A satisfyingly rich and hearty casserole from the Pennsylvania Dutch country.
The first time I made this recipe, I thought it was okay but not one that I would make again. However, it was one that seemed so promising, I decided to tinker with it to make it "mine." First of all, I added a can of diced tomatoes, drained, with diced green peppers and onions, and some grated carrot to the tomato soup and cooked it all with the hamburg. (This will make a lot, so I use the extra to make Spanish rice later on in the week....) I don't care for sliced American cheese particularly, so I used shredded cheddar. I think there is way too much sugar, so I cut that back to a couple of teaspoons (the carrot is a natural sweetner, anyway, so less sugar can be used). When I mixed the cream of chicken soup with the noddles, I also added additional shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Voila! We love, love, love this recipe, and it gets served frequently. Wonderful comfort food! Great reheated, too.
Read MoreI wasn't too impressed with this. I followed the recipe exactly and it was dry. The flavor would have been better if it was moister. Can't think of any way to improve it, maybe add more soup?
Read MoreThe first time I made this recipe, I thought it was okay but not one that I would make again. However, it was one that seemed so promising, I decided to tinker with it to make it "mine." First of all, I added a can of diced tomatoes, drained, with diced green peppers and onions, and some grated carrot to the tomato soup and cooked it all with the hamburg. (This will make a lot, so I use the extra to make Spanish rice later on in the week....) I don't care for sliced American cheese particularly, so I used shredded cheddar. I think there is way too much sugar, so I cut that back to a couple of teaspoons (the carrot is a natural sweetner, anyway, so less sugar can be used). When I mixed the cream of chicken soup with the noddles, I also added additional shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Voila! We love, love, love this recipe, and it gets served frequently. Wonderful comfort food! Great reheated, too.
I've been making this recipe for years. I think the brown sugar in the meat mixture makes the dish. It's plain and simple, yet delicious. I do two things differently. One is add a chopped onion to the ground beef while I'm browning it. Two, I also prefer shredded cheddar cheese to the American cheese. Excellent dish!
I have been making this recipe for about 20 years, we grew up with it. except instead of layering it we mix it all together on top the stove, just untill its hot. It cuts your cooking time in half. and we also like corn in it as well. It is so good!!
The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly an thought it was only okay. The second time I made it, I decreased the amount of brown sugar and used cream of mushroom instead of cream of chicken. It was much better the second time I made it. In fact several have asked for the recipe!
My husband and I both enjoyed this casserole very much! However, where we live I do have to often substitute ingredients. On this recipe, I used a combination of gouda and cheddar cheeses (american and cheddar are both less common here) and I used elbow macaroni noodles instead of egg noodles. I think the egg noodles would have been nicer for casserole appearance, but the flavor was so good. After eating the leftovers the next evening, my husband told me I have to make this again soon! =)
I wasn't too impressed with this. I followed the recipe exactly and it was dry. The flavor would have been better if it was moister. Can't think of any way to improve it, maybe add more soup?
My family loves this recipe. The first time I made it, I did not change a thing. I now use cream of mushroom soup in place of the cream of chicken. I also add a can of corn to the layers. My family also likes cheddar cheese over American. The tomato soup along with the brown sugar and chopped onion does amazing things to the ground beef. I never would have thought. You can play with this recipe and never come out wrong. Totally enjoyed!!!
When i made this the first time it was a "What do I have I can throw together?" kind of night. I never really follow recipes exactly and that night I made it that night with cream of potato instead of chicken. I also used regular macaroni noodles and most cheese. It was so fantastic my husband took it to work and his coworkers all asked abotu it.
My family didn't like this. The brown sugar make's it taste too sweet. Guess it could be made without the sugar.
I made this recipe to use up some of my canned soups, and my husband loved it! He asks for it often. We like to double the meat/sauce mixture for a heartier flavor.
This was pretty good... would have been nothing though without the brown sugar! I also added onion. Thanks, deedledeet!
When I first made this, I found it bland and it had a weird taste to it. So I made it another time and doctored it up with some mushrooms, basil and hot pepper flakes. This time it wasn't bland, but it still had a weird taste to it. I think it was the tomato soup, so maybe if this was changed to sauce it would taste better. I'm not too sure, but not willing to try making it again. Sorry.
