This hearty and delicious Hamburger Casserole recipe is simple to make and uses common ingredients that you likely already have on hand. It’s sure to be a family favorite!
Everyone is looking for that easy, cheesy, family favorite recipe! Not sure what to make for dinner tonight? Chances are you’ve got all the ingredients on hand to make this really simple and very delicious casserole. All you need is ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, corn, spices, macaroni noodles, and cheese! Throw it all together in your favorite 9 x 13 inch baking dish and in no time flat your family will be completely satisfied with what will be their new favorite dinner!
This is one of those simple dishes that you throw together on nights you don’t really feel like making anything. It’s easy and delicious and can be paired with bread and a salad. I’m not generally into making casserole, but this is one of those recipes you’ll want to make again and again. It’s perfect for the whole family! If you’re looking for other delicious hamburger recipes, stick around and check out my Fiesta Taco Pie, Taco Soup, or The Pampered Chef Taco Ring! All are sure to please the entire family!
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear your thoughts. Be sure to leave a comment below and/or rate the recipe; or if you take a photo & share to social, tag @triedandtasty so that I can check it out! Also, be sure to follow Tried and Tasty along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest & Twitter to keep up with all the latest recipes!
Hamburger Casserole
This Hamburger Casserole is one of those recipes that everyone can relate to! It's comforting, it's cozy, and it's made with ingredients that you probably already have on hand!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1 can whole kernel corn drained
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 1/2 c. macaroni noodles cooked and drained
- Grated cheddar cheese enough to cover casserole
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F.
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Cook macaroni noodles according to directions on package.
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Brown ground beef and onion. Add chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.
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Mix the cream soups and corn together, add to cooked hamburger. Add macaroni, mix well.
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Put in 9x13 baking dish. Bake 35-40 minutes. Cover with grated cheese for the last 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Donna
How would you convert this for the crockpot?
Yvonne
That’s a great question Donna, I can see how it’d be so convenient to do so! I haven’t personally tried this recipe in a crockpot before so I can’t speak to how it would turn out, but I have a feeling it would turn out pretty well if you added all of the ingredients to the crock pot (including the ground beef, broken up into smaller peices), stirred everything together well, and cooked it on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours. I would recommend NOT draining the can of corn, and also adding 1-3 cups of water to the crock pot so that the macaroni noodles have plenty of moisture. Please let me know how it turns out if you decide to blaze a new trail and give it a try!
Brittny Barnes
This is amazing all 4 of my kids love it ages 7 to 1 and so easy I didn’t have tomatoes soup so I added tomatoes sauce and no onion used onion powder and added fresh garlic gonna be a go to dinner for us so hard to find meals all kids love
Yvonne
Woohoo Brittny! I’m so happy to hear that all four of your kids loved it! One of the great things about this recipe is how flexible it is, as you proved with your great substitution ideas!
Roni
Hi Yvonne.
Want to make this tonight but am confused. Does this call for 1 1/2 cups of UNCOOKED macaroni or COOKED macaroni?
Thanks.
Tim
Cooked. Al Dente.
Yvonne
Great question Roni! You’ll start with 1 1/2 c. UNCOOKED macaroni noodles, which will expand to be a bit more than that once cooked.
How do you convert this over to instant pot?
I love it great food
Yvonne
Thanks for stopping by Teresa, that makes me so happy to hear that you loved the recipe!
Laura
This turned out so good and it was so easy to make. I am definitely sharing this recipe with my friends.:)
Yvonne
Awesome Laura, I’m so glad to hear that it turned out great for you and was easy to make! Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for sharing the recipe with your friends! :)
Yvonne can you help me? I have a problem when I bake a Cream Cheese pound cake. After I let it cool in the pan and I Flipp it over the edges always break off. What am I doing wrong? Maybe beating too long or what?
Erin
Do you add water to the soups of just the cans of soup?
Andrew
No water. Just combined the two soups the added it to the skillet with the cooked meat.
Donna
What is serving size in this recipe? One cup?
Yvonne
Hi Donna, thanks for the great question! One cup is about right for a serving size. If you wanted to get more precise, using a food scale would give you great accuracy. Hope that helps!
Yvonne
Hi Erin, good question. Just the contents of the cans of soup, without any additional water added. Hope that helps!
