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Simple Ground Beef Casserole

Published / Updated / 131 Comments

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This ground beef casserole recipe is super easy to throw together and feeds a crowd! It's comforting and uses simple ingredients.

hamburger pasta casserole in a baking dish

Love casseroles? You may also like my Easy Taco Casserole Recipe or my Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole. 

This cheesy beef and pasta casserole is sure to be a hit with the kiddos. It's also really easily adaptable based on what you've got in the fridge/pantry/etc. You could even throw in some extra veggies if you want. 

I wasn't sure whether to call this a casserole or ground beef pasta bake or what. Basically, you just boil up some penne, and while that's cooking, you make a quick tomato and meat sauce. You then toss it together in a 9x13 dish, top it with cheese, and bake. Easy peasy.

ground beef casserole in a baking dish (ready for the oven)
Ready for the oven!
close-up of easy ground beef casserole
So cheesy.

Hamburger pasta casserole recipe notes & tips:

  • Don't have marinara sauce? Any jarred tomato-based pasta sauce will work, or use a similar amount of tomato sauce or even a combo of tomato products such as diced tomatoes and tomato paste or crushed tomatoes (I'd then add in a bit of Italian seasoning or other herbs for more flavor). This recipe definitely can be adapted based on what's in your pantry.
  • You can substitute the penne with whatever pasta you have on hand (or even use egg noodles like some casseroles do). I recommend slightly undercooking any pasta/noodles so it doesn't go mushy in the oven. 
  • The ingredient quantities don't have to be exact. A bit more or less beef will be totally fine. Want to add more sauce? Go ahead. Same with the cheese. 🙂 
  • If you want to put a Tex-Mex spin on this recipe, add in some beans, taco spices, and use a Tex-Mex cheese blend. 

pasta bake with ground beef in a white bowl

More tasty ground beef recipes:

ground beef casserole being lifted out of baking dish with spatula

Let me know if you'll give this easy ground beef pasta casserole recipe a try!

Questions? Leave me a comment below.

hamburger pasta casserole in a baking dish
4.87 from 46 votes
Print

Ground Beef Casserole

This ground beef casserole recipe is super easy to throw together and feeds a crowd! It's comforting and uses simple ingredients.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword ground beef casserole, ground beef pasta casserole, hamburger casserole, pasta bake with ground beef
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 538 kcal
Author Natasha Bull

Ingredients

  • 1 pound uncooked penne
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 1 pound extra lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1.5 cups marinara sauce
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position. Grease a 9x13 baking dish (I use Pam spray).

  2. Boil a large, salted pot of water for the penne. Cook it for 10 minutes (it should be slightly underdone so it doesn't get mushy).

  3. Add the oil, beef, and onion to a skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as you go along, for 10 minutes. Once it gets going, stir in the garlic. Spoon out excess fat if needed.

  4. Stir in the marinara sauce and warm through. Give it a taste and season with salt & pepper as needed.

  5. Drain the pasta and pour it into the baking dish. Pour the beef mixture over top and then toss until it's combined with the pasta. Top with an even layer of the cheese. If you want it extra cheesy, you can stir in an additional half cup of cheese prior to topping it with the rest of the cheese.

  6. Bake for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the cheese is nicely melted. I then broil it for a few minutes (optional) to brown the cheese up a bit. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

  • This is a very flexible recipe where additions/substitutions/etc. are fine. I have some tips within the blog post.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition Facts
Ground Beef Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 538 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 77mg26%
Sodium 551mg24%
Potassium 674mg19%
Carbohydrates 61g20%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 548IU11%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 236mg24%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

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  2. Lilianna says

    I have an hard time finding recipes to cook and for the first time, i actually have all the ingredients. I can't just drive to store since I'm 15 lol and i have an big family so my parents are busy. This is an simple recipe to cook for me and my siblings and it tasted delicious. 💜

    Reply

  4. teresa g says

    3 stars
    it is a good recipe and quick/easy to make, next time i will use more meat and more sauce and maybe less pasta, i used lots of cheese on top...more than it called for, and sour cream is great on top!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! Step 3 of the recipe explains how you're cooking it in a skillet for 10 minutes. Did you not scroll down to the full recipe maybe?

