Diane's Food Blog

One cold, chilly winter evening when I was craving comfort food (read: Minnesota “hotdish”) and looking for a recipe that used an ingredient I had on hand, I did a quick internet search that yielded no results. (I ended up making up that recipe up myself.) However, one idea that kept showing up was that of a cheeseburger casserole. I quickly scanned the ingredient list, thought it sounded interesting, and promptly forgot all about it. A few weeks later, I set out to make my own version, which fast became a new favorite in our house.

Diane’s Cheeseburger Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ t steak seasoning
¼ to ½ C ketchup*
2-3 T mustard*
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
(½ C diced tomatoes (about 12-15 cherry tomatoes, halved)
6 large dill pickles, sliced (1 C sliced)
2 slices American cheese, cut or torn into small pieces
2 C egg noodles, cooked
Salt and pepper to taste
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
* Adjust to taste: if you prefer lots of ketchup and mustard on a burger, use the higher amount

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it apart as it browns. When most of the red color is gone, add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook until the beef is browned and the onions are softened. Drain excess fat, place the browned beef in a large bowl and stir in the steak seasoning.

Add the ketchup, mustard and condensed soup to the ground beef and stir well to combine. Stir in the diced tomatoes, sliced pickles and American cheese pieces. Add the cooked egg noodles and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray and tightly cover the pan, sprayed-side down (to prevent the cheese from sticking). Bake at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes or until bubbling.

Remove the foil from the pan and place the uncovered pan under a broiler for several minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Alternate serving suggestion: instead of adding egg noodles and baking as a casserole, the mixture can be spooned onto a bun and served as a “Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe.”

Step by Step Details

In a medium pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it apart.

When most of the red color is gone, add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook until the beef is browned and the onions are softened. Drain excess fat, place the browned beef in a large bowl and stir in the steak seasoning.

Add the ketchup, mustard and condensed soup to the ground beef.

Stir well to combine, then add the diced tomatoes, sliced pickles and American cheese pieces.

Stir well to combine, then add the cooked egg noodles.

You guessed it: stir well to combine, one last time. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish (or several smaller ones, as shown below) and top with the shredded cheddar cheese.

Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray and tightly cover the pan, sprayed-side down (to prevent the cheese from sticking). Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbling.

Remove the foil from the pan and place the uncovered pan under a broiler for several minutes to lightly brown the cheese.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

 

Alternate serving suggestion: instead of adding the egg noodles and baking as a casserole, the mixture can be spooned into a bun, topped with lettuce, and served as a “Cheeseburger Sloppy Joe.”