I’m sure there’s room in your menu for a quick one dish meal this week. And this one is sure to get the family around the table! Seasoned ground beef, tender egg noodles, dreamy melted cheese and a rich tomato mushroom sauce all combine to create the hearty, classic flavors of Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole no one can resist!
Serve it cozied up to my Simple Green Salad with Creamy Mayo Vinaigrette and thick slice of garlic bread for the perfect busy weeknight meal.
Why You Need This In Your Dinner Rotation
- This old fashioned cheese and beef noodle casserole is a guaranteed family-approved winner every single time it hits the table.
- Not to mention, putting this dish together is a snap. It’s one of the first meals I learned to make.
- 6 simple ingredients you probably have on hand + 3 spices & 30 minutes in the oven is all it takes!
- The real key to this recipe is the sauce! As simple as it is- just tomato sauce and cream of mushroom soup- it’s really what makes this dish stand out!
- The mushroom soup adds a layer of creaminess and flavor that’s unexpected and rich. It’s what gives this cheesy beef noodles casserole the legs to stand apart from all the other tomato-sauced pasta casseroles out there.
What Is Cheese & Beef Noodle Casserole
Growing up, we ate this casserole quite a bit. We simply called it One Dish Meal, but it’s more well known as simply Beef Noodle Casserole.
And that makes total sense because it’s an easy layered casserole recipe made with seasoned ground beef, oodles of egg noodles and loads of mild cheddar cheese all covered in a rich and creamy tomato mushroom sauce.
This version of the recipe is an updated take on the one my mom always made. Her recipe included slices of American cheese, chosen for its smooth, creamy melt and probably because it was a readily available lunch staple in our fridge.
Instead of American cheese sandwich slices, here you’ll find grated mild cheddar cheese. It’s similar in taste and has a nice melt and cheese-pull as long as you grate it yourself.
Recipe Ingredients & Overview
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- ground beef
- wide egg noodles
- yellow onion
- tomato sauce
- cream of mushroom soup (you can make your own, if canned is not your thing)
- mild cheddar cheese
- salt, pepper and garlic
Recipe Substitutions: Don’t want to use canned “cream of” soup? I get it. I don’t use it very often in my kitchen either. If you also don’t want to make your own, try using an equal amount of sour cream instead!
Instead of ground beef, use ground turkey.
Try large elbow macaroni instead of egg noodles.
How To Make Cheese & Beef Noodle Casserole
Boil the Egg Noodles. On the stovetop, place the egg noodles in a large pot of generously salted, boiling water. Remove from heat just before the pasta is al dente. Drain in a colander.
Brown the Ground Beef. While the egg noodles are cooking, brown the ground beef over medium heat. As the beef begins to brown, add the diced onion, salt, pepper and garlic and cook until the beef is brown and the onions are translucent. Drain and set aside.
Mix the Sauce. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the tomato sauce and mushroom soup.
Assemble the Casserole. Spray the bottom of a 2.5-3qt casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with half the noodles, then top with half the ground beef. Pour half the sauce over the beef. Then sprinkle on with half the grated cheese. Repeat.
Bake. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbly.
Tips for Making the Best Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole
- Don’t skip salting the water. To make sure your casserole has all of the zesty, savory flavor it should, don’t skip generously salting the water you’ll boil the pasta in. If you don’t salt it, ⅓ of your casserole will be bland (the noodle layers), and the ground meat layer will have to do its best to season the whole dish.
- Grating your own cheese is a MUST. Packaged grated cheese sounds like a great short cut, but those cheese shreds are coated with a starch to keep them from clumping together in their bag. It will also keep the cheese from melting creamy & smooth in your casserole.
- Be careful not to overcook & dry out the ground beef. Add the onions while the ground beef is still browning. If you wait until the beef is completely browned before adding the onion and then continue to cook the beef while the onion cooks and then bake the beef in the casserole for 30 minutes… well, you see where I’m going.
