A tried and true recipe for the best ever ground beef casserole that’s loaded with easy ingredients and plenty of cheese! Hamburger casserole has never tasted so good.
Why this recipe works
As far as simple ground beef casserole recipes go, this one is by far our favorite. With over 800+ positive reviews, I can almost guarantee it will be a winner with your family as it has been in my home for the past 13 years!
You can consider this ground beef casserole a “southwest casserole”, or you might even call it hamburger casserole. Either way, it’s a staple meal that comes together easily with simple ingredients. If you’re looking for a set-it-and-forget-it version, hop over to our crockpot ground beef casserole recipe.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
BEEF – You can use ground beef, ground turkey, or even ground chicken in this casserole. Other ground meats can be substituted as well such as venison or bison, making this a very versatile recipe. Ground Italian sausage mixed with ground beef or turkey would be a great flavor combination as too!
TOMATOES – While I have listed Red Gold diced tomatoes, you don’t have to use that brand. The key was that they have green chiles already added. If you can’t find them, you can use a regular can of tomatoes and add a 4-ounce can of green chiles.
CHEESE – You can find a Mexican cheese blend already shredded at the grocery store. However, if you have a preference on cheese feel free to use whatever you like. I do recommend that you have a cheddar cheese and jack cheese in the mix.
PASTA – I do not recommend using a quick cooking pasta in this recipe. Regular pasta is the way to go here. The quick cooking type cooks too long in this dish and tends to get a bit mushy. You could certainly use a no-boil pasta in this casserole, I would suggest soaking them in hot water while you are prepping the recipe on the stove.
SEASONING – I mention something called Magic Dust in the recipe below. This is a mixture I keep in my kitchen that I found in the book Peace, Love & Barbecue. I prefer it and I’ve provided it in the recipe below, but you can use a steak seasoning instead.
How to Make Ground Beef Casserole
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a two-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with onions, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Season with Magic Dust or steak seasoning.
- Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, and chili powder and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the frozen corn and simmer for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the 2 ounces of cheese until melted.
- Gently stir in the cooked pasta.
- Pour everything into the prepared casserole dish and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
- Garnish with green onions if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store cooled leftover hamburger casserole in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water to remoisten if needed.
As with any casserole containing pasta, it will do fine in the freezer for up to three months. To freeze, allow the cooked casserole to cool completely before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Or, transfer the casserole to an air-tight container. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 F and remove foil so you can take off the plastic wrap from the frozen dish. Put the foil back on and bake (casserole will still be frozen) for about an hour. Check for doneness and continue for another 15 minutes if needed. If you defrosted the casserole, reheat for 35-45 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your hamburger casserole with sliced green onions and a dollop of sour cream as garnish. This dish is pretty filling on its own but you can pair it with a dinner salad or roasted vegetables on the side. Enjoy!
More Ground Beef Recipes
Ground Beef Casserole
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- ½ cup diced orange bell pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Montreal Steak seasoning or Magic Dust seasoning (see recipe below)
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 10 ounces can of Red Gold Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 ounces shredded Mexican 4 Cheese blend
- 1 ½ cups dried macaroni style pasta cooked al dente
- 1 cup shredded Mexican 4 Cheese blend
- sliced green onions for garnish
OPTIONAL – Magic Dust ingredients (you can use steak seasoning instead):
- ½ cup paprika
- ¼ cup Kosher salt finely ground
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons mustard powder
- ¼ cup chili powder
- ¼ cup ground cumin
- 2 Tablespoons ground black pepper
- ¼ cup granulated dried garlic
- 2 Tablespoons cayenne pepper
Before You Begin
- Use regular pasta as indicated in the recipe. The quick cooking type cooks too long in this dish and tends to get a bit mushy.
- You could certainly use a no-boil pasta in this casserole, I would suggest soaking them in hot water while you are prepping the recipe on the stove.
- While I have listed Red Gold diced tomatoes, you don’t have to use that brand. The key was that they have green chiles already added. If you can’t find them, you can use a regular can of tomatoes and add a 4-ounce can of green chiles.
- You can use ground beef, ground turkey, ground bison, or even ground chicken. A mixture of Italian sausage and ground beef always goes over well at my house too.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a two-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In large skillet brown ground beef with onions, bell pepper and red pepper flakes. Season with Magic Dust or steak seasoning.
- Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano and chili powder and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the frozen corn and simmer for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the 2 ounces of cheese until melted.
- Gently stir in the cooked pasta.
- Pour everything into prepared casserole dish and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
- Garnish with green onions if desired.
To make Magic Dust:
- Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. Keep some on a shaker bottle for the grill!
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Storing – Store cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water to remoisten if needed.
- Freezing – You can freeze this casserole for up to three months. Allow the cooked casserole to cool completely before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Or, transfer the casserole to an air-tight container. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 F and remove foil so you can take off the plastic wrap from the frozen dish. Put the foil back on and bake (casserole will still be frozen) for about an hour. Check for doneness and continue for another 15 minutes if needed. If you defrosted the casserole, reheat for 35-45 minutes.
