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!
Pin for later!
📖 Recipe
Hamburger Casserole
Equipment
- 1 medium pot
- 1 frying pan
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
Jan
I made this with 2 pints of my homemade frozen pizza sauce instead of canned tomato soup. Quick and easy!
Betty Whipple
Excellent!
Sarah Condon
Is this a recipe you could meal prep and freeze?
Kim
Yes you can! I would wrap it with saran wrap and then wrap with foil. Then remove the saran wrap for cooking.
Star Rose
It was delucious!!
Kim
Thank you!
Jackie Greig
I have made something very similar. The difference, add 1 can drained corn, heat with meat before adding the soup. Oh it is addictive.
Kim
Corn would be delicious!
Ashton Cook
Going to try this recipe tonight we are a full flavor family so I’m going to use tomato basil soup and might cook a little diced yellow onions with the hamburger.
Kim
I hope you enjoy it!!
Michael
Why does the recipe say 1 box of medium shells and you show pictures of macaroni instead?
Kim
Hey! Good catch! :-) Because I first made the post back in 2015 and updated it recently with new process shots. Truthfully, it can be any type of pasta. I typically use shells, but will use whatever I have on hand or got on sale that week. It all works well in this dish.
Clark
We had this for dinner tonight! Only Chang’s was taco seasoned beef as that is what I had prepped in freezer! Kiddos liked it! Thank you!
Vicki Behling
Can you tell me how many servings and is the nutrition information posted for the entire casserole or per serving? I’m asking because it says 302,000 calories (302k cal). Maybe the k is an error...God I hope so! 😁
Kim
Hi There! That is a good question. I could explain it but I think this article does a better job than I could. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions. :-)
Joetta Fredrickson
Grew up with this meal. Some times she would add corn. My kids & grandkids love it. We call it goulash.
Melissa
Do you think this would be good with cream of mushroom soup, instead of tomato?
Kim
Well, it would definitely change the recipe, but would it taste good? Yes, it would. Be sure to add 1/2 cup of milk or water to the cream of mushroom soup so it won't be as thick.
Alfredo
It was easy to follow the directions and it tastes really good! My family loved it.
Penny Gadberry
Tried several times to print your hamburger casserole off and it would not print..
Would you know why?
Kim
Thanks for reaching out! I just tried printing it and I had someone else try and it prints fine for us. I'm not sure--maybe try leaving the site and going back in. Hope that helps!
Ash
Could I use. Pizza sause or any different kind sause bc my family dont like the soup
Kim
Pizza sauce would certainly work, it would be more like a pizza bake. It is good that way. Spaghetti sauce would work as well. I have to say, I don't like tomato soup, at all, and this is a favorite casserole of mine. It just works. Maybe it will work for your family too! :-)