      Reply

  7. Linda says

    5 stars
    I too made a couple of minor changes to this recipe.
    I used a jar of Paul Newman's Own spaghetti sauce and added a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, I like chunks of tomatoes and lots of good sauce in mine. I added a few drops of worcestershire sauce, and a little diced green bell pepper.
    It was very good, both the hubby and I enjoyed it with a nice tossed salad.

    Reply

  8. Mrs. Wilson says

    5 stars
    This was quick and easy to make as well as convenient because I had everything on hand. I added sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, fresh rosemary and bell pepper as well as diced tomatoes to my sauce. I used 1 jar marinara and 1 jar of four cheese pasta sauce. I layered the pasta, then meat sauce and finished off with grated colby jack and mozzarella before baking. We also added parmesan cheese once we played it. The family loved it and I will be making this again! Thank you

    Reply

  9. Marc Shadden says

    5 stars
    You can go a hundred directions with this dish. I stir in some Greek yogurt with a homemade marinara sauce and add a little spice with some chili flakes.

    Reply

  10. Jerika Burton says

    I love this recipe! I was wondering what to make with hamburger and sausage I had a pound of each. So I found a recipe through it together with some spaghetti noodles and I had sheets to go over the top I even stood and some sour cream and it was delicious my husband loved it! I have 1000 recipes like this from my grandmother that I found I just haven’t had time to go through them do you think I should start my own little blog like this? Shoot me a text and let me know what you think I need some inspiration please. 618-216-0676. I’m at Midwest farmers daughter so I have all kinds of these yummy fattening recipes

    Reply

  12. Caroline says

    5 stars
    Ok, I had my doubts. I mean, it's a ground beef casserole, and they all seem to taste the same, right? Wrong! This was really, really good! My picky child loved it and my husband and I loved it, too!. I did add a finely chopped bell pepper while the meat was cooking, and I added a zucchini, thinly sliced in quarter moons, with about three minutes left on the meat mixture. I think a sweet red or yellow pepper would be awesome, too. (Gotta sneak those veggies in when you can) I used a four cheese Bertolli marinara for the sauce. Y'all. This was so amazingly good! It's definitely going into my lineup!

    Reply

  13. Katie says

    5 stars
    We loved this. I used a spaghetti sauce and crushed tomatoes and lots of Italian seasoning and egg noodles. I layered the noodle sauce and cheese and it was super delicious

    Reply

  14. Margie says

    5 stars
    Love this! I went with Mexican spices & threw in a can of mild rotel then added some mozzarella to the Mexican blend cheese. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop eating it! #sodelish

    Reply

  15. T. Ferguson says

    I didnt have any olive oil so I used yak butter. Also I don't like ground beef so I just used some bone-in ribeyes with teriyaki rub I had on hand. Was pretty good but I would probably double the rosemary and cut the salt by 9/16ths.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I haven't personally tried doing that. I'd probably freeze it prior to baking it, and then bake it as the final step after you thaw it in the fridge overnight.

      Reply

  17. Marty says

    5 stars
    Very good. Next time I would double the meat ot only use 1/2 lbs of pasta. I would also add some Alfredo sauce in.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Let me know it goes with the Alfredo sauce... I think that would be very tasty too!

      Reply

  18. K.J. says

    5 stars
    I used good ol' spaghetti and mixed the ground beef/garlic/onion with a four cheese blend marinara and added a little tomato paste to thicken it up a bit. I also used a couple of spoonfuls of Better than Bouillon (beef) and onion/garlic powder. I tossed the spaghetti with some salted butter and parsley before putting it in the baking dish. Topped it with cheddar, jack, and mozzarella. Before serving, I cut up some avocado to put on top and sprinkled some parm. Yum!

    Reply

  19. Haley says

    4 stars
    seemed to be not enough meed but it was very good overall, also good with Parmesan cheese added when you put it on your plate.

    Reply

      • Ang says

        3 stars
        So I know it says you can use any pasta but don't! Penne is good. I used elbows because it was all I had and that was just way too much pasta. It spread out all the sauce too much and next thing I knew there wasn't enough sauce or meat. It still tasted good but needed something more! Penne is best!

