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!
Every meal needs to have some meat in it in this house. (Like this enchilada casserole with hamburger.) Good thing this easy Hamburger Casserole recipe fits the bill. Melted cheese on top of noodles, hamburger and tomato soup come together for a delicious casserole recipe.
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!
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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.
Another name for this old fashioned hamburger casserole recipe is Hamburger Hotdish. It is a simple recipe with only a few ingredients and it feeds a large family so it was a favorite of yesteryear.
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 - I have used shells or macaroni noodles for this recipe. Egg noodles would work well too.
- Cheddar cheese/Mozzarella cheese - one or the other can be used. I used both.
- Hamburger - cooked ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Tomato soup - good old fashioned tomato soup without the milk or water added. Just use the soup.
Are the noodles pre-cooked?
Yes, they are. While you are cooking the ground beef, 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.
Then the meal comes together in a casserole pan and bakes for 20 minutes.
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.
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
Sure! But then it would be more of a pasta casserole. Still works, just a different recipe.
Yes, you can. A little onion would be delicious. As would a touch of garlic.
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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📖 Recipe
Hamburger Casserole
Equipment
- 1 medium pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb box medium shells
- 1 lb ground hamburger , cooked with garlic powder, dried onion, salt and pepper to taste. We use 2 teaspoon each.
- 21.5 oz tomato soup 2 cans
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.
- While cooking the noodles, in a frying pan, cook the hamburger until no longer pink. (If you are using salt and pepper, add it while cooking the hamburger).
- Pour cooked noodles in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Stir the cooked hamburger and tomato soup with the noodles. I just stir everything in the pan. I also sometimes add ½ cup of water to the mixture for a little more moisture. Completely optional.
- Sprinkle cheese over casserole and cover with foil.
- Bake in a 375* oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes longer.
- Can bake under broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown cheese, if desired.
- Note: If you want to use 2 cups of one kind of cheese (example: mozzarella) instead of the combination, you canDried onion and garlic powder is completely optional and can be adjusted to your family's tastes
Bruce Gatjen
On the garlic,onion,and salt,and peper how much did you put in?
Kim
On spices like that, I always put "to taste" because I know it varies so much from family to family as to what they like. My mom would put nothing in and we put more. :-) As a guide, I put 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp pepper, 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic and 1 Tablespoon chopped onion. You can certainly leave any of those out as well.
Melanie Clower
I made this dish with whole wheat penne pasta and grass fed 80/20 beef. I used 1 jar of Paul Newman's Sockaronni Spaghetti Sauce instead of canned soups. I poured 1/2 the hamburger mixture in a pan, topped with the cheddar, then topped with the rest of the hamburger mixture. I layered the top with mozzarella and grated parmesan. It was very good. Don't be afraid of whole wheat pasta guys. Its healthier and taste better than you think it would. The grass fed beef speaks for itself. :)
Amy
I made this last night, in two 8 by 8 pans and it totally worked. It was SO good and I don't even love pasta. The only change I made was no onion, but followed the recipe exactly other than that.
Kim
I'm so glad you like it! It is a family favorite and I am actually planning on making it tonight. :-)
Hannah
Thank you for sharing this looks perfect for dinner!
Kim
Thank you! My family loves it!
Amy
Ever tried Cheeseburger soup? Only uses1/2lb. Of Hamburger and veggies cook down to add big flavor and hardly noticeable. It is amazing! I only use the Taste of Home recipe. It's by far the best!
Kim
I do have a Cheeseburger Soup recipe but it uses more than 1/2 lb of hamburger! That recipe sounds wonderful! Thanks for the tip. I'll have to check that out.
Henley
How many cups is a box of noodles? I pour all my noodles in a Tupperware container
Sarah
I use a pound of noodles for this recipe. :-)
Michelle G.
My family loved it! So easy and tasty... Definitely going in my rotation!!! Thank you!
Sarah
Glad you liked it. It is a fabulous go to meal and so easy!!
Marie Penela
Tried this Hamburger Casserole the other day and it was pretty good. Tomato sauce gave it a good flavor. Reminded me of Chef Boyardee only thing was sauce was different and cheesy. Would make again for the family.
Sarah
Glad you liked it! It is a favorite here!!
Jan
I think you may be married to my husband's twin! After 31 years of marriage, I am so sick of green beans, I could scream! Especially since he really only likes the canned ones! I am definitely following you now since you have recipes my family might actually eat!
Sarah
Ha! So funny--I know just how you feel. :-) I am glad you are following me and together we can get our families to branch out a little. Hopefully!! I did make a soup yesterday with CORN floating in it and he not only ate it last night, he had it for lunch today. Try the taco soup. It's delicious!
Jenn
Have you ever tried spaghetti pie for your family? I make this every so often for my family and they love it. I also call it lazy momma lasagna.
Brown up Hamburger or Italian sausage or both
Cook a lb of spaghetti noodles
Grease a pie pan I use butter or Pam spray
Put your noodles in the pie pan leaving room to put toppings on
Then I take ricotta cheese mix some garlic, shredded mozzarella cheese, and Italian seasoning
Put that on top of the noodles
Add the hamburger
A jar of spaghetti sauce
Top with mozzarella cheese
Bake at 350 for about 25 to 30 minutes
I know it may sound like a lot but once you make it one time you will see it really is not. I usually serve a salad and garlic bread especially if we have guest for dinner. And everyone is full and happy with a slice of spaghetti pie and barely has room for desert.
Sarah
I have never tried that! Thanks for the tip and I will give it a try. I appreciate it! :-)
Christine
This recipe sounds so good and so much easier than lasagna!!
Kim
It is so easy! I just made it again the other day and not much is left. Just enough for my oldest to take it in his lunch. Hope you enjoy it!