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 homemade hamburger helper, ground beef stroganoff and 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.
Can I omit the diced tomatoes? Will it be too dry? If so, will I need to add more tomato sauce?
I’d add another can of tomato sauce!
Just had it tonight. My husband really liked it. Followed the recipe but didn’t use salt and it didn’t need it. Enough salt in the tomatoes. Used a cheese combo of mozzarella and cheddar. Loved the parsley on top.
New favorite! We tried this tonight. Add some liquid amino’s to the recipe for an even richer flavor. My husband went back for seconds. Thank you for sharing. (:
Family of 5 and everyone loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Such a tasty and simple recipe! I added some cream cheese to the mixture before baking to make it a little creamier and it turned out awesome!
Delicious Sara:) Thank you, from a CA family of 5!
Excellent easy hamburger meal. Thank you. 😉
Noodles and cheese and my family was very happy with this meal! I was happy to have yummy leftovers the next day!
We had a good bit left. Next time I will probably only put half in the oven and save half for the next night. As far as reheating what we had left tonight should I cover it to reheat?
Yes I would cover it!
I used a little Tony’s n pepper for some more seaonsing and didn’t have Italian seasonings but it still tasted great .
I used a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, extra garlic, and a dash of sugar added a can of green beans! Can’t wait!
I made this tonight. I like it. Have lots leftover too because I am only cooked ng for one person and I am ok with leftovers
This was so simple and really good…
The only thing I changed was using roasted garlic and onion diced tomatoes, which unfortunately weren’t available in petite cut. The bigger chunks were fine though.
Also used a variety of leftover bagged shredded cheeses I had… Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and mozzarella. (Gotta use em somehow.) Next time, I’d probably use a combo of cheddar and mozzarella.
Putting into the rotation.
This meal idea is perfect for me! I would add a can of cream of mushroom soup or a 2nd can of tomato sauce. Loved it!
Did you use tomato sauce with the cream of mushroom soup?
Cream of mushroom soup? I didn’t see it in the ingredients.
Everyone loved this. Super easy to make. I added kidney beans to one batch and it was delicious too. Will def make this again.
This was easy and quick. Everyone was pleased. Thank you.
Look good and easy for a busy night..
Definitely trying this on a school/ scouts night!
I made this tonight and my kids loved it. We had about half left as my little doesn’t eat much. I’m going to reheat tomorrow. Any recommendations for reheating and also what about adding a can of chili beans before reheating? Drain them? Will it be dry?
Can I sub chopped steak pieces for the ground beef? I have leftover steak and need to use it
That should be fine!
I see in the recipe you have diced tomatoes listed but in the video you didn’t use diced tomatoes. If omitting the diced tomatoes do we need to make any other changes.
Some people thought it was a bit dry so I re-tested the recipe after that video was filmed and added in the tomatoes. It works fine without the tomatoes too.
I deviated from the recipe a little, but it received a HUGE thumbs up from my beefy men!
My changes:
Kirkland No Salt Seasoning
Pkt dry Onion Soup Mix
Few shakes Worcestershire
Can of Cream of Mushroom soup
*big fam, w/ big guys so I doubled the recipe. Also I didn’t have any Italian Seasoning, so that’s why I subbed the Kirkland. It turned out wonderfully flavorful, &looked goulash-y.
Happy Cooking! ♡
Did you still add the tomato sauce as well?