4 Ingredient Hamburger Casserole

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This easy 4 Ingredient Hamburger Casserole has tender, saucy beef, and perfectly cooked pasta with gooey cheddar cheese that makes this dinner a complete hit.

Additionally, it’s great cheesy comfort food on a budget that’s perfect for weeknights. 

Why You’ll Love This Hamburger Casserole with 4 Ingredients

These easy casseroles are inexpensive to make and can often be whipped up with ingredients you have in your pantry already; all while being quick enough for a busy weeknight dinner.

Not only is this casserole great cozy comfort food but you can easily customize it to fit your family’s needs. You can even bulk it up with more vegetables to make it fill even more hungry tummies when feeding a bigger group!

Groceries Needed

• Ground beef – With this dish, I recommend using lean ground beef. Regular beef is ok but you’ll find there’s a lot of fat to drain off and I personally find extra lean too dry.
• Pasta – Most commonly I use elbow macaroni for this dish HOWEVER, these fun lumaca rigata pasta shape are like elbow macaroni’s big brother. They captured the sauce, cheese, and beef inside the curves that were divine!
• Tomato soup – Unless you’re brand loyal, choosing a less expensive house brand of tomato soup is just fine.
• Cheddar, sharp, shredded – Sharp cheddar gives more cheddary bang for your buck, I think. Use what you have on hand as long as it melts and gets deliciously ooey-gooey!
• Italian Seasoning – Optional step, but brings an Italian flavor profile to the dish, similar to my 4 Ingredient Cheater Lasagna recipe.

Pantry Items

• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder

**EAZYTIP: Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder, and Oil are not counted in the ingredient list because most home kitchens have these ingredients in their cupboards.

How to Make This Ground Beef Main Meal

Making this Four Ingredient Hamburger Tomato Casserole can’t be any easier. You’ll want to start off by preheating the oven to 375F or 190C

Boil the pasta in salted water according to the directions on the package, stopping to drain the pasta about 1-2 minutes short of the cooking time directed. The beef casserole will cook in the oven longer so you don’t want the pasta overcooked by the serving time.

Brown the beef, adding the salt, pepper and garlic powder. After it’s completely browned, drain any extra fat if there is any.

When the pasta is ready, drain it, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.

Add the soup, pasta, and 2 cups of cheese to the pan. Mix them all together.

If your skillet is not oven safe, transfer the contents to an oven-safe baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and put in the oven for 15 minutes. 

After the baking time is up, turn the oven to broil and broil the cheesy top to gain some texture and color. This is an optional step.

Remove from the oven. Let the beefy cheesy casserole rest for a couple of minutes for the liquid to distribute and serve. 

A printable recipe card with exact amounts, directions, tips, and hints is at the bottom of this post.

Suggestions for Putting a Twist on It

Turn this into a one-pan skillet dinner by cooking in a skillet large enough for your pasta, making this even easier for a weeknight family dinner option. You can even skip the oven and do this entirely on the stovetop if that is all you have time for. You just won’t be able to get that broiled yummy cheesy top.

If you want to make this on the stovetop, then after sprinkling the cheese over top, then turn the heat on low and cover with a lid. Let the skillet rest for 10 minutes before serving.

The thing about dishes like this is that you can do so much with them to make them into something uniquely you. The first thing you can do to make this your own is to bulk it up with vegetables. Adding veggies like corn, broccoli florets, or even beans can help make this meal go further without increasing the cost a lot. Try adding diced onions or tomatoes to make a great flavor enhancer to the dinner.

You can spice it up by adding your own choices of seasonings. Montreal steak seasoning makes a great addition to this hamburger casserole. Try adding some Italian seasoning instead of the Montreal steak seasoning for a different flavor profile.

If you like things a bit hotter, try using a Hot Italian Sausage mix, or add some dried chili flakes to the mix.

I used shell pasta but you can use any pasta you have on hand. Often times elbow noodles are the least expensive pasta at the store but are sometimes overlooked and the longer spaghetti-type pasta is used. This is one great way to make use of these inexpensive noodles. 

What Can I Serve this With?

This dish is great for serving alongside a salad and some bread sticks or homemade bread fresh out of the oven if you have the time for baking. Even garlic toast can make a great side dish. If you do not mix vegetables in you can serve some on the side with this easily.

Storing The Leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can simply heat them right back up in the microwave. If it dries out a bit more than you would like stir in a little milk. 

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear what you thought about it by leaving a comment and a star rating below! If you wish to ask me questions about the recipe directly, please feel free to send me an email at [email protected]. Have a fantastic day!