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Make this quick & creamy 15-minute Ground Beef and Noodles for the ultimate comfort food! Easy, cheesy, and better than boxed meals. Perfect for busy nights!
Table of Contents
- Homemade Comfort in Just 15 Minutes
- Ingredients for Ground Beef and Noodles
- Ways to Customize Your Beef and Noodles
- Pro Tips for the Best Beef and Noodles Skillet
- What to Serve with Ground Beef and Noodles
- How to Store Leftovers
- More Easy Beef and Noodle Recipes
- How to Make Ground Beef and Noodles
- Creamy Beef and Noodles Skillet Recipe
Homemade Comfort in Just 15 Minutes
If you need a quick, comforting, and totally delicious dinner, this 15-minute Ground Beef and Noodles is the answer. It’s packed with flavor, super creamy, and way better than anything that comes out of a box. Trust me, once you try this, you’ll never go back to Hamburger Helper again.
Honestly, Hamburger Helper takes me right back to the early days of my marriage when a box of that stuff and a can of green beans counted as dinner. But once I rediscovered this homemade version—one that my grandma used to make—I never looked back. It’s rich, cheesy, and full of nostalgia, but without the processed taste.
Ingredients for Ground Beef and Noodles
- Macaroni noodles (or any pasta you have on hand!)
- Ground beef
- Onion, diced
- Condensed tomato soup
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Ways to Customize Your Beef and Noodles
Want to switch things up? Here are some tasty additions and substitutions to add a flavor twist to this easy recipe:
- Try different pasta shapes – Rotini, penne, bowtie, shells, or egg noodles all work great.
- Add garlic – A few minced cloves sautéed with the onion add extra flavor.
- Use ground chicken or turkey – A leaner option with just as much flavor.
- Make it fancy with beef tips – Swap the ground beef for sautéed beef tips.
- Boost the creaminess – Stir in 4-8 oz of cream cheese when adding the shredded cheese.
- Thin the sauce if needed – Add a splash of beef broth or milk.
- Sneak in veggies – Stir in peas, corn, green beans, zucchini, diced tomatoes, or even shredded carrots and zucchini (the kids won’t even notice!).
Pro Tips for the Best Beef and Noodles Skillet
- If you’re not a fan of canned condensed soup, try our delicious (and easy!) homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe!
- Whole wheat or gluten-free pasta works just as well if you want a healthier twist.
- Cook your pasta until just al dente—no one likes mushy noodles!
- If you’re feeding picky eaters, shredded veggies blend right into the sauce without anyone knowing.
- Sometimes, if I’m looking to add more to this Ground Beef and Noodles recipe, I will stir in corn, peas, a can of diced tomatoes (drained), extra sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach.
What to Serve with Ground Beef and Noodles
This dish is hearty enough to stand on its own, but if you want a side, try:
- A simple green salad
- Roasted or steamed veggies like green beans, peas, or corn (my kids love mixing them right in!)
- Garlic bread for soaking up that creamy sauce
How to Store Leftovers
Here’s how to keep your leftovers fresh:
- Allow the dish to cool to room temperature. Then, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of beef broth or milk if needed.
- To freeze, transfer to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Easy Beef and Noodle Recipes
Love this recipe? Try these other comforting classics:
Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
Instant Pot Goulash
Easy Meatball Stroganoff
Steak Stir Fry
Authentic Italian Spaghetti
Enchilada Casserole
This 15-minute Ground Beef and Noodles recipe is one of those recipes you’ll want to keep on repeat. It’s quick, easy, and full of cozy, homemade goodness. Give it a try tonight, and let me know what you think!
How to Make Ground Beef and Noodles
Creamy Beef and Noodles Skillet
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni noodles or similar, like Cavatappi or Cellentani
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 10.5 ounces tomato soup condensed , not prepared
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup condensed, not prepared (see note above for substitutes)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Prepare noodles according to package directions.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion together until beef is browned and onions are clear.
- Add condensed soups and salt and pepper.
- When noodles are done, drain well and add to skillet.
- Gently stir in cheese and serve!
Notes
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- If you are wary of using canned condensed cream of mushroom soup, try our delicious (and easy!) homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe!
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- You can use macaroni, rotini, bowtie, penne, or any kind of pasta for this recipe. You can use whole wheat pasta to make it healthier, or even Gluten Free pasta.
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- Sometimes, if we are looking to add more to this Beef and Noodles Skillet, we will stir in corn, peas, a can of diced tomatoes (drained), extra sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach.
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- Many times when we make this, we try to hide in extra veggies, so we add shredded zucchini and carrots to the ground beef mixture. Really, our kids NEVER know there are any added vegetables. We use a LOT too. We have used 1-2 of EACH vegetable added in and they don’t ever catch on.
- Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese can be used in place of, or in combination with, the cheddar cheese.
Has anyone tried making this in an instant pot?
I just made this and it came out great! I sautéed my ground beef added garlic salt, then added the onion, some minced garlic and a full container of baby portabella mushroom sliced, I also added one knorr beef bouillon cube, then I added my pasta, I used tri colored rotini, 1 1/4 boxes barilla, and let that cook together for a bit, then added the soup cans, and two cans of water from each. I let that cook till the noodles were done and then we added our own shredded cheese. (Triple cheddar)
Oooh yum! I love the idea of adding sliced mushrooms! Thanks for sharing how you made this a success for you and your family!
I bought everything I needed, except the tomato soup, which I forgot, I realized it when I got home from the store, I didn’t feel like going back, so, I substituted salsa in place of the tomato soup, omg, my family loved it!
I love it when a substitution works out! This is great to know. Thank you!
Can I use tomatoe sauce instead of tomato soup?
Yes, you can but it won’t be as creamy– you can add some cream cheese to correct this if you would like. You may need to adjust the seasoning as well. I would say taste as you go and make adjustments based on your liking. Hope this helps!
Just made this for the kids and it was definitely NOT a hit with them. I tried it as well and was not at all impressed. This recipe is a no-go for us.
Oh no! What was the problem? How come it was a fail for you?
This was DELICIOUS!! So simple to make, and I even made the cream of mushroom soup which was also super easy! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I’m so glad you liked it! This recipe is requested often by my family. It’s such a great comfort food. 🙂
I made this last night and it was surpringly delicious!! I had leftovers for lunch today. Yum!
So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for coming back to let us know!
Thanks for the recipe! I made this last night but instead of boiling the noodles separately, I added about 2 cups of water and the uncooked noodles after stirring in the soups. Cooked over medium-low heat until the noodles were done. Turned out perfectly. I just had to share in case anyone else despised boiling noodles like me! 😉
Just wondering if you use milk or water to water down the soups like directed on can or just empty them in with no add fluids?
Just the contents of the can– no added water or milk. Hope this helps!
If tomato soup is the only thing I can’t find in my overly crowded pantry, could I use canned tomatoes and maybe purée them? Or do you have any suggestions for a substitute?
Yes, absolutely! You can use what you have on hand 🙂 You can use canned tomatoes and maybe mix with a little cream to get the creamy texture.
How about pasta sauce? That’s the only tomato I have in the house right now.
I haven’t tried it that way, so I can’t speak to how it would affect the taste or texture. Sorry!
Thanks for such a great dinner!
Made this 3 days ago. Followed it exactly, it was absolutely wounderful!! Everyone gobbled it down and licked the bowl clean. Definitely a keeper!
Why can’t I pin the receipe? The links don’t work.
It should be working now… our site was having issues the other day
I made this tonight for dinner, everyone loved it! This is so going to be on the rotation. My son says it’s a keeper!
So glad you (and your son) liked it! 😀
Can you use spaghetti sauce and cream of chicken instead of tomato sauce. I have everything else just not the tomato sauce. I’m out of that.
We haven’t tried it that way before, so I can’t definitively say how it will affect the recipe. Let us know how it turns out if you do try it, though!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I made a couple small changes. I sautéed garlic and spinach with meat and onions (adding the extra stuff after the meat/onions were almost entirely cooked). Then after mixing in the pasta and cheese. I transfered the mix to a casserole dish and sprinkled panko breadcrumbs on top. Finally a quick broil to brown the top. My boyfriend and I loved it! This is a family sized meal and a great value.
Thank you, Caitlin! So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adaptations of the recipe. It is always so helpful to our readers.
Would this freeze well?
Hmmm… I’m not so sure that it would but we haven’t done it before so I can’t tell you for certain. If you try it let us know how it goes!
I am going to be trying this dish tonight, but was saddened to see there is no nutritional or serving size information.
It serves 4-6 but we don’t provide nutritional information, sorry! You will have to input the recipe on a nutritional calculator like FitBit or Livestrong.
Do you drain the fat from the meat?
It depends on what fat content of meat I use. If there is excess fat, then yes I will drain it off. If there is only a little, I usually don’t worry about it.
I’m now 57 years old and have been making this since my teen years – with 2 differences: I omit the cheese and use spaghetti pasta. Absolutely delish and filling as a real quick dinner! 😀
You use the spaghetti sauce as well as both soups??
Shirleen
I’m super excited to make this! Question, though…When I go to print out the recipe, why do I get ads instead of a photo of the dish?
That definitely shouldn’t be happening. I will look into that…
We made this Monday night and it was so yummy! Finishing off the leftovers today for lunch.
So glad you liked it! It re-heats great, too!
do you heat up the soup?
Nope, just add it in straight from the can!