Sour cream beef noodle casserole is a dependable family favorite. With egg noodles in a rich beefy tomato sauce and cheesy sour cream layers.
A good casserole is a great answer to end-of-the-year weeknight meals. It’s comforting and serves up a big batch of food for no-fuss dinners. There’s usually a lot of leftovers too so you can relax the next day. If you have hamburger or ground beef in your freezer to use up, try this kid-friendly sour cream beef noodle casserole.
This old-fashioned meal is a deliciously simple combination of beef, pasta, tomato sauce and cheese to serve up a warm and bubbly meal. “Comfort” is the word that comes to mind when we think about digging into this casserole.
It’s a little twist on your traditional tomato and beef noodle casserole. We’re stacking a few layers of egg noodles mixed with sour cream, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese between layers of ground beef in a rich and rustic tomato sauce and generous layers of cheddar cheese for a creamy melt. For more comforting beef recipes, try this beef stroganoff or a classic Salisbury steak recipe.
How To Make Sour Cream Beef Noodle Casserole (1 Min Video)
SOUR CREAM BEEF NOODLE CASSEROLE RECIPE TIPS
Onions and garlic – You can substitute fresh onions and garlic with onion and garlic powder. I would start with 1/2 teaspoon first and build up from there for more flavor.
Ground beef – If you use extra lean ground beef, you won’t need to drain as much grease.
Pasta – I used wide egg noodles but you could also use regular egg noodles or pasta like elbow macaroni or shells. To prevent soggy noodles in the casserole, we rinse the cooked noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process.
For that reason, I like to cook the noodles a little under al dente. So if the package directions suggest cooking it for 9-12 minutes, I’ll pick 9 minutes and finish off the cooking in the oven.
Seasonings – I added smoked paprika to give the meat layer a rustic, smoky flavor and some Worcestershire sauce to balance out the tartness from the tomatoes.
Switch out cottage cheese – If you’re not a fan of cottage cheese, you can substitute it with ricotta or cream cheese. Cottage cheese is soft and creamy and isn’t as sour as you might think. For this recipe, I used Breakstone’s small curd cottage cheese with 4% milkfat.
Cheddar cheese – I used extra sharp cheddar but you can use mild cheddar, triple cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, or Pepper Jack.
Green onions – Some versions use green onions mixed in with the sour cream egg noodles layer. If you’re a fan of green onions, try this out! It’s about 1/2 cup of chopped green onions mixed into the sour cream noodles.
Mixing it up – I made three layers to give three distinct flavors when digging in but you can mix all the layers together and bake it that way for easier assembly.
Make it in advance – You should be able to make this in advance, cover and refrigerate it. Try adding in an extra 10-15 minutes of baking time since you’re starting with a chilled casserole.
Customize It!
- Add more heat – Add more kick with some jalapeños or cayenne pepper.
- Add more flavor – Throw in some bacon bits in there for more flavor.
And that’s about it. Enjoy digging in! Let me know how you liked it, what substiutions you made or what you paired it with in the comments below.
MORE CASSEROLE RECIPES TO TRY
- Meatball Pasta Bake
- Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli Bake
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
- Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
- Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole
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Sour Cream Beef Noodle Casserole
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Sour cream beef noodle casserole is a dependable family favorite. With egg noodles in a rich beefy tomato sauce and cheesy sour cream layers.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. uncooked egg noodles
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
- 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 8 oz. small curd cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- Fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles according to package directions until al dente. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Add a splash of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking.
- Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a skillet, breaking up any clumps. Drain any excess fat.
- Add chopped onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Season with Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and simmer until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and cooked egg noodles. Mix well.
- Spoon half the creamy pasta mixture into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Top with half the beef mixture and half the cheddar cheese.
- Repeat with one more pasta – beef – cheddar layer each. Finish with a cheddar cheese layer on top.
- Bake uncovered at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until cheese has melted.
- Top with optional parsley and dish and serve hot.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Add more heat – Add more kick with some jalapeños or cayenne pepper.
- Add more flavor – Throw in some bacon bits in there for more flavor.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Comments & Reviews
This recipe is delicious!! Made as described with a couple of additions. After the beef,onions and garlic were done I deglazed the pan with a 1/3 cup of white wine and also added a heaping teaspoon of Italian seasoning. This will definitely stay in the rotation I highly recommend!
Great idea, Barb! I’ve deglazed the pan with white wine after sauteeing aromatics in some pasta dishes on the blog, just for a little added flavor. Thanks for sharing!
My husband loved this recipe as did I. Fast, easy, and inexpensive to make.
I’m glad this was a hit with both of you. I hope you make it again and enjoy it just as much 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Deb!
Just made this. Came out well and tasted great. But it’s quite plentiful for sure, so
I’d like to ask….can portion of it be frozen for consumption latter on? A response would be helpful please.
You should be able to freeze it if you’re okay with the pasta coming out a little soggier when reheated. That’s just the nature of freezing pasta. The texture of the sour cream and cottage cheese might also be a bit grainy after being frozen.
So good! Easy ingredients that I usually have on hand and it came together delicious. Family told me to definitely keep the recipe.
That’s wonderful to hear! I tend to like focusing on recipes that use common pantry staples so the food is relatable to the everyday busy person. It sounds like you guys found a new staple. Have fun digging in the next time you make it 🙂
Very good! Van it be made a day ahead and refrigerated?
Sure! Just let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes after taking it out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature before baking. You might also need to bake it a little longer to account for it being a little chilled.
This recipe has become a family favorite. I use jar spaghetti sauce but still ad all the seasonings to the hamburger. We love it.
I just made it for the first time. OMG! It is amazing. It’s only me here, but I made a full batch because this is something I can take for lunch every day forever. Thank you for sharing it.
“Take for lunch every day forever”. Haha, I love it! It’s great having tons of leftovers so you can be lazy for a few days. Especially if you enjoy the food! Thanks for trying this recipe out and sharing how well it turned out for you, Jan 🙂
Made this casserole for a church luncheon..big hit! Definitely a keeper. I had no tomato sauce so I used a 24 oz. jar marinara sauce and diced tomatoes. Added basil and oregano…worked just fine. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
You’re very welcome, Deborah. I love that you shared it with everyone 🙂
Do I have to use cottage cheese?
You could try substituting cottage cheese with ricotta or cream cheese. Some folks left positive results in the comments with those substitutions.
I made this tonight and it was a hit with my husband and I. We really enjoyed it! I used lean ground bison and subbed Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Will definitely be making this again!
I’m glad to hear it and thanks for sharing your substitutions, Natalie. It’s good to know that Greek yogurt works as a healthier option.
We liked it. Can you freeze there are only 2 if us
You can freeze it if you don’t mind the noodles being a bit soft or soggy after being frozen. The cottage cheese and sour cream might end up a little grainy or chunky too as their texture changes when frozen. If you’re not too particular about these changes, freezing should be alright.
I followed this recipe to the letter, and taste is obviously subjective, but it did not appeal to me or my family. The ingredients sounded so good, but the flavors did not come together in a pleasing way. I made this, in part, because of all the positive reviews, so I wanted to weigh in with my experience. Casseroles are usually so satisfying, I’ll try your other recipes, but this one did not work.
Thanks for trying it out anyway, Leslie! I’m sorry it didn’t meet your tastes. I’m always grateful when someone takes the time and ingredients to try something of mine, so I hope the other recipes work out better for you.
These recipes are too good, thanks
You’re very welcome, Betty! I’m happy this worked out for you and thank you for sharing 🙂