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This hamburger casserole is the dinner I pull together on the nights I do not want to think about dinner, and it still lands like I planned it all along. Egg noodles, seasoned ground beef, and a mix of vegetables baked under a cheddar jack top that melts into every bite, saucy and warm and gone before I get seconds.
I retested this one from scratch to get the amounts right. Made the way it is written now, it stays saucy instead of drying out, even after it rests before serving.
Most hamburger casseroles land bland or dried out. Mine is seasoned to actually taste like something and stays saucy edge to edge. The one move that gets it there is the way you treat the egg noodles, and I will show you right below.
TESTED AND PERFECTED
What I Changed So It Never Comes Out Dry Again
I went back into the kitchen because the top would dry out wherever the cheese did not quite reach, and the seasoning was hit or miss batch to batch. I fixed both. Now I spread the cheese all the way to the edges so no noodles turn to leather in the oven, and I dialed in the salt and pepper so it tastes right without you having to guess. It comes out saucy and seasoned every single time.
The Step People Always Skip
Cook the egg noodles to al dente, about seven minutes, then drain them and stop right there.
They are not fully cooked, and that is the point. The noodles bake for another 25 minutes in the oven, so they finish cooking inside the casserole. If you boil them all the way soft first, they turn to mush by the time the cheese melts on top.
Pull them early, even when it feels too soon. Set a timer so you are not guessing.
Key Ingredients
- Egg noodles: These are sturdy enough to hold up to the sauce and the bake without falling apart, and they stay tender in the middle. A thinner pasta breaks down and goes gummy once it bakes a second time.
- Lean ground beef: Lean keeps the casserole from turning greasy under all that cheese. If all you have is a higher fat beef, brown it and drain the grease before it goes in.
- Cheddar jack cheese: It melts smooth and covers the top without turning oily. Shred it off the block if you can, because pre-shredded cheese is coated to keep it from clumping and never melts quite as cleanly. Half gets mixed in and half goes on top.
- Diced Italian style tomatoes and tomato sauce: These two build the sauce that keeps everything moist through the bake. The Italian style tomatoes come already seasoned, which is part of why the casserole tastes like more than beef and noodles.
- Italian seasoning and garlic: This is the backbone of the flavor. Cooked into the beef and onions, they season the whole dish from the inside instead of sitting on top.
- Frozen peas, carrots, and corn: No thawing needed, they go in frozen. They are what turn this from a beef and noodle bake into a full meal in one dish.
How to Make Hamburger Casserole
Step 1: Cook the Egg Noodles to Al Dente Prepare the egg noodles according to package directions, then drain and set aside. Keep them firm on purpose since they finish cooking in the oven.
Step 2: Heat the Oven and Prep the Dish Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Getting the oven going now means the casserole goes straight in once it is assembled.
Step 3: Brown the Ground Beef In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until it is almost done, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. You want it not quite fully cooked, since it keeps cooking with the vegetables next.
Step 4: Add the Onion, Pepper, and Seasoning Add the diced onion and green pepper and cook about four minutes, then stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook one minute more. Cooking the vegetables down here is what builds the flavor, so do not skip it.
Step 5: Build the Sauce Pour in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, add the salt and pepper, and cook a few minutes, stirring often. It should look saucy and smell seasoned before it comes off the heat.
Step 6: Layer in the baking dish Put the egg noodles in the bottom of the baking dish, pour the beef mixture over them, then add the peas, carrots, corn, and half of the cheese.
Step 7 Mixwell Mix everything together well so every bite gets sauce and cheese.
Step 8: Top with Cheese and Bake Spread the remaining cheese over the top, all the way to the edges so no noodles poke through, and bake 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through.
Step 9: Rest and Serve Serve warm, with a little fresh parsley on top if you like. Let it sit about 10 minutes first so it sets and scoops clean.
What to Serve With Hamburger Casserole
This casserole covers a lot on its own, but a side rounds it out. I serve it with my cheesy pull-apart garlic bread for pulling through the sauce, and a big copycat Olive Garden salad for something cool and crunchy against the warm dish.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make it ahead. Assemble the whole casserole, cover it tight, and keep it in the fridge up to 24 hours before baking. Since it goes in cold, add about 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time and pull it when the center is hot and bubbly.
Store leftovers. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or a 350 degree oven with a splash of water stirred in to bring back the sauce.
Freeze it. Freeze up to 2 months, either unbaked or baked and fully cooled, wrapped tight so it does not dry out. Thaw overnight in the fridge before you bake or reheat it.
More Casserole Recipes
- Dorito taco casserole
- Crack chicken casserole
- Chicken pot pie casserole
- Taco spaghetti
- Million dollar spaghetti casserole
I keep all of my easy casserole recipes in one place if you want more dinners like this one.
Hamburger Casserole with Egg Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 cups dry egg noodles cooked
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced green pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 14 ounce can diced Italian style tomatoes
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
- ¼ cup frozen corn
- 2¼ cups shredded cheddar jack cheese divided
Instructions
- Prepare egg noodles according to directions and set aside.4 cups dry egg noodles
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until it is almost done, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go.1 pound lean ground beef
- Add the onion and green pepper to the skillet and cook about 4 minutes, then add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook 1 minute more.1 cup diced onion, 1 cup diced green pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Pour tomato sauce and diced tomatoes into the skillet, add salt and pepper to taste and cook together for a few minutes, stirring frequently.8 ounce can tomato sauce, 14 ounce can diced Italian style tomatoes, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper
- Put the egg noodles in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the ground beef mixture on top. Add in the peas, carrots, corn, and half of the cheese. Mix everything together thoroughly.½ cup frozen peas and carrots, ¼ cup frozen corn, 1.13 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
- Top with remaining cheese and bake for 25 minutes in the oven, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through.1.13 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
- Serve warm, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Jenn’s Notes
- The egg noodles keep cooking in the oven, so pull them off the stove at al dente, about 7 minutes, or they turn mushy in the bake.
- Taste the beef mixture before it goes in the dish and adjust the salt, up to a full teaspoon each of salt and pepper if it needs it.
- Spread the top cheese all the way to the edges so no noodles dry out.
Question about the garlic–is this garlic powder or minced garlic, etc.
thanks for catching that! it’s minced garlic. I’ve updated the recipe.
Went straight by the recipe and it was delicious!
I’m out of Italian seasoning…could I substitute dry Italian dressing mix?