Arthur
Thank u for the recipe it was amazing but I did and a few other things to mine. I used cream of chicken soup with fresh mushrooms and fresh corn off of the cob and my family loved it.
Yvonne
Thanks for the kind comment Arthur, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Using fresh mushrooms and fresh corn from the cob in this recipe sounds amazing!
This is a very simple dish and perfect work busy weeknights. I assembled this a few hours in advance so it was ready to go into the oven when I was ready. Before I put it in the baking dish, I did taste it to see if I needed to adjust seasonings. I felt it was missing something, so I added some cumin to taste and that did the trick. Really gave the flavor the exact boost I was looking for.
Janice
Try Worcestershire sauce
Tammy
How much cumin? Im going to try making this tonight for dinner :)
Yvonne
Hi Christine! I’m a big fan of cumin and that’s a great suggestion for this recipe. Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
Been making this for over 30 years with the exception that I add a can of ranch style beans (bbq pinto beans) and cook on stove top. family called it hamburger goulosh.
Yvonne
Hi Raynora, thanks for stopping by! Don’t you just love it when a recipe stands up to the test of time and you can enjoy it for decades? I don’t think I could ever grow tired of Hamburger Casserole! The ranch style beans sound like a nice twist!
Susan
I made this on the stove top only, skipped the oven due to time. Had no tomato soup so I used condensed tomato juice to taste and dried onion. Though a few alternatives we’re used it was really yummy and my family polished it off, should have made a double batch!
Thank you for sharing your recipe :)
Yvonne
Hi Susan! One of the many things that I love about this recipe is how straight forward and easy to adapt it is, and it sounds like you did a great job adapting with the ingredients you had on hand! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it and I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment to let me know!
Lindsey
I made this with Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese on top and used rigatoni instead. It was AMAZING!
Yvonne
That sounds absolutely delicious Lindsey! I LOVE Panko and Parmesan, and I bet it was full of bubbly & crunchy goodness!
Mike J
I don’t have noodles can I substitute potatoes instead?
Yvonne
Hi Mike! I’ve never tried making this dish with potatoes before, but I suspect that it would still be great with thinly sliced potatoes in place of noodles.
Bernice A Stroup
Surprisingly I don’t have a can of tomato soup , what can I use in place of that
Yvonne
Hi Bernice, no worries! if you have tomato sauce, you could try substituting 1 cup of tomato sauce + 1/4 cup of water in place of the can of tomato soup that the recipe calls for. Alternately, if you have tomato paste, you could try mixing 1/2 cup of tomato paste with 1/2 cup of water, and adding a dash of olive oil and sugar to taste. Hope that helps, cheers!
ann
Can you freeze this? If so do I freeze before or after you bake it?
Yvonne
Hi Ann, that’s a good question! You certainly can freeze this Hamburger Casserole. I would recommend baking it first, allowing it to cool a bit, and then placing it in a freezer safe airtight container or a freezer rated food storage bag (you can double bag it to be safe). For the best taste, I would recommend baking it within 3 months of it being frozen. Hope that helps!
Carrie
This was amazing! My kids ate it up!!! There were NO left overs! Planning on making this for our next small group gathering. Can’t wait to hear what others say about it. Thanks for sharing!
Yvonne
That’s so wonderful to hear Carrie! Thanks for taking the time to let me know how much your kids loved it! That brings a smile to my face!
Candace
Absolutely delicious…I added a few things such as garlic, taco seasoning, and magi sauce. Turned out amazing!
Yvonne
Nice!! Way to make it your own Candace! I love trying new variations with recipes and those sound like good ones!
Candace
Was absolutely amazing! Will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the recipe!
Yvonne
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe Candace! You’re most welcome!
Jennifer Mitchell
Just made this for the hubby. He says “It’s really good babe! I like it. I’d eat it again.” He says 4 1/2 stars. (I can’t try it cause I’m on a special medical diet.) Thanks for the recipe!!
Yvonne
Hi Jennifer, I’m so happy to hear that your husband enjoyed it! And what true love for you to make it for him, knowing that you can’t try it.
Stephen
Nailed it! Followed what was written and it turned out great!
Yvonne
That’s awesome to hear Stephen, I’m so glad that the recipe turned out great for you!
