This old fashioned hamburger casserole is a comforting dinner that’s full of ground beef, pasta, vegetables, and three different types of cheese. The creamy sour cream and cream cheese layers make it taste almost like lasagna. My mom served this layered noodle bake when I was growing up, and my own kids now love the easy meal, too.
If you enjoy classic comfort food casseroles, you’ll also want to try Johnny Marzetti and this ground beef casserole with cornbread topping. For even more ideas, check out this collection of easy ground beef casserole recipes.
Table of Contents
Before You Get Started
A few simple steps make all the difference with this hamburger noodle casserole:
- Cook the noodles just until barely al dente. They’ll continue to soften as the casserole bakes, so pulling them a minute early prevents mushy pasta.
- Drain the ground beef well. Excess grease will make the casserole greasy and can cause the layers to separate.
- Bring the dairy to room temperature. Softened cream cheese and room-temperature sour cream blend together smoothly without lumps.
How to Make Hamburger Casserole
This Amish-style hamburger casserole comes together in layers, similar to lasagna. The sour cream and cream cheese mixture gives it that rich, creamy texture that sets it apart from other ground beef casseroles.
Step 1: Prep the Noodles and Cheese Mixture
Start by cooking the egg noodles in a large pot of well-salted boiling water. Pull them about a minute before the package directions suggest, since they’ll continue cooking in the oven.
Drain and set aside.
While the noodles cook, stir together the softened cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.
If you’re seeing lumps, your cream cheese may not have been soft enough. Just keep stirring until it comes together.
Step 2: Cook the Beef and Vegetables
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the ground beef, diced onion, and bell pepper. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onion turns translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Drain the excess grease: This step is important for a clean, non-greasy casserole. Tilt the skillet and spoon off the fat, or carefully drain it through a colander into a container.
Stir in the drained diced tomatoes, condensed tomato soup, and Worcestershire sauce. The tomato soup acts as a binder that holds the meat mixture together and adds a touch of sweetness.
Step 3: Assemble the Layers
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Layer the casserole in this order:
- Half of the cooked noodles
- Half of the cream cheese mixture
- Half of the meat mixture
- Remaining noodles
- Remaining cream cheese mixture
- Remaining meat mixture
- Shredded cheddar cheese on top
Step 4: Bake Until Bubbly
Bake uncovered at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling. Since everything is already cooked, you’re just warming it through, so don’t overbake or the casserole may dry out.
Let it rest: Give the casserole about 5 minutes before serving. This helps the layers set and makes it easier to scoop clean portions.
Garnish with fresh parsley for a pop of color if you like!
Made this last night for my husband and 3 year old. I’m not a huge fan of casseroles but need to streamline my dinner prepping. This was awesome!! Made it just as directed…easy peasy and just delicious…
– Angie
What to Serve with Hamburger Casserole
This casserole includes protein, vegetables, and pasta, so you really don’t need much else on the side. But if you’d like to round out the meal, here are some favorites:
Breads:
Salads:
Vegetables:
Preparation and Storage Tips
Make it ahead: You can assemble this casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. You may need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time since it’s starting cold.
Freezing is not recommended: The sour cream mixture tends to break and separate when thawed, so this one is best made fresh or stored in the refrigerator.
Leftovers: Store the baked casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Reheating: Cover the dish loosely with foil to prevent the top from browning too much and warm in a 300°F oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 5 to 10 minutes if you want the cheese crispy again. Individual portions reheat well in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut the ingredients in half and use an 8-inch square baking dish. Reduce baking time to about 20 minutes.
- Swap the protein: Ground turkey or ground chicken work well in place of beef.
- Add more seasoning: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or onion powder boost the flavor. Fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or thyme are great additions too.
- Skip the vegetables: Leave out the bell pepper or onion if your family prefers, or swap in diced carrots or frozen peas.
- Use tomato sauce instead of soup: Canned tomato sauce works but isn’t quite as sweet. Add a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity.
- Substitute the cottage cheese: Ricotta cheese is a good swap. Since cottage cheese is saltier, you may want to add a little salt to the sour cream mixture.
- Try a different pasta: Any short pasta works here. Macaroni, penne, or farfalle are all good choices. Use 8 ounces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between hamburger casserole and cowboy casserole?
Hamburger casserole typically features ground beef with pasta or rice and a creamy or tomato-based sauce. Cowboy casserole (sometimes called John Wayne casserole) usually includes tater tots, beans, and a Southwestern seasoning profile with ingredients like corn, peppers, and taco seasoning. Both are hearty comfort food, just different flavor directions.
If you’re curious, try this Tater Tot Cowboy Casserole for a taste of that Southwestern style.
Can I use a different pasta instead of egg noodles?
Yes! Any short pasta like macaroni, penne, rotini, or farfalle works well. Stick with about 8 ounces of dry pasta. Egg noodles give the most classic texture, but the casserole is forgiving.