A good easy casserole that is kid friendly too. I thought the meat part was a little sweet, but no one else said anything. I think I would cut the sugar back then next time. Overall, the dish was a little dry so maybe more of the chicken soup next time? This was a huge hit with my husband. I also agreed it was worth a repeat here. I scaled this down to half and used a loaf pan and it came out great. I'm sure glad we tried this. Thanks for a keeper.
I loved this dish so much I could not stop eating it! Three of my children that ate it loved it and want it on the family favorite meal list. My wife may think it's too sweet. I always add onion to my hamburger and feel that it may have enhanced the flavor even more, but I haven't tried it without. For those of you who don't like people to rate a recipe and add suggestions, that's fine for you, but I believe anything can be improved on, so keep the suggestions coming people.
The meal was very good. The only thing i noticed was the noodles on top get really hard. Next time i think i will put aluminum foil over the top.
An absolute favorite! (The second time)I used cream of mushroom soup instead of chicken, grated cheddar, 1/2 the sugar, and mixed everything all together. Awesome. Even my kid who hates hamburger anything ATE IT ALL! Thanks!
I have been using this recipe for the last year.. It was good from original state a solid 3 for our family. We tweaked a few things to suit us better and now it is a solid 5 ! #1 Cut down brown sugar (still will be sweet) # 2 double both soups so it's not dry.
Made this for my mom when she came for dinner one night. The kids and hubby didn't like it but she did so in the end a win for the person I was cooking for!
Very dry--needed more liquid. The amount of brown sugar is too much. Not sure I will make this again.
This Dish turned out very good. A little sweet tho next time I will use a little less brown sugar and add a chopped onion.
My family absolutely loves this recipe! The only thing I do differently is that I use shredded cheddar instead of American cheese. My kids ask for me to make this all the time.
This recipe seemed strange to me and it does have an odd combination of flavors, but for some reason, it has really become a comfort food for me. The meat layer is sweet (obviously since there is tomato soup and sugar), but it somehow goes really well with the heaviness of the noodles and the cheese. I used ground turkey (it's always my alternative to beef) and used cheddar cheese instead of American because I hate fake cheese. Other than that, I didn't change a thing.
Instead of egg noodles, i used boiled cubed red potatoes and it tasted really good. The whole family devoured it(:
Tastes OK, but seems ingredients are out of proportion. I needed to use two cans of cream of chicken soup, and should have used two pounds of ground beef. I'll probably make again sometime, but I will adjust the amount of ingredients.
My family of 7 includes some very picky eaters. The first time I made it everyone thought it was WAY to sweet. I had made it following the recipe exactly. the next time I made the casserole I omitted the brown sugar (I think the tomato soup is sweet enough for my taste) and added a teaspoon of vinegar with the tomato soup. It was very good. I got no complaints that dinner.
Fantastic!I used vegetable noodles instead of egg,just because I like them better.also used both shredded chedder & small amount of velveeta.it turned out great!will def make again.
Can't give it 5 stars because of the changes I used, but overall a very good recipe. Also I think it needs a little less noodles. For the meat mixture, after browning, I added some chopped onion. Drained the liguid, added the tomato soup plus a drained 10-3/4 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes with peppers and onions and an 8 oz. can of tomato juice, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder. Also as some others used cream of potato soup and 8 oz. of sour cream in the noodles. Overall came out pretty good and will be making again.
OK, I did some changing to this. After starting I found out I didn't have egg noodles or a casserole dish. So, I cooked the hamburger with onions, italian seasoning, garlic, and red pepper shavings, one can of diced tomatoes drained, and about 2 cups of peas. I cooked elbows, added the chicken soup but instead of the oven I simmered all of the hamburger ingredients and then put the noodles on top covered and simmered medium heat with cheese slices on top for about 10 minutes. It was awesome. Whew hope you got all that. Sorry, I forgot to mention, I did all of this stuff listed in addition to the regular recipe.