Cree
I made this recipe tonight, it turned out delicious. I used fire roasted tomatoes instead of tomato soup. My hubby is happy
Yvonne
Hi Cree, so glad to hear that you and your hubby enjoyed the recipe! Fire roasted tomatoes are a great twist.
Making it for the first time tonight. I will freeze half and have it at a later date, (single lady) and I’m appreciative of your posting this.
Yvonne
Hello Jane, eating half now and freezing half for later is a fantastic idea! Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you around.
Christine
I made this for dinner tonight, and it turned out really good! I made a few small adjustments. I added one can of diced tomatoes and some garlic salt instead of regular salt for a little bit more flavor. I also added some French fried onions to the topping in addition to the shredded cheddar cheese. It was a great, quick dinner to make, and it was very filling. Great comfort food 😊
Yvonne
Hi Christine, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Those adjustments that you made to the recipe sound delightful and I totally agree that this dish is such wonderful comfort food. Cheers!
jacque
I found this recipe maybe a couple years ago. I have made it many times since then. This is so quick and easy, but more importantly it is very tasty, and can feed a crowd. I always top it with the cheese and then French fried onions on top for the last 15 minutes. You won’t be disappointed if you make this. It’s not bland as some people have said. Maybe they are using too much macaroni, would lessen the flavor of the sauce. Try it.
Yvonne
Hi Jacque, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and I absolutely love hearing that this recipe continues to serve you well year after year. I also love your idea of french fried onions on top, that sounds heavenly!
Kimberly Arroyo
I made it a month ago and had to make it again the next night cause my son loved it so much!! It’s delicious!! I’m making it again tonight but this time I doubled the recipe.
Yvonne
Thanks for the comment Kimberly! Making the same dish two nights in a row is the highest compliment possible, and I’m so glad that your son loved it!
Brenda Mitchell
My family loved it and was so easy to make. I was told Ican make it again! Lol!
Yvonne
Thanks for taking time to rate & comment Brenda, glad it was such a hit!
Ris Taylor
Tried it and it was a bit bland. I think I’ll use Rotel tomatoes next time. I’m not sure what the thing is with cooking it in the oven. If we are going to eat now, I just finish it on the stovetop and serve. If I’m doing ahead of time, I throw the goulash (minus the pasta) into a crock pot. It’s a refreshing change for hamburger. I get so tired of the same old recipes for hamburger. Also, I add half the cheese while cooking and the other half on top of the serving in a bowl.
Yvonne
Hi Ris! I love your idea of making this dish ahead of time using a crock pot for the goulash. I’m all about shortcuts and making life in the kitchen as easy as possible. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Crystal
Very good I added a few things a table spoon of suger some katchup and the last 6 minutes I put some crunchy onions and shredded cheese it was great!!!
Yvonne
Those sounds like great additions!
Susan
I love this recipe, it’s been a favorite since I first made it for my family about 8 months ago. It’s cheap to make, delicious and filling and perfect comfort food.
Yvonne
I’m so happy that you liked it Susan! Thanks for taking a moment to comment & rate the recipe, I really appreciate it!
Darthur43
I followed the directions exactly. Tasted it before it went in and no flavor – really bland. I tried to fix it up with some Rotel and taco seasoning and it was still so bad I didn’t even eat it. And 10 minute prep was closer to 40 minutes. Total waste of time, energy and food.
Yvonne
Hello and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this dish!
Carole
I use tator tots in place of macaroni is a big hit with kids
Yvonne
Oh that sounds like a great option to try!
David Pflieger
Just what I was looking for. I had all the puzzle pieces in the fridge and pantry. This made it all fit. I added about 8oz of tomato sauce I had leftover from stuffed peppers the night before.
Yvonne
I’m so glad that this dish hit the spot for you David! Great idea using the leftover tomato sauce.. I feel like it’s hard to go wrong with tomato sauce, and I use it as a base in so many of my recipes because it’s so versatile and tasty.
Your style of cooking is right up my alley and speaks to my heart! Thank you for all the lovely recipes !
Yvonne
Becky – thank YOU for the kind words! I hope to see you around often!
Christie Wilburn
This dish was absolutely wonderful, only thing I did differently was a cut up bell pepper in with the onion. My family really enjoyed this meal. Thank you!
