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 Pin 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.1 pound lean ground beef, 1 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup diced orange bell pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon Montreal Steak seasoning or Magic Dust seasoning (see recipe below)
- Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano and chili powder and bring to a gentle boil.16 ounces tomato sauce, 10 ounces can of Red Gold Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles, 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 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.2 cups frozen corn, 2 ounces shredded Mexican 4 Cheese blend
- Gently stir in the cooked pasta.1 1/2 cups dried macaroni style pasta
- Pour everything into prepared casserole dish and top with shredded cheese.1 cup shredded Mexican 4 Cheese blend
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
- Garnish with green onions if desired.sliced green onions for garnish
To make Magic Dust:
- Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. Keep some on a shaker bottle for the grill!1/2 cup paprika, 1/4 cup Kosher salt, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons mustard powder, 1/4 cup chili powder, 1/4 cup ground cumin, 2 Tablespoons ground black pepper, 1/4 cup granulated dried garlic, 2 Tablespoons cayenne pepper
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
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
This post was originally published on this blog on April 25, 2011.
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Kellbell says
I’ve used countless hamburger recipes like this and I’ve never had one that wasn’t totally bland, until now. THIS IS THE ONLY HAMBURGER HELPER type recipe that actually has flavor, I promise you.
it has a Mexican twist that I love, not spicy (I hate spicy food) and it has so much flavor. the magic dust makes A LOT! I’ll have this for the rest of my life lol but I’ve used it for burgers too and it’s really good. Only thing I changed the second time was adding a tablespoon more of the magic dust and I added a lot more cheese.
Well done! thank you for the last hamburger helper receipe I’ll ever use.