Ground Beef Casserole recipe
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 466cal
Ground Beef Casserole is cheesy, hearty, and flavorful as can be! A boldly seasoned ground beef tomato sauce is served with plenty of tender pasta under a layer of gooey melted cheese. Freezer friendly and great for making ahead!
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Ingredients
Ground Beef Casserole Sauce
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- ½ cup water
Pasta
- 7 cups dry egg noodles (12oz or 340g)
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 4 ounces cream cheese (cubed, room temperature) 125g
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
Ground Beef Casserole Sauce
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef, onion, and bell pepper for 5 to 7 minutes, until the beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Add the garlic, oregano, paprika, salt, ground mustard, and pepper and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the sauce and water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes while you cook the pasta.
Pasta
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13" baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, just to al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta into the prepared dish.
- To the empty pot, add the cream cheese and cream, cooking and stirring over medium heat until melted. Add ½ cup of the pasta water and stir until smooth, adding additional pasta water as necessary until a thin, creamy sauce forms.
- Pour over the pasta in the baking dish and stir to coat.
- Top with the ground beef sauce and sprinkle with the Cheddar.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese has melted.
Video
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Ground beef: any kind of ground meat will work here: chicken, turkey, pork, or Italian sausage.
- Vegetables: this is a great clean out the fridge recipe as you can add a wide variety of vegetables and they all work well: mushrooms, carrots, corn, peas, spinach, kale, you name it. You can even skip the meat and add a whole whack of vegetables (sautéing those that need it before adding the sauce)
- Seasonings: this recipe is easily customizable. You can add taco seasoning, black beans and corn for a Mexican twist. You can omit the mustard and add in Italian seasoning for an Italian twist.
- Pasta: because we are cooking the pasta first, you can use any kind you like. *Note: I have retested this recipe according to your recommendations and reduced the amount of pasta. If you made it the original with 1 lb of pasta and enjoyed it, feel free to use that amount.
- Cream cheese: A lot of similar recipes call for sour cream, but we are just not big fans. We love how the cream cheese adds a little something extra special to the pasta, but you can add in sour cream if you like.
- Fridge: you can prepare up to the point of adding the cheese (let it cool before you add the cheese), then cover and refrigerate up to 4 days before baking.
- Freezer: you can also prepare up to the point of adding the cheese, cool completely, wrap tightly and freeze up to 4 months. To bake, I recommend thawing first overnight in the refrigerator so that it bakes evenly.
Nutrition
Serving: 348grams | Calories: 466cal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 856mg | Potassium: 709mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1348IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 4mg