Beef and Three Cheese Noodle Casserole

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4.84 from 6 votes

Beef and Three Cheese Noodle Casserole

Easy, make ahead, and total comfort food (this dish is sometimes called Johnny Marzetti!).

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: People

Author: Katie Workman

Ingredients

12 ounces egg noodles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
1 pound ground beef
2 cups sliced leeks white and light green parts only
½ cup chopped cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes blotted dry
1 14 ½-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream
2 cups grated sharp cheddar divided
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch pan, or a shallow 2-quart baking dish, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Cook the noodles according to package directions, just until tender, and then drain and toss in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
While the noodles are cooking, spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray, then sauté the beef over medium heat until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Drain the beef and wipe out the skillet.
In the same skillet melt the remaining tablespoon butter over medium low heat and sauté the leeks for about 12 minutes until tender. Stir in the sundried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Add the drained beef, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking (there won’t be a lot of liquid, mostly vegetables), mix together the sour cream, 1 cup cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Parmesan in a large bowl. Add the warm buttered noodles and toss until well combined – the sour cream mixture is thick; just keep gently tossing until the sour cream mixture coats the noodles.
Turn the sauce into the bowl with the sour cream coated noodles and toss until just combined. Turn into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle over the remaining cup of cheddar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is melted and everything is hot and bubbly. Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve.

Notes

Make Ahead

Things you might do to get dinner on the table faster:

You could brown the meat ahead of time.

You could toss the noodles with the sour cream mixture ahead of time.

Think about making the sauce ahead of time.

You can also make and assemble the casserole a day ahead of time and either bring it to room temperature and then bake, or just bake it straight from the fridge and add 5 to 10 minutes of extra cooking time.

Storage

Store the casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or just pop the lid back on your casserole dish, if it has one. The casserole will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition