Beef noodle casserole puts our favorite soup in a casserole dish

The word casserole should allude to a food that is easy to prepare, cook, and eat, and this beef noodle recipe hits every mark. There are many versions of this classic dish, but my recipe combines a beloved pantry staple—cream of mushroom soup—with tomato sauce, lots of garlic, sweet onion, and sharp cheddar cheese. The only prep work requires cutting onions, chopping garlic, and grating the cheese, making it simple enough for nights when you're feeling extra lazy. Keep reading on for all of my top tips on how to perfect this staple comfort food:

What People Are Saying:

"This dish was simple to make and very tasty. I will definitely make it again. My family loved it." - nan9788

"This is delicious, a perfect family dinner everyone loved it!! Followed the recipe exactly." - ape1984

How To Make Beef Noodle Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• Egg Noodles: Only use wide or extra-wide egg noodles for that distinguished, classic shape. It also allows the sauce to wrap itself around the noodle more neatly (especially if you’re presenting to a group of guests). Egg noodles are tender and fragile in nature, so it’s imperative not to overcook them before going into the oven. Cook just a minute under al dente, so when they finish cooking in the oven, they won’t turn to mush.
• Ground Beef: Ground beef is a weeknight savior for me again and again, but it especially shines in this easy casserole. I suggest using 85% lean ground beef here.
• Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic are staple ingredients here—you’ll cook them down before starting on your sauce.
• Tomato Sauce: One can of tomato sauce adds that perfect acidic, slightly sweet balance to the cream of mushroom soup and heavy cream. Use whatever brand of tomato sauce you love.
• Cream of Mushroom Soup: This is the star of the show here. This pantry staple is creamy and adds a subtle mushroom flavor that completes this casserole.
• Heavy Cream: A little bit of heavy cream adds richness to the sauce while also making it thick and substantial.
• Cheddar: My top tip? Don’t use pre-shredded cheese! Given the addition of anti-caking ingredients, whatever goes into your cheese should not include anything beyond cheese.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, preheat your oven to 350°. Then add your noodles to a large pot of boiling water that has been salted. Before the noodles are done and before draining your sauce, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to use in the sauce later, then drain the pasta. It’s imperative to reserve your pasta water for the sauce. It can be an easy step to forget, so I'm repeating it here.

Beef Noodle Casserole

Cook the noodles while stirring occasionally until they’re almost al dente, around 1 minute less than the package directions. Drain, then add butter to the drained noodles and toss to combine, then set aside.

Beef Noodle Casserole

Grab another large pot, then heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook the beef until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon while you cook. Once cooked, season with salt.

Beef Noodle Casserole

Reduce the heat to medium, then add onion and garlic to the pan. Stir and cook until the onion is translucent, then add the tomato sauce, soup, heavy cream, and 1/3 of the cheese. Bring everything to a simmer and cook, adding either 1/2 up to 1 cup of pasta water. Depending on how saucy you want your casserole to be, you can add a little extra starchy water; the water will stretch the sauce and make it glossy, while the starch will enhance the flavor. Keep cooking until the cheese is melted and the sauce has reached the desired consistency, then you can taste and season again with salt if needed.

Beef Noodle Casserole

Add your noodles to the pot, then mix with the saucy-meaty mixture.

Beef Noodle Casserole

Pour into the baking pan, and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.

Beef Noodle Casserole

Bake the casserole until it’s bubbly, and the cheese is melty, then top with fresh parsley before serving.

Beef Noodle Casserole

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

What To Serve With Beef Noodle Casserole

• Mashed Potatoes: Mashed potatoes are always a good idea, but make perfect sense here if you’re looking to take this creamy, cheese dish to a whole other level of comfort.
• Caramelized Brussels Sprouts: Tossed in a honey and vinegar dressing and roasted until glazed and crisp, these sweet and tangy sprouts pair perfectly with any main.
• Garlic-Parmesan Roasted Carrots: When carrots roast, their flavor concentrates and sweetens. Pair that with copious amounts of umami-packed Parmesan and just a touch of lemon, and you’ve got a super-irresistible side dish.

Storage

You can make this casserole ahead and let it cool before wrapping it in foil and storing it in the refrigerator. Or divide any leftovers into portions and wrap each in foil. Reheat in the oven at 350° just until heated through. The leftover casserole will hold for up to 5 days.

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Yields: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Kosher salt

• 12 oz.

  egg noodles

• 2 tbsp.

  unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp.

  extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 lb.

  (85% lean) ground beef

• 1

  large yellow onion, finely chopped

• 3

  cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1

  (15-oz.) can tomato sauce

• 1

  (10.5-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

• 1/3 c.

  heavy cream

• 8 oz.

  sharp cheddar, shredded, divided

• 1 tbsp.

  chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute less than al dente according to package directions. Drain; reserve 1 cup pasta water. Add butter to noodles and toss to combine.
2. Meanwhile, in another large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Cook beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes; season with salt.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, soup, cream, and one-third of cheese. Bring to a simmer and cook, adding 1/2 to 1 cup pasta water, until cheese is melted and desired consistency is reached, about 1 minute; season with salt, if needed. Add noodles to pot and mix with meat mixture. Pour into 13" x 9" baking pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
4. Bake casserole until center and edges are bubbly, 30 minutes. Top with parsley.