Hamburger Casserole
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This is my go-to Hamburger Casserole for busy seasons, and it never fails me! It’s a classic, comforting dish my whole family asks for, and it comes together with pantry staples and one skillet. Best part? It makes fantastic leftovers, so I can stretch one dinner into two.
My Family-Favorite Hamburger Casserole
I started making this hamburger casserole years ago on a week when everything felt like too much, and it’s stayed in my regular rotation ever since. It’s the kind of dinner I can throw together without a recipe card in hand once I’ve made it a few times, and that’s exactly what busy seasons call for.
My family never gets tired of it. Even my pickiest eater cleans their plate, because the noodles, beef, and melty cheese hit every comfort food note without any weird flavors hiding in there. It’s hearty enough to be the whole meal, and it reheats beautifully, so I always make the full batch even when it’s just a smaller dinner that night.
If you like using ground beef for meals, you have to try my easy Hamburger Soup and Texas Hash recipes.
Why My Hamburger Casserole Recipe is the Best
- One skillet, one dish – most of the cooking happens in a single pan before it goes in the oven, so cleanup is quick.
- Loaded with vegetables – frozen peas, carrots, and corn are stirred right in, so you’re getting a full meal in one pan.
- Great for leftovers – it reheats just as well the next day, making it perfect for busy-season meal prep.
Hamburger Casserole Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. Scroll down to the full recipe card for the specific amounts.
- egg noodles – technically you can use any noodle, but I like to use wide egg noodles. There’s something about a good egg noodle that makes the dish seem fancier. Of course, you could easily substitute elbow macaroni or another pasta.
- ground beef – use lean ground beef to ensure less grease in the prepared dish
- onion – a small white onion works best. Just dice it into small pieces so you don’t have large onion chunks in the finished casserole
- frozen veggies – I like to stick to peas, carrots, and corn, but you can literally add any frozen veggies in this dish. You may need to buy a bag of peas and carrots, and a separate bag of corn if you can’t find the right combo at the store. It doesn’t matter as long as the measurement is still 1 cup.
- seasonings – don’t skimp on the seasonings. You’ll get the best flavor if you use garlic, Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper
- tomato sauce and diced tomatoes – this brings some liquid to the casserole and adds tons of flavor
- cheese – some recipes use mozzarella cheese, but I like to use cheddar with ground beef, unless I’m making an Italian dish. You can totally leave the cheese out of this recipe if you’d prefer to have just the hamburger and noodles.
How to Make Hamburger Casserole
Hamburger casserole is so easy to make. It starts with ground beef, onions, and seasonings.
- Start by cooking the pasta and draining the water. It’s good to have it al dente so it doesn’t overcook when you bake it.
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet with the onion. Drain any excess fat.
- Add in seasonings to the cooked beef and stir.
- Next, add in the veggies and tomatoes and sauce. Mix it all together.
- Combine the noodles and meat mixture and put in casserole dish and bake.
- Just before it’s done top with breadcrumbs and butter and bake until golden brown.
How Long do you Bake Hamburger Casserole?
Typically it cooks at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Be sure you know your oven temperatures. You may need to cook a little longer if your temp is off. But the good news is that all the items are fully cooked before you bake the dish, so the oven is just allowing the ingredients to mix together, and the sauce is going to penetrate into the noodles.
Put the remaining cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes to let the cheese get bubbly on the top of the casserole.
Can You Freeze Hamburger Casserole?
Yes, you can freeze this casserole dish, but be mindful that pasta casseroles can tend to get mushy if frozen too long.
What Can You Eat with this Casserole?
This meal has so much in it that it really is a meal all in itself which is why it’s perfect for busy families. We like to pair it with french bread and a garden salad.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze – This casserole freezes well. Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat – Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
More Comfort Food Recipes
- Baked ziti with sausage
- Goulash with ground beef
- Buffalo chicken pasta
- Tater tot casserole
- Salisbury Steak
Hamburger Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 ounces package egg noodles
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup frozen vegetables (peas, carrots and corn)
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 8 ounces can tomato sauce
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook egg noodles according to directions and set aside.6 ounces package egg noodles
- Cook the ground beef and onion over medium heat until meat is brown. Drain grease from pan.1 pound lean ground beef, 1 small onion
- Add garlic and Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper and stir to combine.1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper
- Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and frozen vegetables into the skillet, mix to combine.8 ounces can tomato sauce, 14 ounces diced tomatoes, 1 cup frozen vegetables
- Simmer meat mixture for 3 minutes, continuing to stir
- Combine meat mixture, noodles, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese and mix to combine. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Top with remaining cheese or breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter and bake for 23-25 minutes in the oven, until the casserole is heated through.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Categories:
American, Casserole, Food, Ground Beef, Main Courses, One Pan, Pasta, Popular Recipes, Quick & Easy,
OMG !!! This was delicious !!! My husband thought it tasted awesome and so did I. I needed a quick recipe I could throw together before he got home from work ( about one hour away). When he came in the door he had a piping hot plate of a delicious meal.
I am confused! First you didn’t mention adding cheese with the meat and noodles. But you said to put on bread crumbs and butter. Then when I got to the recipe it said to add the cheese and did not mention the bread crumbs. Just wondering which way to use. Thanks!
You really can’t go wrong. I do put cheese IN the casserole and then top with the buttered breadcrumbs, but also add some more cheese on top — just because I like it really cheesy.
I’ve updated the recipe to include the breadcrumbs on top. Thanks for posting so I could update!
Very good recipe but I added bacon it was so delicious.
Yum, this was a big hit! Thanks for the recipe.
This Hamburger Casserole recipe is so good! But since I have no Italian seasoning, I just made it in an Asian way and used San-J Tamari Soy Sauce that I bought from Karman Foods for an added twist of taste. Best paired with Vitasoy Vita Reduced Sugar Chrysanthemum Tea
I plan on making this since sounds really good. I am diabetic and always look at carb count. When I saw 189g I almost passed out. Then I thought had to be for entire dish. Wish counts would be per serving so could get better carb count since diabetics need to count carbs.
Thanks for saying this Cynthia! I’ve updated the recipe card so now the calorie count and nutrition facts are for one serving.