Beef and Noodle Casserole Recipe

Published: September 6, 2018Updated: September 3, 2020Author: Camille Beckstrand
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Your whole family will love this Beef and Noodle Casserole. This recipe is perfect for your picky eaters on a busy night. Turn this noodle casserole into a freezer meal with just a few added steps, and it's perfect for now and later!
Beef and Noodle Casserole Recipe

Beef Casserole Recipe

Beef + noodles in a creamy sauce – does it get any better than that? This dish is comfort food at it’s finest!

We use ground beef for this recipe, but you could easily substitute ground turkey and it will still be delicious.

How to make Beef and Noodle Casserole into a Freezer Meal

If you’ve been following us for a while you know that we love ourselves a good freezer meal or shortcut. This recipe can easily be made into a freezer meal. Here’s how you do it:

Prepare casserole in pan that can be frozen. We love these Aluminum Foil Pans <—- click to buy your own!

  1. Follow the directions and bake the casserole as listed in the instructions
  2. Remove casserole from oven and let cool on counter for at least 25 minutes
  3. Cover casserole with foil or freezer lid and freeze for up to 30 days.
  4. To reheat casserole, allow it to thaw in the fridge for at least 5 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Substitutions for Cottage Cheese in a Casserole

We know cottage cheese is kind of an acquired taste! There are a lot of different options if you’d like to substitute it for something else.

Pureed cream cheese or thick Greek yogurt are popular substitutes used in many recipes calling for cottage cheese because they don’t sacrifice flavor or texture in most dishes.

Ricotta cheese is the most popular substitution for cottage cheese, and is a great filling for ravioli, cannoli and other Italian desserts.

Reader Comment Substitutions for Beef and Noodle Casserole

We’ve received a lot of input on this recipe over the years. Here’s what a few of our readers suggested tweaking or adding while making it their own:

  • Extra Salt and Pepper
  • Extra Garlic Salt
  • A packet of taco seasoning in the ground beef for an extra kick of flavor
  • Bow tie pasta instead of egg noodles
  • Ground turkey in place of beef
  • A frozen package of peas and carrots
  • Regular white onions in place of green onions

Related Recipe: Looking for more casseroles your family will love? Be sure to try our CORNBREAD SLOPPY JOE CASSEROLE. 


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Easy Casserole recipes

We love an easy casserole on a busy night! Here are a few more of our favorites:

  • Oven Baked Omelet
  • Pesto Tortellini Bake
  • Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole
  • John Wayne Casserole
  • Loaded Nacho Casserole

    Serves: 6

    Beef and Noodle Casserole Recipe

    I love a good hearty casserole and this one is so easy to throw together and fill you up! This recipe will become a family favorite for sure.

    10 minPrep Time

    20 minCook Time

    30 minTotal Time

    Save RecipeSave Recipe
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 (8 ounce) package wide egg noodles
    • 1 pound ground beef
    • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
    • salt and pepper, to taste
    • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
    • 3/4 cup sour cream
    • 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
    • 1/2 cup diced green onions
    • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Cook egg noodles following directions on packaging. Rinse noodles in cold water and drain.
    3. While noodles are cooking, brown ground beef in a pan with garlic salt and salt and pepper.
    4. Drain excess grease from beef.
    5. Add in tomato sauce and let simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
    6. In another bowl mix sour cream, cottage cheese, and green onions together. Add sour cream mixture to meat in skillet and mix well.
    7. Place noodles and meat mixture in a 9x13-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and top with shredded cheese.
    8. Cook for 20-25 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Calories

    2433 cal

    Fat

    181 g

    Carbs

    56 g

    Protein

    129 g
    Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
    7.8.1.2
    344
    https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/beef-and-noodle-casserole-recipe/

Recipe slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

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easy casserole recipe - beef and noodle casserole

