This ground beef casserole recipe is super easy to throw together and feeds a crowd! It's comforting and uses simple ingredients.
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.
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.
More tasty ground beef recipes:
- Ground Beef Gnocchi
- Beef Ramen Noodles (Stir Fry)
- Easy Hamburger Soup
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe
- Easy Creamy Beef and Shells
- Easy Cheesy Taco Pasta
Let me know if you'll give this easy ground beef pasta casserole recipe a try!
Questions? Leave me a comment below.
Ground Beef Casserole
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
- Preheat your oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position. Grease a 9x13 baking dish (I use Pam spray).
- 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).
- 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.
- Stir in the marinara sauce and warm through. Give it a taste and season with salt & pepper as needed.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Shaun says
Like many others here, I was looking for something different to make with the ground meat I had out. Since we often make tacos at the house, I decided to take a taco spin on this. Rather than making a tomato sauce, I used the seasoning mix and sauce that is usually put in the beef for tacos. Stirred in some diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce before putting in the oven. Thanks for the inspiration!
Natasha says
Love that idea!! You're welcome. Sounds delicious! 🙂
Renee says
Like a recent reviewer, my husband and I were doing the "what are we having for dinner, I don't know, what do you want, what do YOU want..." discussion. He had pulled a pound+ of ground beef from the freezer yesterday so I googled, "what can I make with hamburger meat for dinner" and your site popped up with this recipe. I was thrilled because I had a box of whole wheat penne, spaghetti sauce, onion and a fresh bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I used a full jar of sauce, 1/2 can of tomato paste, added a packet of taco seasoning and used garlic powder (no fresh garlic at home). We put sour cream on it after it was served (hubs also put hot sauce on it). it was AMAZING. Next time, we'll use marinara and 2 packets of taco seasoning for a little stronger flavor. Thanks for a very easy to follow recipe with ideas for variation. So happy I found your site and will be trying more recipes soon!!
Natasha says
Haha that's excellent. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, and I love your adaptations. It's fun to see what readers do with this recipe!
Vanessa says
Omg!! What a great and easy recipe . Made this tonight and my boyfriend and I absolutely fell in love with this meal. I love that it was quick and simple to make but tasted even better. Will definitely be adding this to the rotation 🙂 A++
Natasha says
I'm thrilled to hear that, Vanessa!! Thanks so much. 😀
Marie Klassen says
I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner and again I got the famous phrase “I don’t know” and so I googled recipes for I don’t know and somewhere along the line I came across your recipe and I made it for dinner, it was delicious, just way too much for the two of us but will make it again and will be a big hit for my grandkids.
Natasha says
HAHAHA ok that's hilarious. I'm so glad it worked out!
Kara says
Hello! Making this tonight and very excited 😊Do you use red or white onion? Also is that parsley that you topped it with?
Natasha says
Hi Kara! I typically only use red onions for raw applications (salads etc.). I usually cook with Vidalia/sweet onions, but white or yellow (Spanish) work just fine. Yes, it's parsley on top. Mostly just to add a pop of color to the photos. Totally optional. Hope you like the recipe!
Louise James says
I made this for supper last night. Because I had some leftover cooked pork meatballs and tomato sauce I decided to mince the meatballs and add them to the dish. Wow! One of the best casserole dishes EVER and so easy to make. It was a hit with the family and I will definitely make this again. Thanks for this great recipe.
Natasha says
Fantastic!! That's a good idea! 🙂
Caitlin says
This is a go to recipe for us! I use a whole jar of marinara because we like it a little extra saucy 🙂
Natasha says
Fantastic!!
skye says
this really is an amazing recipe, my whole family loved it!
Natasha says
Thrilled to hear that!! 😀
Pamela M Hartter says
Can I freeze it after cooling down? I used more sauce than recipe but it seemed a little dry but still delicious!
Natasha says
Yes! Cooked pasta doesn’t always freeze great, but it should be fine. Reheat on a low heat.
Andre says
Hello Natasha,
My name is Andre. I made this tonight for my mom and I and loved it. I didn't have marinara sauce though and used pasta sauce. I also didn't have onions or garlic so I used the powdered versions 😂. I put cheese in the beef mixture and on top. The one thing I was confused about is how much a pound of pasta is(I used maceronie) in cups lol. I put two cups and it was a bit to much. Next time I plan on using the right ingredients. Anyway loved the dish.
Hope you are having a good day
Andre.
Natasha says
Hi! I'm so glad it worked out for you. 🙂 A pound of pasta is 16 ounces or 454g. In cups it really depends on the shape of pasta... for macaroni I believe it's around 3 cups. This definitely makes a lot of food haha. I'd say definitely use less if you want to use macaroni again.
Keira Gilleland says
is the nutritional information including the whole dish or just a portion of it? it is very good but since I am diabetic I need to know the amount of carbs per cup.
Natasha says
Hi Keira! It's for 1/6 of the recipe (the recipe card indicates it's 6 servings). Unfortunately, I can't provide any info beyond that. I am not a trained nutritionist, and even providing the info that I do comes with a heavy disclaimer that it's an estimate because it's calculated automatically, and brands vary and so forth, the leanness of beef you use can vary, and so on. I have no idea what exactly 1 cup equates to. If you're planning on making this recipe, I would weigh out/properly measure the exactly ingredients you're using and plug it into something like My Fitness Pal.
Darren Bryant says
Hi Natasha! This was so easy to make and it was fantastic! Can't believe how something so simple could be so flavorful. I used 1/2 cup of shredded triple cheddar in the meat mixture and then just an even layer of regular mild cheddar on top. The triple cheddar, being a mix of sharp and mild cheddars, gave it just enough tangy goodness to elevate this dish, at least for us. We use Gardein faux beef crumbles, so without the animal fat for added flavor, I've had to learn how to amp things up a little. The triple cheddar did the trick.
This dish was a HUGE hit, and will be included in the rotation often. This is true comfort food.
Natasha says
Hi!! I'm so happy you all enjoyed it, Darren. 😀 Thanks for the tips!
Amy says
Hi Natasha! We LOVED the recipe, it's so simple and delicious! This is my first time making a casserole! My son who's 5, wanted me to write a review to let you know that he LOVED the casserole! We cut the recipe in half and it came out amazing! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Natasha says
That makes me so happy, Amy!! Tell your son thank you and that I'm so glad he enjoyed it. 😀
Sonya says
Very good! Made half with vegan meatless crumbles and half with ground turkey. Everyone loved it
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