        Reply

  20. Mirta says

    I loved it i used a LB Deer ground beef, 12oz jar tomato/basil and leftover can tomatoes and frozen green peas and 1/2 a box of macaroni noodles and 1 beef knorr bouillon with the garlic/onion and cheddar cheese. Very easy to make!

    Reply

  21. Joyce says

    5 stars
    Excellent and very easy dish. I Modified the dish using ground veal instead of beef. I added fresh portobello mushrooms and used a portobello mushroom and wine red sauce. I will make this again!

    Reply

  22. Deidra Adams says

    5 stars
    Quick easy meal to make, and it will last a couple of days. It came out really delicious! I just added a few more cheeses; mozzarella & Parmesan.

    Reply

  23. Beooke says

    5 stars
    Such a delicious dish! Even though I didn't have the same pasta (had to use fettuccine) and no jarred marinara (I just made an easy homemade one) it turned out so good! Second helping for me please. Definitely a keeper!

    Reply

  26. Jeff says

    4 stars
    Thank you for this recipe. Delicious!!! I made enough for 8 meals and took the casserole to hunting camp. Next time I make this dish, I will substitute the meat with elk burger. 97% lean, no hormones and no antibiotics.
    I am looking forward to that meal.

    Reply

  28. Stephanie says

    5 stars
    Wonderful, easy, tasty and inexpensive enough for an unexpected crowd!!! Thank you, you got me out of a predicament for sure!!!

    Reply

  29. Amy L Marrs says

    5 stars
    Thiss is an AWESME recipe! Rarely d oI give 5 stars but this is deserving of so much more! I made some substitutions and add-ins. I have severe arthritis and fibriomyalgia so I'm always looking for quick and easy recipes that don't require a lot of work in the kitchen. My husband has ciliac and diabetes so I have to watch my ingredients. I cook with frozen onions and jarred garlic for convenience. I used a frozen vegetable medley with onions, celery, green and red peppers and parsley instead of the onions as well as the garlic for added flavor. I used gluten free rotini pasta that only comes in 12 oz. but this was the perfect amount. I used a 24 oz. jar of marinara sauce as we like it seemed to need more. I also added a package of cauliflower with garlic parmesean (this was the only thing the kids didn't like, but I warned them that this was a new recipe/experiment, lol). I added just a little bit of seasoned salt and some seasoned pepper along with some onion and garlic powder. Other than the cauliflower, this was a hit! I will be making it again with a few more twists but no vegetables, LOL. Thank you for the great recipe, it could not have been easier or better!!!

    Reply

  31. Regina says

    I will be giving it a try. Thank you for idea. Been cooking for over 50 years and I am tired of my own ideas. 🙂

    Reply

  32. Michele M says

    5 stars
    Easy to prepare and salt can be controlled. I can't use products like Hamburger Helper because of the high amount of sodium. My family is on a low sodium diet

    Reply

  33. Christie says

    5 stars
    Perfect “don’t know what to make for dinner” dinner! Made this last night and we loved it. Added fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden, zucchini for color, Italian seasoning and of course, the extra cheese. Used a different pasta noodle and found I only needed 1/2 pound and barely needed 5 minutes in the oven to melt the yummy cheese on top. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Awesome!! Love your additions. I love when people tweak it... it's definitely meant to be a good "base" recipe! 🙂

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      I’m so glad you liked it! I think you could freeze it, yes. I haven’t tried, though. I’d warm it up on a low heat.

      Reply

    • VLaz says

      I have frozen similar baked pasta dishes after they have cooled down. I then thaw in the refrigerator for about a day then heat portions or the entire casserole in the microwave. Comes out just fine every time.

      Reply

  36. Lai’la says

    5 stars
    I really appreciated this recipe!! I’m only 14 years old and I made this meal for my entire family!!😊😊WE LOVED IT!!10 out of ten would recommend

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Wow that’s awesome!! I’m so happy it was a hit. Thanks for using my recipe and coming back to comment. ♥️

      Reply

  40. Tharon Foster says

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe! This is a great "blog"! Very well organized, easy to follow; great pictures.