Yvonne
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment letting me know that you liked it Christie! I LOVE bell pepper, so that sounds like a great addition.
Judy
This was delicious!
Yvonne
Awesome, I’m so glad that you enjoyed it Judy! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Mike m
With all the condensed soups, it sounds like it would be very salty . Do you have any suggestions to reduce the sodium in this dish?
Sheri
Low sodium cream of mushroom soup
Bill
do you add water with the cream of mushroom soup?
Jennifet
Saw this recipe and my mouth started drooling!! Debt bunny to store for only 2 items, had everything else on hand! Cooking now!! Will keep you posted!!!!
CW
This was a life saver and has become a family favorite! I did not have all of the ingredients when I made it. I used a 14.5 oz can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano. I browned the ground beef with salt, pepper, chilo powder, diced onion and a 1/2 of a havasu pepper. I had less than a 1/4 cup of mixed cheese that I mixed in with cream of mushroom, tomatoes and I added another 1/4 cup of mozzarella, more salt, pepper and chili powder. Then covered and put in oven as instrcute and topped with mozzarella last 15 min. Oh my, my husband and son love it! If I don’t hide some to take to lunch thr next day there wouldn’t be any! Thank you so much for this recipe! For a family on the go this is great! Quick fix and makes a lot. I have a 15 yr. Old son who plays football and wrestling, two scoops of this and he’s full!!!
Anne mcgillivray
When using condensed soup do you pore it straight from the tin or do you add a tin of water as well?
Janice
Hey Yvonne what if U don’t have cream of mushroom, would it still taste good without it?
Elaine Banman
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it reminded me of a recipe I made in Home Ec in the 60’s. The teacher called it Baked Hungarian Goulash. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for posting this.
Tam
Trying this tonight…. You cook the noodles first? How big of a box?
Yvonne
Yes, you will want to cook the noodles first. Any size box should work as long as it yields at least 1 1/2 c. of uncooked noodles!
Roni
Don’t you mean 1 1/2 cups COOKED macaroni? Want to make this tonight but am confused.
Leigh
Yvonne, Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It was so easy to make and the ingredients made for a perfect dinner. My 14yo son ate half in one sitting. I used ground turkey and shredded my own cheddar block. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe and I can’t wait for more of your ideas!
Yvonne
You’re welcome – fresh shredded cheese is ALWAYS better – YUM!!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Dee
Last nite I made this….but, I warmed tortillas in Microwave, then placed in muffin tins. Added mixture. Top with what ever you like, me, salsa, sour crème, green onions, hot peppers.. Awesum Sauce!..Thank you for recipe
Yvonne
What a great idea!
Susan Macfarlane
Were we supposed to cover it to bake?
Angela Pallikan
I did not cover mine
Robin
Making this tonight, can’t wait to try!!! Looks Delish!!! Thanks for sharing!
AngieMarie
Its in the oven right now. I didnt have tomato soup so I used a can of Manwhich. I cant wait to taste this!!
Yvonne
Oooh, sounds like a good substitute – hope you like it! Enjoy :)
Angela Pallikan
I did enjoy it!
Trena
I hate to be a party pooper but my family found it “blah” at best. My husband finished a small bowl (he was starving) but declined seconds because it “wasn’t worth the calories.” My teenager tried a few bites, grabbed her keys and headed to Taco Bell. Maybe if I’d added the Rotel! Still glad I gave it a shot!! Can’t win them all!
Yvonne
I actually really appreciate you comment. I guess it goes to show that you can’t win them all. Sorry you had a bad experience, so many people have loved this recipe – I’m sorry that you didn’t as well. Thanks for letting me know :)
Lehuanani
I am doing this tonight for dinner, sounds so good and easy. i will let you know how it turned out. I do not have any cheese to grate over it, but will try can of nacho’s cheese in the can because that is all I have. Cross your fingers it will be amazing…
Yvonne
Oooh nacho cheese? How could that NOT be amazing? Hope it was good!
Patsy
Made this and a skillet of cornbread tonight. Perfect for an easy Saturday night supper! We really enjoyed it. I also added a can of Rotel for a little punch. I liked that it was nice and saucy! This is an easy and economical meal. Thanks so much!!
Yvonne
Thank you for your comment – I’m so happy you liked it!