Rudy’sRecipe Box

Beef · Pasta

Cheesy Beef and Green Bean Pasta Casserole

A creamy, cheesy ground-beef casserole with pasta, green beans, onion, tomatoes, cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

Yield
Serves 5–6
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
20–25 minutes

From Rudy’s notebook

recipes.rudyr.com/recipes/cheesy-beef-and-green-bean-pasta-casserole

Recipe scale
Recipe layout

Ingredients

Serves 5–6

  • 1 lbground beef
  • 12 ozpasta (egg noodles, rotini, penne, shells, or elbow macaroni)
  • 12--16 oz green beans
  • 1/2 mediumonion, finely diced
  • 1 cupchopped fresh tomatoes (optional, but recommended)
  • 1 cupchicken broth
  • 1 cupheavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cupsshredded cheddar, divided
  • 1 cupshredded mozzarella, divided
  • 1/2 cupgrated Parmesan, divided
  • 1 tbsptomato paste (optional)
  • 1/2 tspgarlic powder
  • 1/2 tsponion powder
  • 1/2 tspsalt
  • 1/4 tspblack pepper
  • 1/2 tsppaprika (optional)
  • Up to 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, if needed
  • 1--2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional garnish)

Method

Prepare the Pasta and Green Beans

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

    Temperature: 375°F

  2. Cook pasta in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes less than package directions.

    Time: 2 minutes

  3. For fresh green beans, cut into bite-size pieces and add them to the pasta water for the final 4 minutes. For frozen, add during the final 2--3 minutes. If canned, drain and add later.

    Time: 4 minutesTime: 3 minutes

  4. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.

Brown the Beef and Onion

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

  2. Add ground beef and diced onion.

  3. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and paprika if using.

  4. Cook for 7--9 minutes, breaking up the beef, until browned and the onion is soft.

    Time: 9 minutes

  5. Drain excess grease.

Make the Creamy Cheese Sauce

  1. Reduce heat to medium.

  2. If using tomato paste, stir it into the beef and cook for 1 minute.

    Time: 1 minute

  3. Add chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the skillet.

  4. Add heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not boil aggressively.

  5. Simmer 3--5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Time: 5 minutes

  6. Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in: 1 cup cheddar 1/2 cup mozzarella 1/4 cup Parmesan

  7. Stir until melted and smooth. Taste before adding additional salt.

Combine

  1. Add cooked pasta and green beans to the cheese sauce.

  2. Fold in chopped tomatoes.

  3. Stir until everything is evenly coated.

  4. If the sauce is too thick, add a little reserved pasta water. It is fine if the mixture is slightly loose because the pasta will absorb sauce in the oven.

Assemble and Bake

  1. Transfer to a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

  2. Top with: Remaining 1/2 cup cheddar Remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella Remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan

  3. Bake uncovered for 20--25 minutes, until bubbling around the edges.

    Time: 25 minutes

  4. Broil for 1--2 minutes for a browned cheese topping, if desired.

    Time: 2 minutes

  5. Rest for 5--10 minutes before serving.

    Time: 10 minutes

  6. Garnish individual servings with a small amount of chopped cilantro if desired. Cilantro works especially well if you want a slightly fresher finish.

Paper
Paper size
Method
What to print

Ingredients and numbered steps.

For a PDF, choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog and turn off headers and footers.

Cook’s notes

  • If you have them, one or two of these work well: - 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce - 1/2 tsp mustard - A pinch of smoked paprika - Crumbled bacon
  • For this version, keep the creamy cheese sauce as the main flavor.
  • Save the salsa verde, salsa roja, pesto, and creamy rosa sauce for other meals.

Take it with you

Kept in Rudy’s notebook.

More from the box

All recipes →