Here’s a classic old-fashioned Ground Beef Casserole — simple, hearty, and perfect for busy nights or feeding a crowd 🥘
This is the kind you can customize with whatever you have.
Classic Ground Beef Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)
- 1 cup cooked egg noodles or rice
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese
- ½ cup milk
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional add-ins: peas, corn, green beans, mushrooms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease a 9×13 baking dish. - Brown beef
- Cook ground beef with onion and garlic until browned.
- Drain excess grease.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix casserole
- In a large bowl, combine beef, soup, milk, cooked noodles (or rice), half the cheese, and any add-ins.
- Bake
- Transfer to baking dish.
- Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake 30–35 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Rest & serve
- Let sit 5–10 minutes before serving.
Easy Variations
- 🧀 Cheesy: add extra cheese or a layer of crushed crackers on top
- 🌶️ Tex-Mex: add taco seasoning + corn + black beans
- 🍅 Tomato-based: swap soup for tomato sauce + Italian seasoning
- 🥔 Potato version: use frozen hash browns instead of noodles
Make-Ahead & Storage
- Assemble up to 24 hours ahead, refrigerate, then bake.
- Freezes well (unbaked or baked) for up to 2 months.
If you want, tell me:
- Creamy or tomato-based?
- With pasta, rice, or potatoes?
- Oven or slow cooker?
I’ll tailor it exactly how you like 👍
