Easy Ground Beef Noodle Casserole
Easy, cheesy, and flavorful, this Ground Beef Noodle Casserole is a family-friendly dinner for busy nights!
Servings 6 - 8 people
Calories 464kcal
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry elbow macaroni, medium shells pasta, or egg noodles
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite-diced tomatoes, not drained
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 1 minute less than al dente, according to package instructions. Drain.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the pan. Add the ground beef and cook for 3 minutes (the meat doesn’t need to be completely cooked through at this point). Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic; cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5-7 more minutes.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Add the cooked, drained noodles and the cooked bacon to the beef mixture; toss to combine.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish; top with shredded cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, until the casserole is hot and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or green onion.
Notes
- Adjust the seasoning to suit your taste preferences. For instance, you might like to add an extra teaspoon of brown sugar for a slightly sweeter tomato sauce, increase the cayenne to make it spicy, or use a bit more chili powder for a zestier flavor.
- Boil the pasta in well-salted water. This is your opportunity to really season the noodles.
- Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than al dente. The noodles will continue to cook in the oven, so you want to slightly under-boil them so that they don't become mushy after baking.
- Garnish the casserole with fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, basil or oregano) for a bright, fresh touch. Sliced green onions are also good!
- Instead of the elbow noodles, try other pasta shapes such as medium shells or even egg noodles.
- Any ground meat will work in this recipe. Instead of the ground beef, try ground turkey, ground pork, ground chicken or ground sausage.
- Add More Veggies: feel free to include crisp-tender steamed, roasted, or sauteed broccoli, green beans, carrots, corn, or even frozen peas in the casserole.
- Swap out the cheddar cheese and use Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Colby or Pepper Jack.
- Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The baking instructions remain the same. You can even prepare the full recipe, but divide the ingredients between two 8-inch pans and freeze one casserole for later.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the casserole | Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 666mg | Potassium: 760mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 846IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 4mg