Hamburger Casserole

Name: Hamburger Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 lb box medium shells; 1 lb ground hamburger (, cooked with garlic powder, dried onion, salt and pepper to taste. We use 2 tsp each. ); 21.5 oz tomato soup (2 cans); 1 cup cheddar cheese; 1 cup mozzarella cheese

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Need a quick, simple meal to feed your hungry family? This Hamburger Casserole has four simple ingredients you are likely to have at home. Starts with noodles and after adding tomato soup and hamburger, and of course delicious mozzarella cheese, the perfect easy casserole is born! Great for getting supper on the table fast!

A spoon scooping up casserole with layers of cheese and noodles — Such a simple supper recipe, the hamburger casserole is a family favorite with cheese, tomato soup and hamburger.

Every meal needs to have some meat in it in this house. Good thing this easy Hamburger Casserole recipe fits the bill. Melted cheese on top of noodles, hamburger and tomato soup. This casserole supper is so kid friendly, I have had readers tell me their pickiest eaters loved it! Talk about a winner of a dinner!

What is hamburger casserole?

It is a casserole with only a few ingredients. It also has a unique ingredient, tomato soup. I know some may be scared away by the thought of tomato soup in this recipe. The subtle but unique taste of the soup compliments the seasoned hamburger and noodles very well.

It also makes quite a bit in a 9x13 pan so it feeds a large family. It can feed my family of six with enough for lunches the next day.

I should point out my children ages: 20, 16, 13 and 10. Three boys and a girl so trust me, they eat a lot! Any recipe with leftovers to feed them the next day is a winner to me.

Ingredients

This casserole recipe has only a handful of simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen.

Noodles
Cheddar cheese/Mozzarella cheese
Hamburger
Tomato soup.

Are the noodles pre-cooked?

Yes, they are. While you are cooking the hamburger, you can cook the 1 pound of noodles as well (in another pot) so the process only takes 10 minutes or so. Don't worry about the type of noodles to use in this easy supper recipe.

We use rotini or elbow macaroni the most, but shells work well too. I wouldn't use egg noodles or frozen noodles for this.

Cooked elbow macaroni in a clear casserole dish. — The cooked noodles are ready for the hamburger and sauce.

Then the meal comes together in a casserole pan and bakes for 20 minutes.

cooked noodles, hamburger and soup in a casserole dish. — Everything is cooked, just needs to be mixed together.

To make this easy and kid friendly recipe, cook up the hamburger, boil the noodles until Al Dente (a bit of a bite to them about 7 minutes), stir in the tomato soup and sprinkle with cheese. You can read how to make cook perfect Al Dente Pasta.

shredded cheese on top of unbaked hamburger casserole. — Cover and bake and you have a delicious and easy hamburger casserole recipe!

This has four ingredients in it. I personally count the mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese as one ingredient because you could simply use your favorite kind of cheese.

If you would rather, it has 5 ingredients. You can decide.

Bake

You will add all ingredients to a 9x13 casserole dish which has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. It will be baked, covered with foil, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Then you will want to uncover the casserole and bake for 5-10 minutes longer so the cheese has time to slightly and lightly brown. Oh yum.

I also will broil the cheese in the broiler for 3-5 minutes to get that extra layer of crispness to the cheese. Don't worry, still gooey cheese underneath!

Make ahead preparation

To make this casserole supper recipe even more easy, you can have hamburger already cooked and frozen in the refrigerator.

Sometimes, when I know I am going to have a busy week, when I get home from the store I cook the hamburger I bought immediately. As I am putting away the other groceries, the ground beef cooks on the stove and I am tackling two activities at once.

Got to love multitasking.

Then, after the ground beef is done cooking, I drain the grease and put it in a freezer container without putting the lid on and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Then, I cover it and put it in the freezer.

When I am ready to make this hamburger casserole, I pull the hamburger out of the freezer and add it to the recipe. So quick and easy!

FAQ

Can I substitute the tomato soup for spaghetti sauce?

Sure! But then it would be more of a pasta casserole. Still works, just a different recipe.

Can I add spices to this?

Yes, you can. A little onion would be delicious. As would a touch of garlic.

How should I store leftovers?

Place any leftovers in an airtight container and place in fridge for up to 48 hours. Reheat as desired.

Serve this up with great sides like Poppy Seed Fruit Salad or 3 Ingredient Grape Jello Salad. So simple to make and such a family favorite. My hubby told me I could make it once a week. Maybe your family will too!

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