Kitchen

Ground Beef Casserole – Spend With Pennies

This ground beef casserole is a hearty and comforting meal anytime!

Seasoned meat, sauce, noodles, and three kinds of cheese are layered in a casserole dish and baked until bubbly!

Simple comfort food like this is always the best. This meal is great to prep ahead and reheats and freezes well!

baked ground beef casserole in a dish with a spoon

Contents

An Easy Weeknight Casserole

  • This budget friendly main dish is a great way to stretch a pound of ground beef!
  • Our easy, cheesy recipe has all so much flavor and is easy to put together.
  • Add in your favorite vegetables (anything from corn or bell peppers to zucchini) to make it go even further.
  • Make and serve all week long, ground beef is like chili or meatloaf, just as good (or even better) the next day!
ingredients to make Ground Beef Casserole with labels

Ingredients in Ground Beef Casserole

Almost lasagna-like in flavor, this is a family favorite and uses ingredients you likely have on hand.

BEEF: Stock up when ground beef is on sale! Add a little Italian sausage if you’d like. If you’ve got leftover hamburgers, break them up to use in this recipe in place of ground beef.

NOODLES: Choose hearty noodles with twists or ridges to grab the sauce.

SAUCE: Use your fave pasta sauce with a can of whole can or homemade marinara. Diced tomatoes can be used but I find that breaking up whole tomatoes gives a better consistency to the sauce.

CHEESE: We use cottage cheese in this recipe, ricotta can be used in place. Parmesan and mozzarella add extra flavor. Cheddar cheese is great in this recipe too. Sour cream can be switched out for Greek yogurt if desired.

Variations

  • Swap beef for sausage, ground chicken, or turkey if you’d like.
  • Add almost any veggie you’d like to the sauce. Cook it with the meat until tender before adding the sauce ingredients.
  • Egg noodles work well in this recipe too.
process of adding ingredients to pan to make Ground Beef Casserole

How to Make Ground Beef Casserole

This is easy to make and always tasty!

  1. Brown Beef: Cook ground beef, onion, & garlic; drain any fat per the recipe below.
  2. Prep Sauce: Break up whole tomatoes and add to the skillet with pasta sauce, sugar, and seasonings. Simmer, then add half the parsley and season with salt and pepper. (Add veggies if you’d like).
  3. Cook Pasta: Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain but do not rinse.
  4. Prep Cheese Layer: Combine sour cream, cottage cheese, egg, basil, remaining parsley, and parmesan.
  5. Combine & Bake: Layer pasta, cheese mixture and meat sauce in a baking dish. Top with cheese and bake until bubbly.

Serve this pasta casserole with a big piece of cornbread or crusty bread for sopping up any sauce.

a plate of ground beef casserole

Storing Leftover Casserole

Keep leftover ground beef casserole covered in the fridge for up to 4 days (if it lasts that long)! Reheat in the microwave (or oven) for meals throughout the week.

Freeze the entire casserole before or after baking. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as directed above. If the casserole is really cold in the fridge, you may need to add extra cooking time.

Or, freeze portions in airtight freezer containers.

serving ground beef casserole in a dish with a spoon

More Ground Beef Casserole Recipes

Did your family love this Ground Beef Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

serving ground beef casserole in a dish with a spoon

5 from 1 vote↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Ground Beef Casserole

This homemade casserole is loaded with ground beef, pasta, and 3 different kinds of cheese in a flavorful tomato sauce.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

  • Cook beef, onion, and garlic in a large deeps skillet until no pink remains. Drain fat.

  • Break up the canned tomatoes with your hands. Add (including the juices) to the ground beef along with pasta sauce, sugar, and Italian seasoning.

  • Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in half of the parsley, taste, and season with salt & pepper.

  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain, do not rinse.

  • Mix sour cream, cottage cheese, egg, basil, remaining parsley, and grated parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

  • Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 pan.

  • Layer half of the pasta, top with all sour cream mixture, the remaining pasta and the meat sauce.

  • Top with mozzarella cheese and cover.

  • Bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Keep leftover ground beef casserole covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

5 from 1 vote↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Calories: 419 | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 672mg | Potassium: 750mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 758IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 224mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, Casserole, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American
Ground Beef Casserole on a plate and dish full in the back with a title
plated Ground Beef Casserole with a title
cooked Ground Beef Casserole in the pan with a spoon and writing
Ground Beef Casserole cooked in the pan and plated with writing

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