This Cheese Hamburger Casserole is made with well-seasoned ground beef, juicy tomatoes, and pasta, and topped with a layer of melted cheese, for the tastiest meaty comfort food dinner ever!
I’m not ashamed to admit that hamburger meat is not my favorite. I’m more of a grilled steak person, but my family loves ground beef dishes, so I’ve had to find tastier ways of sprucing ground beef up to my standards.
This ground beef casserole recipe has been one such discovery, and I’ve taken inspiration from various recipes, then formulated my own, and it has become my new go-to. I can’t wait to make it for dinner again!
Honestly, I was more surprised than anyone at how well this beef and cheese casserole turned out, but now I’m confident that this is the one for me.
My family loves pairing this baked beef casserole with a light Caesar Salad and Homemade Caesar Dressing. Personally, I prefer a veggie side dish like my Crack Green Beans or Baked Asparagus (With Parmesan).
More Beef Recipes To Try
Ground Beef With Rice
Beef And Broccoli Stir Fry
Easy Braised Beef Shanks
Barbacoa Beef
Table of Contents
Cheese Hamburger Casserole Recipe Ingredients
OIive oil: Any neutral flavored oil will work. You can even use butter in its place if you want. If your ground beef is fatty, you could even skip the oil or butter completely.
Ground beef: I used lean ground beef in this recipe, but you can use whichever ground red or white meat you have on hand. I prefer lean red meat in dairy-heavy dishes that are topped with gooey cheese.
All purpose flour: You can omit the flour if you don’t have it. It’s only purpose is to allow the beef to develop browned, almost crispy bits that add extra flavor and texture to the meat.
Carrots: Usually I’d use frozen diced carrots, but this time I chopped up a couple carrots I had left over from another dish I’d made during the week. They add a little color and texture to the casserole.
Onion: Beef and onions always pair well, so I don’t recommend leaving them out.
Garlic powder: Before deciding on garlic powder, I had actually chopped up a few cloves of fresh garlic on autopilot, and then realized I wouldn’t be needing it for this casserole. You can definitely use it to replace the powder.
Onion powder: Even though I added an onion to the ground meat, I still felt like I wanted an intense onion flavor to help the meat along. You could use one or the other, or both.
Salt: You’ll have to adjust the quantity of salt you use according to your taste. I’ve given an approximation in the recipe. I do tend to like a bit more salt than the average person (or so I’m told), just so you know.
Black pepper: I never cook meat without black pepper, and in this recipe, I wanted to bite into bits of coarse black pepper scattered amongst the minced meat. Finely ground would work just as well.
Cayenne pepper: I love adding a kick of heat to meat dishes, because I feel like it needs it, but you can skip it if you’re sensitive to heat.
Worcestershire sauce: This has become my favorite secret ingredient to add to minced red meat, for extra rich heartiness. I swear this is the one thing that took this casserole from delicious to irresistible.
Tomato paste: The canned tomatoes I used had a good amount of flavor, but I still wanted to add the tomato paste for a richer result, especially with the amount of dairy in this recipe.
Canned tomatoes: I had whole canned tomatoes that I needed to use up, but any style or flavor of canned tomatoes would work in this recipe.
Pasta: I chose penne pasta, mostly because that’s what I had on hand at the time, but I would suggest you use any short pasta that would hold its shape when baked.
Greek yogurt: I’ve been fixated on Greek yogurt for years now, and I always reach for it when a recipe allows for substitutions, so it just made sense to add to this recipe, to see if it would perform well when baked. To my delight, it absolutely did!
Italian seasoning: I couldn’t face the idea of unseasoned pasta smothered in Greek yogurt, so I mixed in a good dose of Italian seasoning. Any combination of your favorite dried herbs would work well too.
Cheddar cheese: I always prefer some sort of mature or aged cheddar cheese for the extra bit of flavor, but regular is okay to use too.
Mozzarella: For a tiny bit of stretch to the cheesy topping, I decided to add grated mozzarella.
Green onions: To add a bit of color, and even more onion flavor, I garnished the beef casserole with chopped green onions. I feel like it complemented the tangy cheese and meat beautifully.
