Cheesy Cream Cheese Hamburger Pasta Casserole
Cheesy Cream Cheese Hamburger Pasta Casserole is a delicious comfort food casserole. My family has been making this ooey gooey cheesy casserole for years.
When I first had Cheesy Cream Cheese Hamburger Pasta Casserole, I just about died! Well not really, but you know what I mean. I knew there was something I loved in it and that something was cream cheese!
This cheesy hamburger pasta casserole is pure comfort food through and through. It’s packed with beef and cheese – including cream cheese to make it extra rich and creamy – along with rigatoni noodles and baked in the oven until it reaches cheesy perfection. It is one of those recipes that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. It’s food that gives you the feels.
This recipe is perfect for almost any occasion. From a weeknight meal to a hearty dish for your next pot luck, you’ll find that this cheesy hamburger bake is always the right decision. That’s why my family makes it so often!
The Easiest, Creamiest Hamburger Pasta Casserole Ever
This is seriously the creamiest hamburger pasta casserole you’ll ever make for your family, and the secret lies in the cheese. That’s because we use cream cheese in addition to shredded cheese and sour cream. The cream cheese adds an extra layer of flavor and about ten extra layers of creamy goodness.
This casserole is delicious and really so easy to make! It’s a very straightforward, no-frills recipe, and that’s just how we like them. We could spend all day watching fancy recipes being created on Food Network, but we don’t want to actually spend all day cooking them. That’s what makes this dish such a winner. It’s easy, and it’s delicious. It doesn’t get better than that!
Ingredients
All you need to make this creamy, cheesy bake is ground beef, diced bell peppers, chopped onion, minced garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese, past, and pasta sauce.
There aren’t a ton of ingredients, and after the initial sauteeing of the beef and veggies, it’s a simple matter of dumping it all in a baking dish and baking it. Easy.
How to Make Hamburger Pasta Casserole
Making this hamburger pasta casserole is super easy. First, you cook the ground beef until it is just cooked and drain any extra fat. Then add the red and green chopped peppers, onions, and minced garlic.
From there, continue to cook until veggies are just tender. Don’t overcook the vegetables. Remember this all gets baked later. If you cook down the vegetables too much at this point, you’ll end up with mush.
In the meantime, in a medium pot boil water and cook 12 oz of your favorite pasta. I use something different all the time. It really depends on what I have in my pantry that might already be open or what I just happen to grab. any pasta will do really. The choice is yours.
After the pasta is cooked, mix it with Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream to get all that creamy cheese goodness ready for baking. I do this in the pot I cooked the pasta in. Then I pour it into a casserole dish that I spray with cooking spray.
PIN IT!!
After that, I top the cheesy noodles with the beef mixture and pasta sauce and mix it all together. Top with Cheddar cheese and you’re done! Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes or so.
Hamburger Pasta Casserole Tips
As easy as this recipe is to make, there are a few things to keep in mind when you whip this up. All of these are small tips, but they work together to create the best possible casserole when you follow them.
Don’t Overcook the Vegetables
It’s very important that you don’t cook your vegetables too long before adding them to the casserole. You’ll be baking this casserole for about half an hour, so cookig the veggies too long at first will lead to mush later.
Quality is Key
I think I’ve added this tip to every recipe I’ve ever written, but that’s because it’s so important. Quality is key to a great finished product. Go for the best ground beef and highest-quality vegetables you can find. They make the dish taste so much better.
Always Grease the Baking Dish
This hamber pasta casserole is filled to capacity with beef, veggies, pasta, and cheese. All of these things can and will stick to your baking dish if you don’t grease it with oil or spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
How to Serve Cream Cheese Hamburger Pasta Bake
This hamburger pasta bake is a complete meal in and of itself. It’s a no-nonsense, nothing fancy recipe, and that’s exactly how I serve it. Just spoon up a healthy portion and put it in a bowl. That’s it.
Hamburger Pasta Casserole Variations
There’s one other thing that makes this recipe great outside of how easy and delicious it is. That’s the potential for changing it up. This is an incredibly easy recip that lends itself to getting creative. Sub out ingredients or add extras to change the entire flavor and feel of this casserole.
You can give this dish a southwest flair by substituting Rotel tomatoes for spaghetti sauce and adding sliced jalapenos and corn.
Turn this dish into a taco bake with Rotel tomatoes, taco seasoning, jalapenos, and canned black beans.
Add rice instead of noodles, and you’ve got a stuffed bell pepper casserole.
This recipe is so great for letting your creative juices flow and changing things up.
How to Store Cream Cheese Hamburger Pasta Casserole
These cream cheese hamburger pasta casserole can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about 4 days. For longer storage, put your leftovers in an air-tight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag and freeze for up to 4 months.
Hamburger Pasta Casserole FAQ
Q: What kind of hamburger should I use?
A: You can use any kind of hamburger, but lean beef works well. This pasta is so creamy and cheesy, you don’t really need extra fat like you would in a burger.
Q: What kind of pasta should I use?
A: Anything other that long pasta will work. Obviously, this isn’t the dish for spaghetti or alfredo noodles. Other than that any sort of short pasta like macaroni or rigatoni and the like will work.
Q: How long will this casserole last?
A: This hamburger pasta casserole is good in the fridge for up to 4 days, and it will last up to 4 months in the freezer.
Q: What if I keep this casserole in the freezer longer than 4 months?
A: It won’t be dangerous, but it also won’t be very good. Try to eat it before that time is up.
Give This Hamburger Pasta Casserole a Try
From pot lucks to weeknight family meals, this cheesy hamburger pasta casserole is always a winner. Serve it at your next holiday get-together, for game night, or any time you’re feeling like indulging in some cheesy beefy goodness. With only minor prep and cooking, you’ll have a dish that everyone loves in no time flat.
OTHER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:
Cheesy Taco Pasta
Bacon and Spinach Pasta with Parmesan
Easy Skillet Enchilada Pasta
Cheesy Cream Cheese Hamburger Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ small green pepper, diced
- ½ small red pepper, diced
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temp or microwave for a minute to soften
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese or mozzarella
- 12 oz pasta of your choice cooked al dente
- 3 cups pasta sauce of your choice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the hamburger and cook until almost cooked through.
- Add the onion, peppers, garlic salt and pepper ad cook until the veggies are cooked through.
- In a medium saucepan boil water for pasta . Add pasta and cook until pasta is just al dente. Do not over cook as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Drain.
- Add the cream cheese. If you didn't leave it out at room temperature you can microwave it for a minute in the microwave. Add sour cream and Parmesan cheese.
- In a sprayed 9"x 13" casserole dish, add the pasta mixture. Then add the hamburger mixture and sauce on top and stir until everything is loosely combined.,
- Top with the shredded cheddar or mozzarella.
- Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through. Serve immediately.
This is sooo good!! The whole family loves it!
That’s great! We love hearing that! So very happy everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
Yummy. Didn’t have sour cream so I used plain greek yogurt, turned out great!
So glad you liked it Jill. Greek yogurt is always a great substitute!
Two questions for you: how many calories are in a serving, and can you use nonfat cooking spray in the baking dish? Many thanks, in advance, for your answers.
There is 470 calories and we use Pam for a cooking spray. We don’t use non fat