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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.
Love casseroles? You may also like my Easy Tater Tot Casserole or Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Why you’ll love it
This cheesy beef and pasta casserole is sure to be a hit with the kiddos. It’s also easily adaptable based on what you’ve got in the fridge/pantry/etc. You could throw in some extra veggies if you want. It’s very tasty for how few ingredients are in this budget-friendly meal.
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 casserole dish, top it with cheese, and bake. It couldn’t be easier!
What you’ll need
- Penne – I like this shape because it’s sturdy and holds up great in casseroles with the sauce and cheese
- Onion and garlic – our tasty base aromatics. Sweet (Vidalia) onion is my go-to, but yellow works as well.
- Ground beef – I used extra lean hamburger meat here. Aim for 90% or more.
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Marinara sauce – just grab a jar of your favorite brand that you enjoy the taste of since it’s a key ingredient
- Cheddar cheese – I grate my own from a block of cheddar for best taste and freshness
Pro tips
- 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. Many readers like to use the entire jar of marinara sauce. It’s all good! 🙂 This recipe definitely can be adapted based on what’s in your pantry.
- I recommend slightly undercooking any pasta/noodles so it doesn’t go mushy in the oven.
- This recipe can easily be halved if you need a smaller quantity and made in an 8×8 dish instead.
How to make this ground beef casserole
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat your oven, and grease a baking dish. Boil the pasta for a minute less than package directions. Meanwhile, add the oil, onion, and beef to a skillet. Sauté until cooked, adding the garlic once it gets going. Spoon out any excess fat, then pour in the marinara and warm through. Taste and season with salt & pepper as needed.
Drain the pasta, and add it to the baking dish. Pour the beef mixture over top, and toss to combine. Spread everything in an even layer. Top with the cheddar cheese, and bake uncovered until melty. Broil if desired to brown the cheese, and enjoy right away.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- You’ll need a 9×13 baking dish for this casserole.
- This is the garlic press I use to avoid the hassle of mincing garlic by hand, and I store the other half of the onion in the fridge in an onion saver for later.
- Break apart the meat as it’s browning with this meat chopper.
Substitutions and variations
- 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.
- You can substitute the penne with whatever pasta you have on hand or (even use egg noodles like some casseroles do).
- Ground turkey or Italian sausage are other protein options instead of the beef, or you could do a mixture.
- If you want to put a Tex-Mex spin on this hamburger pasta casserole, add in some beans, Taco Seasoning, and use a Mexican cheese blend.
- For some veggie content, stir in some frozen mixed vegetables until thawed. Simply add to the skillet and cook for a couple minutes once the beef is browned.
Make ahead tips
- Up to 1 day ahead: assemble it, cover and refrigerate, and then bake as directed below, possibly adding a few more minutes onto the time to ensure it’s cooked all the way through if it’s cold from the fridge.
- Freezer instructions: assemble it, and then cover it tightly and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then bake it as indicated. I would definitely recommend using more sauce for make-ahead methods.
- Baking from frozen: warm it up on the counter for a bit so that the casserole dish doesn’t crack. It will take a little longer, so bake covered with foil until the middle is hot, and then broil the cheese at the end, watching carefully.
What to serve with this ground beef casserole
- It’s pretty hearty, so I like to enjoy it with a side salad. Mixed greens with my Homemade Italian Dressing rounds out the meal, or go all out and make a Caesar salad with my popular 10 Minute Caesar Dressing and homemade Parmesan Croutons.
- Breadsticks, a dinner roll, or a slice of hot and bubbly Cheesy Garlic Bread are all good ideas as well.
Leftovers and storage
- Keep any leftovers of this beef casserole in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat until warmed through, or microwave in short intervals. Since the pasta will absorb sauce over time, feel free to add a splash more marinara when reheating.
- I generally don’t suggest freezing leftover pasta, but if you typically do that with success, go for it!
More tasty ground beef recipes
Let me know if you gave this easy ground beef pasta casserole recipe a try! Please leave me a star ratings and comment below. You can also find me on Instagram.
Simple Ground Beef Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked penne
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 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 9×13 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.
- You can also find this recipe in chapter 6 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on April 17, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Too much penne and not enough sauce. I only had sharp cheddar – not a good flavor in this. My bad. Also added oregano and basil to meat sauce. Pick a sauce with flavoring.
Following this recipe made me want to open a vein!!!! You put your meaningless, frivolous bull💩 at the top and only after the links to other recipes, commercials, since dish trash, informing me there are things called fridges…… At the VERY BOTTOM you finally put the measurements !!! BUT not the times. Or temps. Those were scattered into multiple places mixed into your pointless garbage. Thanks for wasting my time. The recipe was good. Too bad you can’t share it correctly.
Are you ok? The recipe card above the comments section has the full ingredients and instructions all in one place with temps and times. The rest of the blog post answers FAQ like make-ahead tips and storage info, and yes, what to serve with the recipe… all info I am asked about on a daily basis. You sure are ungrateful for getting a free recipe… THAT YOU ENJOYED. Buy the cookbook if you want to skip the other info or hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button.
First of all, Libby, you need to chill. Second of all, it’s very concerning that you are not seeing “times or temps” when literally the first step of the recipe tells you what to preheat the oven to and the second step gives a time indication. Third- You have the absolute worst attitude and honestly there’s no excuse to talk to anyone like this ever. I’m not sure how you could be so bamboozled by a simple recipe post on a food blog. It makes me wonder if it’s your first day on the internet. However your troll comment makes me think you must be on the internet TOO much. Either way, get yourself some help. (PS- this recipe is awesome Natasha, my family and I love it. Thank you for all that you do. I’m sorry that not everyone is so grateful for a well-written, free recipe.)
YIKES…. calm down? Easiest recipe I’ve ever followed.
Easy, fast and delicious! Used full jar of Carbone marinara and used two large garlic cloves instead of one.
Glad you liked it, Liz!
Definitely need to doctor this one up. One garlic clove does nothing, can’t even taste it. Not enough meat to pasta. And needed more sauce and cheese. Pretty bland in my opinion. Family wasn’t thrilled with this meal.
My husband loved it! I didn’t include onions since I don’t like them, but lots of onion powder. It was very quick; I was able to brown the ground beef while the pasta was cooking. And only 10 minutes in the oven made for a very quick meal!
Awesome!! 😀 Thanks, Joan!
I was in a hurry with limited groceries in house. This recipe saved the day and was delicious. Everyone loved it.
I love that!! 😀 Thanks for your review, Charlie!
Made this last night! Husband raved! I enjoyed it very much too. Enough leftovers for tonight! Your recipes never fail us!! Basically it’s you or the cozy cook I turn to and they never fail! Thank you! Anyone interested in this recipe, trust me it’s easy and very good. I added mushrooms to mine just cuz I needed to use them and he loves them, and haha I used to do that a lot as a nanny cuz mushrooms have similar texture of ground beef. Haha just tryin to throw it in there and not waste. Awesome recipe Natasha!
Aww that you so much!! 😀 I’ll let Stephanie know too!
Very very good! Very easy to make
Thank you!!!
How is this different than mostaciolli?
It uses regular penne with ridges. But yeah it’s very similar!
That’s exactly what I was thinking when I put it all together… mostaccioli is a different style of noodle. Your recipe reminds me of the mostaccioli dish my Grandma made when I was a kid, and now I made it for her. Delicious recipe! I knew my grandma would say it needs more sauce, next time I’ll make a little extra sauce. Thank you!
You are welcome!
Made it for the first time and it was fantastic! Will definitely be making it again.
That’s great to hear, Don! Thanks for your review!