This easy no-bake spaghetti casserole with ground beef is comfort food at
its finest! A dump and go pasta casserole that still has lots of flavor built in. Not your typical spaghetti recipe but a Southern version made up into a casserole.
Mom’s Hamburger Spaghetti Casserole
With large gatherings, it’s nice to have a beef casserole recipe that’s easy to throw together and something everyone will like. Growing up, my mom’s go-to dish was this spaghetti casserole recipe. It was a family favorite, prepared for all family gatherings and is my ultimate comfort food.
Mom’s spaghetti, is not Italian in any way. Nothing like a classic sunday sauce. There’s no Italian sausage, Parmesan cheese, or even mozzarella cheese. It does have tomato sauce but that’s about it.
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Not only is this not a traditional Italian based spaghetti, but it’s not a baked spaghetti that has cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. It’s a unique recipe that I’ve never had any place else.
The base for this spaghetti casserole recipe is cream of mushroom soup and chili con carne. However, I don’t think they even make chili con carne anymore so I use canned chili for the meat sauce. This is about the only recipe I make that has canned mushroom soup. Of course, any casserole that came out of the 70’s had to have mushroom soup in it.
What’s great about this recipe is that it all comes together in one pot. It’s a great freezer meal. You can make it in advance and when you’re ready to eat, heat up the spaghetti mixture and add the top layer of cheese. There’s nothing better than easy meals that are family favorites.
This is one of those recipes that you can easily extend if you find that a couple more people are coming for dinner. Just add a little more tomato sauce and pasta and you can stretch this for those unexpected guests. It’s a recipe that you can’t mess up. Throw in a little more ground beef, if you want it heartier, or if you’re a red sauce lover, add more. (I’m not a big red sauce fan, so I just use a little.)
Everyone I have ever made this for has loved it except my kids. They don’t like spaghetti casserole. How can that be? If they ate it at a friends house, I bet they would love it! In fact, when they were young it was unusual for me to find any casserole that they would eat. Maybe casseroles have just gone out of style, but I just keep serving them. They are perfect for potlucks or when you need to feed a crowd and who doesn’t love an entire meal in one pot or casserole dish.
There’s just something comforting about a pasta casserole. If you like casseroles, then you’re going to love this recipe, just don’t expect it to taste like traditional spaghetti.
Reasons Ground Beef Pasta Casserole is a Favorite
- Casseroles are so convenient
- You can make it in advance
- The prep time is only about 15 minutes
- It’s cheesy
- It makes great leftovers
- You don’t have to turn on your oven
A few Ingredients
These are the main ingredients you’ll need to make this casserole apart from other pantry staples listed in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef – try to go with lean ground beef so that you don’t have as much grease.
- Mushroom soup – while I’m not a big proponent of processed food, this recipe really needs a can of soup.
- Tomatoes and tomato sauce – I’m not a big fan of tomato sauce, so I only use a cup of it. You can definitely add more, my Mom’s has about 2 cups.
- Fresh Mushrooms – you can leave these out, but I like the flavor they add.
- Onions, celery and garlic – it’s where the flavor starts.
- Colby cheese – this is what makes it gooey, you can also use cheddar cheese or have a cheese mixture of both.
Pro tip: If you want ooey-gooey cheese, then avoid the pre-packaged cheese. It has a coating that keeps it from melting as much as the block of cheese that you grate.
Let’s make a spaghetti casserole!
Step 1: start with some flavor
Step 2: simmer the sauce
Step 3: add the pasta
Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot of salted water and add cooked spaghetti noodles to the sauce. Use some tongs to stir the pasta into the sauce.
Once combined add cheese to the top and cover until it’s melted. If you are making this in advance, wait to add the cheese until right before serving.
This ground beef pasta casserole is a great recipe to have on hand for when you’re having a large group for dinner, you can never have enough easy pasta dinner recipes. All you need is some garlic bread.
How to Store
This will last about 3-5 days in the refrigerator. It makes great leftovers, just let it come to room temperature and then you can re-heat it on the stove or microwave individual servings. Leftover spaghetti is even better the next day.This also makes a great freezer meal, just let it cool and then place it in an airtight container to freeze for later.
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Cheesy Spaghetti Casserole with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced, optional
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ lb ground beef
- 1 can mushroom soup
- 15 ounces canned chili
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato sauce more if needed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb pasta
- 2 cups colby/cheddar cheese grated
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute onions, and celery until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add hamburger and mushrooms and cook until no longer pink. Drain grease if needed.
- Add soup, chili, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaf and oregano and salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and add to the sauce, mix thoroughly and add grated cheese on top. Place a lid on the pot and let simmer until cheese melts.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can use chili with beans or without.
- Cheddar cheese can be used instead of colby.
- If making this in advance, wait to add the cheese until ready to serve.
Nutrition
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Teresa says
Cook time is 30 minutes, but the directions say to simmer the sauce for an hour?
Barbara Curry says
Hey Teresa, I changed it to make it more clear. It is completely cooked in less time but I liek to simmer it for about an hour to let all the flavors come together.
Vicki says
The recipe says to use a can of diced tomatoes; the photo of the ingredients shows a 15 oz. can of diced crushed tomatoes (which can be hard to find). Which one should be used? This looks good!
Barbara Curry says
I use a 15 ounce can, if you only have 10 ounce cans just add a little more water, it will be fine.
Vicki says
I have no trouble finding 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes in their juice, but my concern was with crushed tomatoes vs. the tomatoes in juice….they’re really thick, like there’s added tomato paste in them, and the consistency of whatever you’re making with them is much different. While 28 oz. cans are readily available, the 15 oz. cans aren’t, at least not around here. I hate being left with extra, which usually gets thrown out.
Barbara Curry says
This recipe is so adaptable, I have used both diced and crushed tomatoes and different volumes and I promise it will turn out whichever you prefer. If it seems too thick for you then you can always add some water to get it to the consistency you want.
Digginglife says
I swapped out the beef for chicken and my family can’t get enough of this dish. It’s getting requested just a week after having it for the first time. So good!
Barbara Curry says
I’m glad you like it as much as I do. I love that ground chicken worked, I hadn’t tried that.