This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
I am not a big one to measure but I did my best. I used 1/3 a large jar of Prego and 3 cups of shredded triple cheddar (from Aldi). I also added Penzey’s Mural Of Flavor to the meat sauce. I didn’t have any Penne on hand. All I had were macaroni noodles, which I used about 1/3-1/2 a box (from Aldi). After the cheese was melted, I placed the oven on Broil (Hi for about 3 mins). That was enough to brown the cheese. It was a hit! Thank you so much for this quick and easy recipe! Next time I will mix the noodles with ricotta and use mozzarella cheese to make a quick lasagne-type dish.
You’re very welcome! 😀
Excellent recipe. I used a whole jar of sauce, a porcini truffle tomato sauce. I have two babies and this was a quick life saver to make on a weeknight and have left overs for the next day. My husband really loved it. Am making a large tray tomorrow for a Father’s Day BBQ.
I’m thrilled it was a hit!! 😀 That sauce sounds amazing. Thanks for taking the time to write me a review!
This will be my second time making this recipe… delicious and easy. I did add 2 cups of marinara….
Fantastic!! Thanks for your review!
So good! I found Prego Spicy Marinara and used two cups, the whole jar actually. I reduced the penne to 2 cups dry and extra cheddar on the top. Thank you. It was easy, cheap, and makes great leftovers!
Excellent!! 😀
Absolutely enjoyed this recipe. I only used 2 cups uncooked penne, and put some cottage cheese over the pasta before topping it with the cheese.
Will be making this again.
Thanks for a simple but great tasting dish.
So glad you liked it, Margot! Thanks for your comment!
I followed the recipe to the T and I’d have to say it calls for too much pasta, turned out pretty dry. Next time I’ll add Italian seasoning and cut the pasta to 1/2 lb. Otherwise it’s a great simple dish for those busy nights.
This was very good, but I did not put the full amount of pasta and I added 2 cups of marinara sauce, more cheese, plus I did add Italian seasoning and garlic salt. I didn’t want it to have a casserole with all pasta and it turned out great…
Excellent!
This is so helpful for a momma like me!simple ingridients easy to cook. A hit to my hubby & kiddos for our dinner last night. thank you.😊
I’m thrilled to hear it, Kathleen! 😀
Very delicious. I made it for our church get together and it disappeared. So cheesy. They loved it. Thank you!!!
Thrilled it was a hit, Micki! Thanks for letting us know!
I made this with barilla marinara, and didn’t have any shredded or otherwise cheddar on hand, but did have lg package shredded Italian cheese blend and parmesan cheese. Worked well.
So glad you enjoyed it, Connie!!
Would small shells work in place of the penne? I have every ingredient on hand but not the penne and I want to make it tomorrow for dinner
I think that should work fine! You may need to add a little more sauce depending how it looks (like if it seems a bit dry). Enjoy!
I made this for dinner last night and we really enjoyed it. As you mentioned, I did take liberties with it. Based on several comments, I cut back the penne pasta to roughly half a pound (half a box) and used almost an entire jar of original Prego spaghetti sauce, as I did not have marinara sauce on hand. The extra sauce and less pasta made for a moist dish, but it was not at all loose, as in traditional spaghetti sauce. The pasta absorbed the sauce well and it had the the consistency of a casserole. I also added basil, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in addition to the fresh sauteed onions and garlic. I served it with green beans and french bread. It was very good and we will make it again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You’re very welcome!! 🙂
I was looking to make something for dinner tonight other than spaghetti.
I searched for a ground beef pasta bake and spotted this recipe. I like when a recipe has the word simple or easy in it.
I had everything except marinara sauce so I used spaghetti sauce.
Very simple as the name says, and tasty. There’s also enough for leftovers. Bonus!
Excellent!! I’m so happy it was a hit.