What can I use instead of cottage cheese?
Ricotta cheese is the closest substitute and gives a similar creamy texture. Since cottage cheese is saltier than ricotta, taste the mixture and add a pinch of salt if needed.
Why is my casserole watery?
The most common causes are undrained tomatoes, undrained beef fat, or overcooked noodles that release too much starch. Make sure to drain the diced tomatoes well, drain the grease from the beef after browning, and cook the noodles just until barely al dente.
More Ground Beef Casserole Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Hamburger Casserole
Equipment
- 9 x 13-Inch Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup cottage cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs. ground beef
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ of a medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- ¾ cup condensed tomato soup, not diluted
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until just barely al dente, about 5 to 6 minutes (1 minute less than package directions). Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together softened cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and melted butter until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Cook until meat is no longer pink and onion is translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Stir diced tomatoes, tomato soup, and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture.
- Layer half of the noodles in the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the cream cheese mixture, then half of the meat mixture. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly.
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- Cook noodles al dente: Pull them 1 minute early since they’ll continue cooking in the oven.
- Drain the beef well: Excess grease makes the casserole greasy and can cause layers to separate.
- Room temperature dairy: Softened cream cheese and room-temp sour cream blend smoothly without lumps.
- Don’t overbake: Everything is already cooked, so you just need to heat it through until bubbly. Overbaking dries it out.
- Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Add 5 to 10 minutes to baking time.
- Not freezer-friendly: The sour cream mixture tends to separate when thawed.
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat covered at 300°F for 20 minutes.
- Pasta swap: Macaroni, penne, or farfalle work in place of egg noodles. Use 8 ounces.
Nutrition
Originally published in August, 2017, this post was updated in February, 2026.
I’m not looking forward to summer ending, but I am looking forward to fall and cooler weather! I can’t believe kids go back to school in just two weeks, so crazy! This hamburger casserole sounds like a delicious meal, Blair! I love the hearty ingredients in here. Sounds perfect for back-to-school or anytime!
Thanks, Gayle! I agree — bring on the fall and cooler weather!
Regarding the Amish Hamburger Casserole, are we to drain the juice of the diced tomatoes? I want to make this soon but I’m afraid of having a sloppy mess. Please let me know. Thank you, Franci pS I just discovered you. This will be my first time trying one of your recipes.
Hi, Franci! Yes — in the recipe card at the bottom of the post it calls for a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes drained. So glad that you found my site. I hope you enjoy the casserole!
Could I substitute ricotta for the cottage cheese
Hi, Terry! Yes, I think that would work fine. The ricotta will have a thicker, stiffer texture than the cottage cheese, but it should still be okay. The ricotta also isn’t nearly as salty as cottage cheese, so you might need to add some extra seasoning. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use this and just add some peas an carrots along with the onions an peppers
Absolutely, Elizabeth! Feel free to add what you enjoy. If you’re using fresh, raw carrots, you may want to steam them first so that they’re not too crunchy in the casserole. Enjoy!
Thank you! 🙂
Yum! We definitely need to try this soon as it looks delicious!
Thanks so much! I hope that you do!
Absolutely a smashing hit with the family. Will make again, thank you
Wonderful! Thanks, April! I’m so glad that you all enjoyed it. 🙂
I made this tonight….WOW!! I had 2 men and myself that went back for 2nds, (I never go back for 2nds). I will be taking this for lunch tomorrow also, (I am NOT a lunch eater, I eat 1 time a day…..unusually breakfast). I made this EXACTLY as the recipe stated and it was AMAZING!! Another commenter said….there wasnt enough cheese, HOGWASH….there is PLENTY of cheese in this recipe AS IS!!! Thank you for sharing, I WILL be making this again and again!!
YAY! I’m so glad that it was a hit in your house, Diane! My boys all love this meal, too. And I agree — there’s plenty of cheese in the recipe. 🙂 Thanks so much for your positive feedback!
Do I have to use cottage cheese ?? I don’t even like the looks or smell of it .!! Lol
Hi, Karen! Nope, you definitely don’t need to use cottage cheese if you don’t like it. 🙂
Do you like ricotta cheese? That’s a good substitute, but you’d need to season it with a bit of salt and pepper because it doesn’t have as much flavor on its own. If you don’t like that substitute, you can even just omit the cottage cheese altogether and replace it with a little bit more sour cream and cream cheese. The casserole will obviously have a different taste and texture, but it should still “work.”
I tried this recipe and started layering it but decided to just mix it all together and bake it. I also added some additional seasoning-italian seating and minced garlic. Added a bit more flavor and turned out good. Even my 7 year old who doesn’t like anything didn’t complain about his supper. I can only give it a four star because of the canned tomato soup, I generally don’t use canned foods.