- Cook the pasta just until al dente. Pulling the egg noodles from the heat and draining them while they’re still a little firm will keep them from being mushy after baking in the casserole. Like the ground beef, your pasta will continue to cook during the bake time.
Make Ahead, Freezing & Storage Instructions
Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole is ideal for making the day before. Simply assemble the casserole, cover, refrigerate overnight. Add an extra 10 minutes or so to the bake time since the casserole will be cold.
It’s also the perfect candidate for freezing! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed in the recipe, adding 10 minutes to the baking time.
Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Heat individual servings in the microwave.
More Easy Casserole Recipes to Love
- Hearty Chili Mac Casserole
- Spaghetti Stuffed Garlic Bread
- Cheesy Mexican Rice Casserole
- Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Rotel Chicken & Spaghetti
- Easy One Pot Beef Stroganoff
Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 12 oz wide egg noodles
- 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 can tomato sauce 15 oz
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup 10.5 oz
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- On the stovetop, place the egg noodles in a large pot of generously salted, boiling water. Remove from heat just before the pasta is al dente. Drain in a colander.
- While the egg noodles are cooking, brown the ground beef over medium heat. As the beef begins to brown, add the diced onion, salt, pepper and garlic and cook until the beef is brown and the onions are translucent. Drain and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together tomato sauce and mushroom soup. Set aside.
- Spray the bottom of a 2.5-3qt casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with half the noodles, then top with half the ground beef. Pour half the sauce over the beef. Then sprinkle on with half the grated cheese. Repeat.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Don’t skip salting the water. To make sure your casserole has all of the zesty, savory flavor it should, don’t skip generously salting the water you’ll boil the pasta in.
- Grating your own cheese is a MUST. Packaged grated cheese sounds like a great short cut, but those cheese shreds are coated with a starch to keep them from clumping together in their bag. It will also keep the cheese from melting creamy & smooth in your casserole.
- Be careful not to overcook & dry out the ground beef. Add the onions while the ground beef is still browning.
- Cook the pasta just until al dente. Pulling the egg noodles from the heat and draining them while they’re still a little firm will keep them from being mushy after baking in the casserole. Like the ground beef, your pasta will continue to cook during the bake time.
Nutrition
Can celery soup be used instead of mushroom?
I don’t think I would make that substitute. Cream of Celery soup has a very different flavor profile from Cream of Mushroom.
Ok, I haven’t actually made this yet (making it tonight tho) and I will substitute shredded Velveeta and a little Mozzarella since I don’t have the slices on hand. I actually have 3 of your recipes (the only ones I’ve looked at so far) that I plan to make! Easy White Ravioli and French Bread Spaghetti and for the next couple nights. So excited I came across these!
Hi, Teri! Those cheeses sound delicious for this casserole! How yum! I am so glad you are here. I hope you find tons you like. Can’t wait to hear about all this good yumminess you’re making!
Making this right now and it smells delish!
I know you’re going to love it! So cheesy and good. That sauce tho!
I grew up with this but with elbow macaroni, homemade spaghetti sauce or jar sauce added to ground beef and no cream of mushroom soup. One of my favorite meals.
Looks so good! Is there a similar condensed soup that could be substituted for the cream of mushroom? I know the flavoring will be different but my daughter will most definitely notice the small mushroom pieces and then turn her nose up to the entire dish.
Hi, Heather! I can’t think of another soup that would not substantially change the flavor of the sauce. I think I would try running the mushroom soup through the blender or food processor or even putting it through a mesh strainer. I can’t say that the mushrooms pieces aren’t visible if you’re specifically hunting for them, but it is a little harder to find them in the ground beef and red sauce. I hope it works out because this is a wonderful comfort food family recipe that’s always seems to be a hit (even with my son who doesn’t like “casseroles”!).
I know you have been asked this question but my son is allergic to mushrooms. Would maybe a cream of chicken work? If you don’t think it wold taste good I don’t want to bother making it. Let me know your thoughts?
Thanks
In my opinion, cream of chicken would not compliment beef. Maybe make your own “cream of beef” to add instead?