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  1. Tammy says:
    August 10, 2014
    Was wondering if this could be frozen and reheated? On a mission to make some "real" micro meals for my Uni daughter for the fall! Thanks, and another GREAT recipe!
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      August 11, 2014
      This should work great frozen, then thaw and reheat. Thanks for stopping by and checking out our recipes! Have a great week!
      Reply
  2. Erin @ SimpleSweetSavory.com says:
    August 11, 2014
    This looks so yummy, easy, and quick! Perfect for a busy weeknight. Thanks for sharing. Pinning!
    Reply
  3. Kelsey Anne says:
    August 18, 2014
    I was wondering if you can substitute anything for the cottage cheese?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      August 20, 2014
      You could use ricotta cheese as a substitute for cottage cheese.
      Reply
  4. Dana says:
    August 25, 2014
    I was wondering if you could substitute Quinoa for the noodles? I'm a gastric bypass patient and pasta is a no no for me! But this looks so good!!!
    Reply
  5. autumn says:
    October 26, 2014
    i was wondering have you ever used chicken in this recipe instead of ground beef? If so did it turn out the same?
    Reply
  6. Katie says:
    November 18, 2014
    Do you have to cook the egg noodles first? Was thinking of mixing them in uncoked with extra sauce and maybe foil?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      November 18, 2014
      Yes, cook the egg noodles. It's #2 in the directions.
      Reply
  7. Erika says:
    November 28, 2014
    This sounded so good, but I made it tonight, and it had absolutely no flavor. I expected it to be much better, but it was incredibly bland.
    Reply
    • Meme says:
      December 29, 2014
      hi Erica The recipe says salt and pepper to taste. I just made it and I added some garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Turned out delicious. Hope this helps.
      Reply
  8. Vicki says:
    January 28, 2015
    Could you leave out the cottage cheese all together from this recipe?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 11, 2015
      Hi Vicki. The recipe calls for 1 cup which is quite a bit. I looked up some substitute options for you and this is what I found. Hope this helps! Pureed cream cheese or thick Greek yogurt are popular substitutes used in many recipes calling for cottage cheese, as they don't sacrifice flavor or texture in most dishes. Ricotta cheese is often used instead of cottage cheese, and is a great filling for ravioli, cannoli and other Italian desserts.
      Reply
  9. heather says:
    February 5, 2015
    made this recipe tonight and I was disappointed that it tasted like something from a box like hamburger helper. it was quick and easy and NOT from a box and my kid's enjoyed it. So thank you
    Reply
  10. Alice Birmingham says:
    July 30, 2015
    I make this but I add a package of taco mix to the hamburger and that gives it more flavor. Follow the directions on the taco mix package. Haven't tried it with egg noodles, I use whatever pasta I have on hand.
    Reply
  11. Bridget says:
    October 21, 2015
    I usually slip in a package of peas and carrots so that they kids are getting the veggiees they need with out complaining (by kids I mean my husband and 20 yo son!). They love this casserole on a nice cool evening. THANK YOU!
    Reply
  12. Keri says:
    November 4, 2015
    I substituted and used ground turkey, used regular white onions, medium shredded cheddar and it tasted great. My kids loved it. My husband and I added some spice to our helpings.
    Reply
  13. Sandi Connors says:
    November 9, 2015
    I found this to be very bland and dry. Made it exactly as directed. Sorry, but will not be making again.
    Reply
  14. Sara says:
    August 20, 2016
    I made this tonight. Basically a deconstructed lasagna of sorts. I added a good deal of garlic powder to cheese/sour cream mixture. I think next time I'll cut the sour cream by half, see if that helps thicken things up. Otherwise, this is a bit soupy.
    Reply
  15. Don says:
    November 12, 2016
    I'll be adding peas, yogurt instead of cottage cheese, plenty of garlic and taco seasoning mix
    Reply
  16. Norm says:
    November 30, 2016
    I made this last night, and it was very good. I read some of the previous comments beforehand, so I used a couple of the recommendations / suggestions. I used ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese, and I added a taco seasoning packet to the beef. I also added a whole onion in place of the green onion. That's just a personal preference. Highly recommend.
    Reply
  17. GLENN Eldridge says:
    January 4, 2017
    I also added mild sausage.. and cup od grated parmesan cheese and topped with crushed rosemary and olive oil triskets... was good
    Reply
  18. Judith Davis says:
    June 14, 2018
    Can it be cooked in a crockpot? If, so what setting and how long?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      June 14, 2018
      Hi Judith. Here is some information I found for you and converting a oven recipe over to the slow cooker. It was very helpful. With the beef and noodle casserole, I don't think you will have to alter the recipe that much because everything is basically cooked before sticking it in the oven or slow cooker. It just needs to get heated through. You may also need to cook longer because the high setting on a slow cooker is around 300 degrees and this beef and noodle casserole needs to cook at 350 degrees in the oven. Here is the link to the conversion information. I hope this helps. https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/crockpot-conversion-chart
      Reply
  19. Dawn says:
    June 26, 2018
    Do you cover this when you bake it?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      June 27, 2018
      We left it uncovered during baking.
      Reply
  20. Tanya K. says:
    July 5, 2019
    Just made this and it’s super good, my husband, 7 yo and 4 yo is eating it up. I followed the directions almost exactly except I used a lot of salt/pepper, a lot of garlic salt and added an ample amount of garlic powder. I chose this recipe because it’s from Six Sisters - so good!
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      August 12, 2019
      Hi Tanya! Thanks for your sweet comment!
      Reply
  21. Kelly says:
    October 2, 2020
    Is there any way to leave out the cottage cheese and sour cream. If so what can be used instead. I don't like cheese or yogurt
    Reply
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