French Onion Beef Casserole

Name: French Onion Beef Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 10 ounces dried egg noodles; 1 pound ground beef (80/20 or 90/10); 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (10.5 ounce); 2 cups sour cream; 1 package French Onion Dip mix; 1/2 cup Sherry (optional); 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 cup Gruyere cheese (shredded); 2 cups French’s fried onions

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French onion beef casserole recipe makes a hearty and delicious meal that’s perfect for easy weeknight dinners. Flavor-packed with a creamy texture and topped with crunchy French fried onions, this casserole is sure to be a hit come dinner time.

A spoonful of french onion beef casserole lifted up from casserole dish.

In his younger days, my son was never big on onions until I put a plate of this French onion casserole in front of him. I remember him sniffing at the plate and saying with a scrunchy face, “ewww…I hate onions”! When I told him it had some of his favorite ingredients like meat and noodles, he reluctantly put a tiny forkful in his mouth. That’s all it took. He cleaned his plate and with a big smile, asked for more! That was a 180.

Casseroles are the ultimate comfort food and so easy to make. This ground beef casserole can be put together in no time. It’s the simple prepared spices and ingredients that makes this casserole so scrumptious. When I’m craving a creamy pasta dinner and time is tight, this is one of my favorite go-to recipes. .

French Onion Ground Beef Casserole

Simplicity is the name of the game with this beef casserole and it was inspired by another casserole recipe on Kitchen Divas, and is the perfect partner with this simple asparagus side dish recipe.

If you enjoy easy casseroles during the week, you might also want to try, Slow Cooker Turkey and Stuffing Casserole or Cheesy Tuna Pasta Casserole.

Ingredients

This easy French onion casserole recipe requires only basic ingredients that can easily be found at your local grocery store.

Egg noodles: The curly variety works best, but any pasta will do.`
Ground beef: For best results use 80/20 or 90/10.
Cream of mushroom soup
Sour cream
French Onion dip mix: You can find this in the seasoning section of the grocery store. It may also be called French onion soup mix.
Sherry
Worcestershire sauce
Gruyere cheese: Its sharp flavor melds really well with the other flavors, but feel free to use any cheese.
French’s fried onions: It’s the cherry on top and gives this easy casserole the perfect crunch.

See the recipe card further down on the page for the amount of each ingredient you need.

Instructions

An easy dinner recipe to follow with just a few easy steps and needs only 20 minutes of hands-on time to put together.

Step 1: Boil the Pasta

Cook the noodles according to the package directions; remove them immediately from the hot water and drain well.

Step 2: Brown the Ground Beef

Place the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking the meat up into small pieces until it is fully cooked and browned on the outside.

Drain any excess oil off of the ground beef.

Step 3: Preheat the Oven

When you’re ready to cook the casserole, preheat the oven to 350° F and spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.

Step 4: Mix the Casserole

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, French onion dip, sherry, and Worcestershire sauce.

Add the noodles and ground beef. Mix everything together and pour into a pan in an even layer.

Evenly spread shredded cheese over the pasta, then top with the fried onions.

Step 5: Bake in the Oven

Cover the casserole with a piece of tinfoil and place it in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and finish baking until hot and bubbly.

French onion casserole with beef served up on plates on the table.

Substitutions

Don’t have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change it up? Here are some helpful tips that will modify this scrumptious beef French onion casserole.

Cream of mushroom soup – Any of the creamy-based condensed soups will work.
Egg noodles – Although this one’s my favorite when making beef casserole, you can swap them out for any short pasta.
Vegetarian – Replace the beef hamburger with plant-based ground beef or cooked beans.
Use French Onion Dip: Use it in place of the onion dip mix with 1 cup of the sour cream.

Variations

Want to personalize this French onion casserole with beef recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips that will alter this recipe without compromising taste.

Meats – Instead of beef, choose ground turkey, chicken or pork.
Low fat – Low fat sour cream, reduced fat cream of mushroom soup and the leanest ground beef will do the trick.
Mushroom – Add sliced mushrooms to the ground beef to enhance the flavor.

If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy this Ground Beef and Rice Skillet dinner.

Equipment

This recipe comes together quickly and requires only basic kitchen equipment.

Skillet
Wooden spoon or spatula
Saucepan or pot to boil pasta
Strainer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
9 x 13 casserole dish

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To crisp up the onions again, reheat in the oven.

Tips

French onion ground beef casserole isn’t complicated, but here are my recommendations to ensure this home-cooked casserole comes out perfectly.

Only partially cook the noodles. Leave them slightly undercooked as they’ll finish cooking as they bake.
Drain excess fat from the ground beef after browning so the casserole won’t be greasy.

Serving up a spoonful of french onion ground beef casserole.

More Ground Beef Recipes

If you like easy meals made with ground beef, here are some recipes you might want to try:

FAQ

Any questions about this French onion casserole with beef? Here are some of the most commonly-asked questions and answers about this beef casserole recipe.

Can I make French onion beef casserole in advance?

Yes! The entire casserole can be assembled up to 24-48 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to cook, remove from the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes on the counter before cooking it in the oven. Since all the ingredients have been refrigerated, you may need to extend the time the casserole cooks covered with foil.

Can I make it in advance and freeze this casserole before cooking?

Since it’s made with sour cream and pasta, freezing is not recommended as it can damage the texture.

Why are the noodles in my casserole so soft?

Again, it’s important to undercook the noodles slightly because they continue to cook in the oven. You don’t want them overcooked. I recommend cooking 2-3 minutes less than the time indicated on the package.