How to make this Pasta and Beef Casserole : Step by step
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta al dente, or as per package instructions.
Step 2: Brown the Beef
In a large skillet or pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and fry the ground beef until fully cooked.
Sprinkle flour over the beef and cook until it has browned bits.
Step 3: Add Vegetables and Seasonings
Add carrots and onions, and cook until softened.
Add garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, ½ salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using).
Stir to combine well, taste and adjust salt, up to another ½ tsp, if necessary.
Make a hole in the center of the beef mixture and add the tomato paste to the bottom of the pan.
Cook until the paste loses its raw taste, then mix it into the beef and vegetables.
Pour in the canned tomatoes, crush them with a wooden spoon if necessary, and mix them into the beef.
Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes have softened completely.
Step 4: Layer the Pasta
Once the pasta is done, rinse it with cold water, and add them to the baking dish.
Add the yogurt and Italian seasoning, and mix well to coat the pasta evenly.
Step 5: Layer the Beef
When the beef and tomato mixture is done cooking, layer it over the pasta.
Step 6: Top with Cheese, Bake, and Serve
In a small bowl, combine the cheddar and mozzarella, and sprinkle it over the beef.
Place the baking dish in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. For the last 3 to 5 minutes, turn on the oven’s fan or broil setting, so that the cheese browns a bit.
Remove from the oven, and let the casserole cool for a few minutes before slicing into servings.
Garnish with green onions, and serve hot, with a homemade salad of your choice, or mashed potatoes.
Ground Meat Casserole With Pasta Recipe Tips
Don’t overcook the pasta. It will form the base layer of your casserole, so it needs to have some firmness to stabilize the dish and make it easier to slice and serve. Once done, rinse it with cold water to prevent further cooking.
Cook the beef by itself first, to allow it to brown properly for maximum flavor, before adding any of the other ingredients.
Add any combination of firm vegetables that you prefer. It doesn’t have to be onions and carrots. Potatoes, cabbage chunks, and broccoli are all great options.
Give the tomato paste a couple minutes to cook at the bottom of the pan to lose most of its raw tartness, before mixing it in with the beef.
If you’re sensitive to salt, don’t add the recommended 1 tsp all at once. Start with less, taste, and add more if needed.
If you want a more pronounced Italian flavor, you could add 1 tsp of Italian seasoning to the beef mixture too. I may try this tip next time.
Storing this Cheesy Beef Bake
I didn’t have any leftovers to speak of, but if you do, allow them to cook completely, before transferring to an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave or air fryer for a few minutes, until fully heated through, and serve.
If you give this cheesy minced beef hotdish recipe a try, I’d love to know how you tweaked it to make it your own in the comments below!
Easy Cheesy Hamburger Casserole
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- Olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 onion diced
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ black pepper or to taste
- Cayenne pepper pinch (optional)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can tomatoes 14.5 oz can, diced
For the Pasta:
- 1 package pasta I used penne
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
For the Cheese Topping:
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella
- Green onions sliced (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta al dente, or as per package instructions.
- In a large skillet or pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and fry the ground beef until fully cooked.
- Sprinkle flour over the beef and cook until it has browned bits.
- Add carrots and onions, and cook until softened.
- Add garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, ½ salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using). Stir to combine well, taste and adjust salt, up to another ½ tsp, if necessary.
- Make a hole in the center of the beef mixture and add the tomato paste to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the paste loses its raw taste, then mix it into the beef and vegetables.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes, crush them with a wooden spoon if necessary, and mix them into the beef.
- Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes have softened completely.
- Once the pasta is done, rinse it with cold water, and add them to the baking dish.
- Add the yogurt and Italian seasoning, and mix well to coat the pasta evenly.
- When the beef and tomato mixture is done cooking, layer it over the pasta.
- In a small bowl, combine the cheddar and mozzarella, and sprinkle it over the beef.
- Place the baking dish in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. For the last 3 to 5 minutes, turn on the oven’s fan or broil setting, so that the cheese browns a bit.
- Remove from the oven, and let the casserole cool for a few minutes before slicing into servings.
- Garnish with green onions, and serve hot, with a homemade salad of your choice, or mashed potatoes.