I made this and it was very good but a little on the dry side. I would suggest adding half or anither can of tomato soup and doubling the cottage cheese mixture. You can always discard what you dont use but i neesed a little more. I also seasoned my meat very well, used red and green bellpeppers and ground turkey instead of beef as i dont eat red meat. Other than those tweaks, great recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I made this last night for dinner! Everyone loved it!!! this is definitely a recipe to keep! I modified mine a bit as I didn’t have everything on hand. I used macaroni since I didn’t have egg noodles, and I used ricotta cheese since I didn’t have cottage cheese but still excellent!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know, JoAnn! Your substitutions sound perfect. 🙂
5 stars!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Easy to follow recipie and it was so delicious …I don’t even like tomatoes ….I will share this with anyone who asks
Awesome! Thank you, Alyssa!!! 🙂
I love this recipe, and though it is meant for a quick meal, I let my sauce simmer for a few hours so all the flavors would marry. I seasoned the meat as it cooked with salt, pepper, garlic powder and added some dried Italian seasoning.I added some garlic cloves that I put through a garlic press.I have to say that this was so delicious, it will become a part of my monthly meal rotation. The tomato soup adds a nice depth of flavor to the sauce. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, your version sounds amazing, Kirsten! 🙂
Yummy! I omited onion and bell pepper but stired in a pouch of beefy onion dry soup mix to the beef, used tomatoe bisque and a sprinkle of cinnamon to beef mixture, and italian diced tomatoes…everything else the same…a real winner with the picky eaters in my family.
Thank you for a great receipe
Sounds great! Thank you! 🙂
I made this tonight and it was really good. I also experimented on a lower carb version using Zucchini noodles and even that was good. Thanks so much really enjoyed it!
That’s great, Brenda! I’m so glad to know that the zucchini noodles worked, too! 🙂
I made this earlier in the week for a friend I was looking after who underwent surgery. We both adored it. I used up some bolognese sauce I made last week in place of the meat and tomatoes, but I still added the Worcestershire to change the character in keeping with the recipe. This is truly my dream-tasting hamburger casserole. I think it’s the excellent combination of cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and butter that makes it so special. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It will definitely be part of my fall-winter-spring standards.
Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear that you and your friend enjoyed the meal! I bet it’s delicious with your homemade sauce! 🙂
Made on our first day of cooler weather here in the south! This a great and delicious meal. My family loved it. My hubs says, I hope you kept the recipe. I give you 5 stars!
Wonderful!! I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the meal. Thanks, Rhonda!
I make this all the time! I LOVE it!! And your “dump and bake@ casseroles are AMAZING! I’m a HUGE fan of your recipes! They work so well with my hectic lifestyle.
Hugs!!!
Tracey
Thank you so much, Tracey! I’m so glad that you find the recipes helpful and that you enjoy this casserole. 🙂
SOOOO GOOOD! AND i have a pretty picky husband and son. I prepared it on sunday and threw in oven wednesday (busy working mom that loves prepped food). Also just as delicious warmed up next day.
Yay! So glad that this was a hit in your house, Sara! Good to know that you can prep it that far ahead — so convenient for a busy mamma! 🙂
Is this a loose or a firm casserole? What I mean by that is do you spoon this out of the casserole dish or do you slice it and then remove it by the section?
Hi, Mike! I’d say it’s a loose casserole. It’s not as firm as something like lasagna that you can slice into squares. Hope that helps!
Looking for one recipe, found this instead. It was great, didn’t tweak except for garlic powder. Put the topping cheese on after baking. Hubby came back for 3rd helping and has taken the rest for lunch.
Great! So glad that the husband approved, too! 🙂
Hi, Melody!
I’m not sure where you saw it listed as “Meals for the Homeless,” because I don’t have that categorization on my own site. Was it a link on some other website? If so, I’m sorry — I don’t have any control over that.
I’m not familiar with the volume that a foil lasagne pan can hold, but I would guess that it’s about double that of a regular 9 x 13 casserole dish that I used here. As a result, you should be able to quadruple the ingredients and bake the recipe in two large pans. For instance, use 32 ounces of noodles, 32 ounces of cream cheese, 4 cups of cottage cheese, 2 cups of sour cream, etc. and divide everything between the two pans. The cooking time should be roughly the same, although you’ll likely want to add 5-10 minutes to the total bake time just to account for the larger quantity in each pan.
Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Making this SOON !!! Already plans / ingredients bought for Quinoa Chicken Fajita Dump n Bake Casserole .. My son who is ”not a big fan ofcasserole type dishes” absolutely said “l LOVE it” first time I made it ..!! And ate 3 huge helpings of it ..!!! Have made it probably 4-5 in the last couplein of months and I’m NOT a big cook ..!!!
Wonderful! Enjoy, Tammie! 🙂
I added extra tomatoes and soup. This recipe was a huge winner! Thanks !
Wonderful! Thanks, Kathy!