In search of straightforward, tacky (but nonetheless wholesome!) floor beef dinner concepts? This Floor Beef Casserole may have your loved ones asking for seconds and change into an everyday in your floor beef recipe repertoire.
Floor beef is browned with onions, peppers, garlic and a shock ingredient (Rotel!), and layered over noodles in a tacky sauce for one large, bubbly casserole you’re going to say “mmm-mmm-MMM!” over.
When making consolation meals with floor beef that’s crowd-pleasing, not too excessive, and straightforward, my thoughts instantly (and fewer creatively) turns to the ol’ tacos or spaghetti ‘n’ meatballs.
Not knocking the classics, they’re household favorites for a cause, however this floor beef casserole recipe is a contemporary tackle a floor beef dinner with SO MUCH FLAVOR.
Floor Beef for Straightforward Dinners
Floor Beef Casserole is Gentle and Straightforward
That’s proper, you can also make a floor beef casserole that’s 100% satisfying, however will not be made with a brick of cheese, a cup of cream, or a can of “cream of” soup.
- Greek yogurt steps in for added protein and creaminess and makes an ideal wholesome substitute for bitter cream.
- Complete wheat noodles add protein and fiber, making the meal much more filling.
- It’s tacky with out overdoing the cheese issue.
- Plus, veggies are added to pack in some nutritional vitamins.
Learn how to Make Floor Beef Casserole
On this floor beef casserole, tomato sauce and canned diced tomatoes in inexperienced chilis (sure, Rotel has powers past queso dip!) are blended into the browned floor beef and greens.
From there, the substances are remodeled right into a divine floor beef casserole by layering over cream sauce noodles, with a last sprinkle of shredded cheddar for its crowning glory.
Tip!
To maintain the noodles from getting too mushy, don’t prepare dinner your noodles all the way in which to al dente. They’ll proceed cooking whereas baking within the casserole dish.
The Elements
- Floor Beef. Go for 90% to 93% floor beef to make the dish leaner. It has loads of cheese and creamy sauce to maintain it moist.
- Noodles. Select your favourite form, similar to elbow, penne pasta, or egg noodles.
- Cheese. A pointy cheddar makes the cheese taste stand out.
- Cream Cheese. Decreased fats cream cheese whisks into the cheese sauce for a creamy issue.
- Greek Yogurt. Makes the sauce much more creamy, whereas including extra protein.
- Bell Peppers. A inexperienced bell pepper, plus a purple, orange, or yellow (you decide!) provides fiber and nutritional vitamins, making this straightforward floor beef casserole recipe an all-in-one meal.
- Tomato Sauce. Provides moisture to the lean floor beef.
- Tomatoes in Inexperienced Chilis. Shock ingredient so as to add a great deal of taste to the bottom beef.
- Inexperienced Onion. Provides a chunk.
The Instructions
- Cook dinner beef, onion, and bell peppers in a big skillet over medium-high warmth with salt and pepper. Stir within the garlic.
- Add diced tomatoes in inexperienced chilis and tomato sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare dinner pasta till slightly below al dente.
- Whisk collectively reserved pasta water, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, cornstarch, and salt, then stir in cheese.
- Add half of the inexperienced onions, noodles, and 1 cup pasta water. Stir to mix.
- Spoon sauce-covered noodles into a good layer within the backside of a ready baking dish.
- Spoon beef combination over the noodle combination.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake floor beef casserole at 350 levels F for half-hour, till it’s browned and effervescent. Sprinkle with inexperienced onions and let stand for quarter-hour previous to serving. ENJOY!
Storage Suggestions
- To Retailer. Refrigerate leftover floor beef casserole in an hermetic storage container for as much as 3 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low warmth or gently within the microwave.
- To Freeze. Retailer in freezer-safe, hermetic storage container for as much as 3 months, thaw in a single day in fridge, after which reheat.
Meal Prep Tip
- To save lots of on cooking time the day of, chop onions and peppers and shred cheese, then refrigerate individually in ziptop baggage till able to prepare dinner.
- You can too put together your complete casserole the day earlier than, wrap and retailer in fridge, after which bake the subsequent day. It is a nice shortcut for weeknight dinner.
What to Serve with Floor Beef Casserole
Make this floor beef casserole on your subsequent household dinner.
It may not win a magnificence contest, nevertheless it’s going to win over everybody’s tastebuds!
Often Requested Questions
Sure! You possibly can put together the dish fully after which bake it the subsequent day. Floor beef casserole can be freezer pleasant, so it’s an ideal make-ahead dish.
Sure, you’ll be able to swap floor turkey or rooster for the bottom beef. The flavour and texture might be totally different, however it can nonetheless be scrumptious. For a taste extra much like beef, strive floor bison.
This floor beef casserole recipe has contemporary greens, entire grains, and lean imply, all of which supply dietary advantages.
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean floor beef 90% or 93% lean
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper purple, yellow, or orange, chopped
- 1 inexperienced bell pepper chopped
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon floor black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes and inexperienced chilis (similar to Rotel)
- 1 8-ounce can added tomato sauce
- 12 ounces entire wheat pasta noodles similar to egg noodles, elbow macaroni, or penne
- 1 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt or bitter cream
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded and divided (about 2 cups)
- 4 inexperienced onions thinly sliced, divided
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Place a rack within the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
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In a large, deep skillet, warmth the oil over medium-high warmth. As soon as the oil is scorching, add the meat, onion, purple bell pepper, inexperienced bell pepper, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and pepper. Cook dinner, breaking up the meat, till it’s totally cooked by means of and the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Enhance the warmth barely and proceed to prepare dinner and stir till a lot of the liquid cooks away.
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Stir within the garlic. Let prepare dinner, stirring consistently, till tremendous aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes in inexperienced chilis and the tomato sauce. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring sometimes.
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In the meantime, in a big pot of salted water, prepare dinner the pasta till slightly below al dente—it shouldn’t be fully crunchy however ought to nonetheless be too agency to eat. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain and put aside
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Pour 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water again into the now-empty pot you used to prepare dinner the pasta. Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk till easily mixed. Stir in one-third of the cheese, persevering with to whisk till it’s largely clean. Don’t fear if the cheese doesn’t soften fully.
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Add half of the inexperienced onions, the noodles, and the remaining 1 cup pasta water. Stir to mix, then fastidiously spoon the noodles and the liquid within the pot into a good layer within the backside of the ready baking dish. It can seem like a multitude at this level.
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Spoon the meat combination evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with the cheddar.
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Bake floor beef casserole till the cheese is browned and it’s effervescent across the edges, about half-hour. If desired, pop the pan below the broiler for a minute or two to additional brown the cheese. Watch fastidiously. Take away from the oven, sprinkle with the remaining inexperienced onions, and let stand for quarter-hour previous to serving.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover floor beef casserole in an hermetic storage container for as much as 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low warmth or gently within the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Retailer in freezer-safe, hermetic storage container for as much as 3 months, thaw in a single day in fridge, after which reheat.
Serving: 1of 6Energy: 559kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 38gFats: 23gSaturated Fats: 11gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 7gTrans Fats: 0.3gLdl cholesterol: 97mgPotassium: 519mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1260IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 356mgIron: 2mg
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Extra Floor Beef Dinner Concepts
Floor beef makes so many straightforward and crowd-pleasing dinners! Taco casserole, pasta bake, and shepherd’s pie are classics.
