do something with. Didn’t make sense. The single pound was great and was plenty meaty! I also added half teaspoon of crushed red pepper to spice it up. Thanks for a perfect weekday dinner. This is going on our regular rotation.
Karyn says
Me again… no need to drain the tomatoes. I did not and It wasn’t soupy at all. I actually think it would have been too dry without the tomato liquid. All the liquid baked into the pasta.
RB says
Family loved this dish. Easy to throw together for a quick dinner. I followed the recipe exacting and it was delicious. Thank you!
Marissa says
This is a quick and tasty recipe, I have made this two times now since finding it and my family loves it. The only changes I made were adding more cheese than the recommended 2 cups. It’s perfect for a quick and hot meal.
Thanks!
Libba Gray says
This is one of those recipes like my mom used to make and when I’ve seen them recently it’s just doesn’t really get me very excited about cooking but I am thrilled to say that I did go back and give this a chance. I did have to change two things only because I didn’t have tomato sauce or plain diced tomatoes. Subbed 1 jar Ragu Tomato, Onion, Garlic and Hunt’s diced with Basil, Oregano Rosemary 16oz can and let me tell you this was the easiest lasagna I’ve ever made. To me it tasted very much like lasagna ! So great recipe and thank you for sharing it with us! We’ll be having this again soon 😁
Susan says
Can this be made ahead?
Sara says
Yes that should be fine!
U says
My family’s doesn’t like the diced or chicly tomatoes. Can I just add another jar of regular?
Sara says
That should work!
Stephanie says
Made it with gluten free egg noodles and it’s turned out great! Will definitely make this again!
Jessica knight says
Can I use jarred spaghetti sauce instead of regular tomato sauce?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Lisa says
Delicious and big hit with my granddaughter. Used cheddar but will try Italian blend cheese next time.
Catie says
This is great, thank you! I love that its quick and easy, or I can add more ingredients to it to make a more involved dish. I can also triple it and freeze a few batches in foil pans to pull out and bake on busy nights.
Pat says
When you freeze this do you add the cheese before freezing? Do you stick it in the oven frozen and if yes how long do you cook it for?
Thank you, pat
F ddg iane says
Could you use pre-cooked flap meat instead of hamburger
Sara says
I think it would be ok but I haven’t tried it this way myself!
Tawnya says
If I didn’t want to use the tomatoes what would you suggest as a substitute?? Would I need more liquid if I wasn’t using them??
Sara says
You could add more tomato sauce, you need the liquid because the pasta will absorb the sauce as it cooks!
L. Nelson says
We loved this recipe. I added a can of cream of celery to the beef and used shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella cheese, and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. It was delicious!! Will definitely make again. I wonder what it would taste like with Italian sausage.
Ryan says
I’ve never commented on a recipe site before, but here I am. This meal was delicious, easy, and quick to make. I added more ground beef, red pepper flakes, and tweaked the spices a bit to our liking. This is going on our “meals we love” board. Tip for the cooks out there: REMEMBER to drain the diced tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe!
Donna says
I didn’t need to drain the diced tomatoes. It needed the extra liquid.
Love this recipe; easy and good flavor. Didn’t have to go out and buy any of the ingredients. Yay!
Karyn says
I did not drain the tomatoes either and it was perfect. I think it would turn out too dry if drained.
Julie Robs says
This recipe was delicious! I just used bow noodles instead (what I had on hand), and it was a hit for everyone! Thanks for sharing!😄
Ramicah says
This is a delicious and easy recipe! I used bowtie pasta and everyone loved it!
Clara says
I agree it is so good
Cheryl says
I didn’t think I was going to like this recipe, I mainly made it for my son and husband, but it was so good, I loved it!! I had a big thing of ground beef so I doubled the recipe and froze half of the sauce for later. I added some peas and carrots, and I use an immersion blender to break up my ground beef. I mis-read the recipe and added the liquid in with the canned tomatoes, but I like it that way! We are gluten free, so I had to use a different type of gluten free noodle and it turned out very well! Thanks for the simple and tasty recipe!
Randall says
I think all added things will add more favor. It’s dish you can experiment with.