Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (2024)

Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (1)

Easy Recipes With Ground Beef

In my quest to find more freezer cooking friendly meals I decided to try some easy recipes with ground beef. My husband loves beef, so finding a casserole that I could easily freeze and cook on busy nights was a priority. After cooking a big batch of ground beef in the crockpot, I jumped into this super easy recipe I found online from here.

Here’s the ingredients you will need. (I tripled this to make four half size pans to freeze.)

1 lb ground beef
26 oz spaghetti sauce
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
8 oz ricotta (you can also use cottage cheese)
1/2 cup butter
16 oz penne pasta
8 oz sharp cheddar shredded cheese

You will also need aluminum pans if you plan to freeze this recipe. You can find the best deal on pans here.Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (3)

UPDATE: Some of you noticed that I used cottage cheese but listed Ricotta. I tried both, the pictures just came from the cottage cheese trial. I definitely think the ricotta did better in the freezer and had a creamier taste which is why I chose to list the ricotta on the recipe. I definitely use the recipes I share here and try them out first. That means freezing them for at least a few weeks and then serving them to my family. 🙂

Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (4)

1. Cook the ground beef. When I know I’m going to do do some freezer cooking in a big batch, I cook the ground beefin the crockpot easilythe night before. Once it’s completely cooked, drained and cooled, I place it in the a container in the refrigerator. The next day, it’s really easy to pull together a recipe like this one.

But anyways, once the ground beef is cooked. Set it aside.

2. Boil the penne pasta and drain once fully cooked.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. It’s much easier to mix them together if you let the cream cheese soften first.

4. Add half of the pasta to the containers you’re using. In this case, since I had tripled the recipe, I used four half containers. If you’re making only one batch, I would use a 9×13 pan.

5. Top the pasta with the cream cheese mixture. Spread it evenly around the pan.

Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (6)

6. Top the cream mixture with the rest of the noodles.

7. Cut the butter into slices and top the noodles.

8. Top the butter with the ground beef.

Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (7)

9. Top the ground beef with the spaghetti sauce. Straight out of the can, man.

10. Add cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees Faranheit for 45 minutes.

If you’re freezer cooking, you can top it with foil and add it to the freezer. Once thawed in the future, you can bake it for the same time. Personally, I think when you freezer cook with pasta, it sometimes soaks up the sauce. I like to add some sauce to the casserole before cooking it.

Let me know what you think!

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Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (8)

Created by: Lynette Rice

Million Dollar Casserole


Course Main

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8

8

Million dollar casserole with layers of spaghetti sauce and noodles and a cheesy middle Can easily be frozen to enjoy later.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 26 oz spaghetti sauce
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 8 oz ricotta
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 16 oz penne pasta
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar shredded cheese

Instructions

  • Cook the ground beef.

  • Boil the penne pasta and drain once fully cooked.

  • In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. It much easier to mix them together if you let the cream cheese soften first.

  • Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Add half of the pasta to the containers you're using. Top the pasta with the cream cheese mixture. Top the cream mixture with the rest of the noodles.

  • Cut the butter into slices and top the noodles. Top the butter with the ground beef. Top the ground beef with the spaghetti sauce. Straight out of the can, man. Add cheese.

  • Bake at 350˚ F for 45 minutes.

Notes

If you’re freezer cooking, you can top it with foil and add it to the freezer. Once thawed in the future, you can bake it for the same time. Personally, I think when you freezer cook with pasta, it sometimes soaks up the sauce. I like to add some sauce to the casserole before cooking it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 909kcal | Carbohydrates: 116g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 5264mg | Potassium: 451mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 825IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 388mg | Iron: 2mg

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Looking for another casserole to try? You will love this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Casseroleor this Spinach Rice Casserole recipeor even this Green Bean Casserole recipe!

What are some of your favorite easy recipes with ground beef?

Easy Recipes With Ground Beef: Million Dollar Casserole (2024)

FAQs

Is Blade steak OK for casseroles? ›

Blade is a great cut to add a hearty and wholesome flavour to slow-cooked dishes such as casseroles and stews. Often overlooked, this beef cut is flavourful and economical.

What is a casserole steak? ›

Casserole Steak is hand cut to order by our qualified butchers. Taken from the chuck of the Fore Quarter of our traditionally matured Welsh Beef. These steaks are ideal for slow braising in the oven or slow cooker.

What is the best beef to use in a casserole? ›

Here are some popular cuts of beef for stews and casseroles:
  • Chuck Roast: This is a common choice for stews and casseroles due to its marbling and connective tissue. It becomes tender and flavorful when slow-cooked, making it ideal for hearty dishes.
  • Brisket: Brisket is another excellent option for stews and ca.
Jun 11, 2023

What is the best steak for casseroles? ›

Oyster Blade Steak

Some people believe this is the best cut to use in a stew or casserole. In fact most people prefer to use this cut above the rest, but the downside is the cost! Oyster Blade steak has a lot of flavour that comes from the breakdown of connective tissue that you can see when looking at it.

Why is my beef casserole tough? ›

Now if your meat is tough after the stewing process, then there's a few things that might have gone wrong. Two options really, either it is really a poor cut of beef, or more likely it hasn't been cooked for long enough. Usually 3 hours in the oven in a casserole dish at 180C/350F should make any cut of beef tender.

Can you pan fry casserole steak? ›

Take a large, heavy based frying pan, and add a few drops pomace or vegetable oil. Fry the steak on all sides in small batches then transfer to the casserole dish.

Do you have to sear beef before making a casserole? ›

You don't have to brown meat before braising or stewing. Browning meat develops color and flavor in the finished dish. It's is recognized as being a French technique and if you are cooking in that style, browning the meat will make the dish better.

What is blade steak best used for? ›

If you're looking for delicious yet affordable dinner options, blade steak is a great meat option. This cut of beef is great either cooked quickly on a high heat for wraps, stir-fries and sandwiches or slow-cooked or braised in a casserole or as a pie filling.

Is blade steak tough or tender? ›

Top blade steak is a tender cut of beef from the shoulder area. The muscle of the top blade is the same as a flat iron steak. However, the top blade steak has a piece of tough connective tissue down the middle which makes it better suited for braising or smoking than for grilling.

Is blade steak chewy? ›

The meat will turn out unpalatably chewy, ruining the steak. It's all due to the cut's origin. The top blade hails from the chuck region, a section of the cow often used in stews. Sliced from a tender muscle in the area -- shared with flat iron steaks -- it contains a strip of cartilage.

Is blade steak a good cut of steak? ›

Blade roast or steak (boneless):

Blade roast is highly marbled and juicy. Pounding, marinating and slow cooking tenderize this cut's tough connective tissue. It can also be grilled or sautéed for tender and flavourful results.

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