- Tip – If you don’t want your baking pan in the freezer for three months, after the dish has cooled completely line another baking dish with 2-3 layers of plastic wrap leaving extra hanging over the sides. Place the cooled casserole into the lined pan and freeze. Once frozen lift the dish out with the plastic wrap. Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the frozen item to a freezer safe bag. When you’re ready to bake it, simply remove from the bag and place it into a baking dish.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on this blog on April 25, 2011.
Amanda Davis
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Molly S says
I love this recipe! It’s the perfect blend of some of our favorite ingredients 😊 Very tasty!
I noticed In the ingredient list you accidentally put
“2 ounces shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend”
I think you meant to put 2 oz cream cheese there
Because cream cheese is not in the ingredient list anywhere.
(But I noticed in the directions that you add 2 ounces of cream cheese until it is melted. so I knew to buy that)
Not sure if you can edit the ingredient list
Amanda Davis says
Hi Molly! I scoured this recipe and post, including any edits we have made to it in the past, and we have never mentioned cream cheese. I’m so glad that you love it so much, but the ingredient list and recipe are correct as listed. The Mexican 4 cheese blend is used in two separate parts of the recipe, but not cream cheese. However I’m so glad that the substitution of cream cheese was a success for you!! That’s what matters most :)
Pam Graydon says
This is a fabulous recipe that has been a hit with everyone I’ve made it for. It’s become a staple in my family and I make it at least once a week. My husband always takes a bite and then says “OMG I love this!”. I reduced the macaroni to one cup, increased the beef to 1 1/2 lbs, and put in a full cup of red pepper. But these are just small tweaks and just makes it meatier. The spices are awesome, including the “Magic Dust”.
Val Alvarez says
Easy and delicious 😋 had seconds. Enjoyed the flavors. Thank you for sharing 💕
Claire Magnolo says
This was delicious and so simple! I did not change a thing, and my family devoured it. My husband called it the perfect comfort food casserole. Thank you for this budget friendly dish.
Chris says
Several questions… I have ‘digestive issues’ as well as a dislike for ‘hot’ food. I’m concerned about the cayenne pepper, chili powder, green chiles & red pepper flakes – is this dish very spicy? Or would it be too bland without them (there’s no such thing as too hot for my husband- he routinely jalapeños to most everything)?
Just a comment – this is the third recipe I’ve looked at & you list nutritional information by 1 portion, 1 slice etc. How do I interpret that? A 1 cup portion? A 1″ slice? If it indicated how many portions the recipe made I could pretty well gauge the size of the portion. It would be helpful, at least to me, if portion size was quantified in some way.
Amanda Davis says
Hi Chris. As far as spice goes, we do not find this to be a spicy dish. As for serving sizes, this is a recipe that has been on the site for many years. Back then we weren’t as specific about how much a single serving measured out to, we are more specific in our recent recipes. For this one, I would have to make it again in order to measure out the finished recipe. Whenever I do that I will for sure update the information.
JVH says
So, drain the tomatoes or keep the juice?
Amanda Davis says
Do not drain the tomatoes.
Elaine says
I made this exactly as written with only a couple exceptions. I used 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound ground chorizo which gave it an extra kick! I used smoked paprika in the Magic Dust recipe, and a can of Rotel fire roasted diced tomatoes and hatch green chiles. Lots of great flavors in this recipe! It’s going in my “keeper” file.
Jacqueline Kerstetter says
This is an easy-to-make and delicious recipe! I have been in a cooking rut recently, so this afternoon I searched for a new recipe. This one caught my eye, because it looked easy to make (and was easy to understand). I am an inexperienced cook for my age, because I was very spoiled by my deceased husband’s love for cooking.
With this recipe, I only had to google 2 things:
1) liter to quart measurement, to figure out which casserole dish to use (as mine are labeled by liter)
and
2) what 2 ounces of cheese is in cups (1/4 cup).
Both of my sons (12 and 15) loved this casserole, as did I, so this is a win!
I followed all measurements exactly as the recipe described, but did taste-test my steak seasoning to be sure it had enough salt in it.
I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Laura P. says
Ok! This actually turned out really good, I was skeptical while I was throwing it together.My sons been in the hospital all week so I’ve had no time to cook. I doubled the recipe . Each day the flavors settle in more making it taste even better each day . Thanks Amanda!
Sharon L says
My oldest aunt used to make this casserole often when were kids; I always looked forward to it. Last year, I asked if she remembered the recipe, she couldn’t really remember, she’s 94 years old and her memory has faded somewhat. I followed your recipe, but I added fresh garlic, and celery seeds, and do to my gout issues, I used ground turkey. My family loved it, and my mom asked, didn’t Sis use to make this? I told her yep, but I’d given up trying to figure it out until I typed in the Google search bar my ingredients and yours popped up first, so Thank YOU immensely! I wish I could post a picture of it.
JH says
Very tasty! I could’ve personally used a little more heat, despite adding a bit of cayenne. Definitely saving this to make again though!
Emily says
oof, came here for 4.98 stars and this recipe was mighty bland. Add. More. Salt. A lot of it at that.
Diana says
Very good! So glad I found this recipe! The Magic Dust is what really made it tasty and great flavor!