    Reply

  41. Bill C says

    5 stars
    Being in Southeast Texas I went more Mexican with it. Added a package of chili mix seasoning and a can of chili beans, a little more garlic, cumino, chili powder, and more cheeses. It was great. I was afraid with the tomato base my girls wouldn't eat it but they gobbled it up.

    Reply

  42. Tennyson Gibson says

    I was looking for something to make ground beef with and I fell across this recipe. Easy, fast, and delicious. I used more seasonings and more sauce, but absolutely great.

    Reply

  43. Tammy B. says

    5 stars
    Talk about a success of a receipe. We made this tonight and it was amazing. My husband and I couldn't get enough...My kids ate seconds...and a battle for who would get the left overs. Luckily we made extra, so enough for all. I can't wait to try out more of your receipes! A++

    Reply

  44. Skylar Sagal says

    5 stars
    I normally dont cook a lot. But I gave this one a try and it was so easy and it tasted amazing.

    Reply

  46. Michael Gabriele says

    5 stars
    Very good recipe. I used mozzarella cheese and I added pecorino and fresh basil. The pasta I chose was mezzo pacheri

    Reply

  48. Tina says

    I made this with zucchini added in the beef mixture and used vodka sauce. It needed more so I added a small can of tomato purée as well. When mixing the ingredients together I also added a broccoli cauliflower mix of veggies and shredded mozzarella and provolone. I topped it with the remaining cheese and a small bag of shredded cheddar. It was delicious. Make sure you season everything a little!

    Reply

  49. Serina says

    5 stars
    Super easy and delicious base recipe. I added some heavy whipping cream and a bit of cream cheese to the sauce to make it creamy. I added the whole jar of sauce since we love our sauce as well as mini sweet bell peppers. yum yum yum!

    Reply

  50. Lorraine Copeland says

    Before I make: why are there green flakes that I can't tell what they are in picture of casserole but nothing indicated in recipe?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! It's just fresh chopped parsley to help the photos from looking too monochromatic. 🙂 That's why I don't mention it. You're welcome to add some if you wish (I just sprinkled it on after cooking) since parsley brightens up most dishes in my opinion, but totally optional!

      Reply

  53. Me says

    5 stars
    I made it and it’s very good however I’d suggest at least another cup on sauce and more cheese. It was a little dry.

    Reply

  54. Tapiwa says

    5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight. I must say it was wonderful. I even mixed 2 different pasta. Just b4 putting in the oven I added some broccoli and mini sweet bell peppers and let me tell you... it was devine.. will definitely be adding this recipe to our weekly meals. My husband has second helpings. Everyone cleaned their plates.. that’s all I’m sayin.

    Reply

  55. Donna says

    I tried this recipe for the first time tonight and it was really good. My husband has been complaining about being tired of the same old thing. He even said he liked it. I took some over to the neighbors and they said they also enjoyed it and asked me for the recipe. I'm interested in more recipes like this one. Keep the good and easy recipes coming. Thanks again.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Well that's awesome! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment. 🙂 I will definitely keep the quick/easy recipes coming.

      Reply

    • Donna says

      5 stars
      I needed something to make with some ground beef and found this recipe. It was so easy to make!! My husband loved it! Thanks for the great recipe 😊

      Reply

  57. Sophia says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight for dinner and it was a huge hit!

    I used rotini pasta instead, flavored with taco seasoning, onion and added the black beans as you recommended. It was DELICIOUS!

    Thank you for sharing your WONDERFUL recipes!!

    Reply

  58. Kelly says

    In the Philippines, we have a similar dish adding a few more veg like bell peppers, and spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) and topping it with bechamel and cheese. We call it baked macaroni. Our meat version of Mac and Cheese. Definitely a family favorite.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Ooh I've never heard of that... it sounds delicious. My mom makes a lasagna with bechamel sauce and bolognese and it's soo good.

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Thanks so much!! (I edited your comment because bloggers have been told that using words associated with the current events may negatively impact our Google rankings so I am erring on the side of caution).

      Reply