This is a good "starter" casserole recipe for, as others have said, building on. My husband agreed with most of the other reviews, it was too sweet for his taste. Personally, I wasn't bothered by it but I can also see how it would taste a little heartier with less sugar. The end result tasted like a less processed, healthier version of hamburger helper. When I make it again, I'll probably make the meat and the noodles and then just toss them together in the dish and bake as one big plain casserole with cheese on top. We used colby jack rather than american and it was really yummy, but you do need to use a lot. I agree with the other suggestions........more cream of chicken would make it creamier/tastier and I think next time I'll try adding onion to the meat and maybe tossing in some corn. All in all, a good easy starter casserole. A decent meal as is and a great recipe to build on later.
Excellent comfort food. I like to cook a half bag of frozen peas separately and scatter them over the top of the casserole once it is served. I usually add a can of diced tomatoes, and occasionally a can of black beans as well. It also works without the chicken soup, if you use a little butter or olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking to each other. Whole grain noodles are fine. It makes good leftovers, especially if you reheat them in a saucepan on the stove with a little water instead of using the microwave. We enjoy this dish regularly.
This turned out pretty well and was very hearty. I only had elbow noodles, so I used those, but everything else was the same. It was a little on the sweet side for my taste, so I think next time I will decrease the brown sugar. Other than that, great!
Very good. I doubled the cream of chicken with the noodles, and didn't have a problem with it being dry at all. I also added grill spices to the hamburger to spice it up a bit. We loved it!
This recipe wasn't bad at all. It just didn't leave me or my husband wanting to have it for leftovers. If you don't have a big family, then I would suggest downsizing the recipe.
This dish is an acquired taste. My kids loved it b/c of the sugar taste, but I thought the brown sugar could have been left out. Otherwise, very good and easy to sneak in veggies for the kids.
This is made in our household at least once per month. My pickiest eater in the house just LOVES this! I have altered the recipe to 2 cans of each soup, and I use only one layer of Kraft 2% cheese slices (5) and then for the top layer, I shred medium cheddar. This is a lot les rich, and has become the family favorite!!!
I played around with this and added corn to the hamburger when I added the tomato soup. I also added 2 cloves of pressed garlic to noodles when I added the chicken soup. Lastly, I added red pepper flakes and garlic powder to the meat when I was browning it. It all came out pretty tasty!
I was in the mood for a casserole so I thought that I'd give this a try. I wasn't that thrilled. I added garlic and onions to the meat, and used mushroom soup. We ate it but I don't think I'll be making it again. Thanks.
I wish i could give this 3.5 stars. It was ok. Not my favorite. The meat mixture was very tasty, but overall it is great for kids.
I tried this recipe afer being encouraged by all the wonderfu reviews it received. I did cut the brown sugar in half, but otherwise followed the original instructions. Sadly, I ended up throwing it away. It was still way too sweet. I really hate wasting food like that, but it seriously tasted like a beefy dessert. I would not recommend this to anyone.
Pretty good. I liked it. I wouldn't use the whole amount of brown sugar. it gets a little too sweet but it was good
Made this tonight and the only alterations I made was that I used spaghetti noodles cause its all I had, and I used shredded cheese. It was amazing and would have been just as good weather I did those things or not. Very very good, not sure why it has lower ratings!
As is, this recipe is kind of odd. It's not bad, just...well, odd. I think it was mostly the sweetness from the brown sugar. I should say that my kids ate it up. However, my husband and I both thought it needed some tweeking. I'd start by cutting the brown sugar by half. Then add a can of corn and maybe a can of diced tomatoes. I also think that Monterey Jack cheese would be better than American.
This meal was very quick and easy. Family said it was tasty to. Make sure you add little extra salt. It was sorta bland..
This recipe is awesome! I made it because it was freezeable for a friend on bedrest. It was so good, I had to make it for myself. It's simple, delicious and easy to make.
I gave this a higher review than I would because my husband likes it. I thought the meat part was too sweet - and I didn't even use the full 1/4 cup of brown sugar, just like a tbsp or so. I also topped with shredded cheddar instead of American. Overall I think this is pretty bland & the meat too sweet. My husband thought it was really tasty & liked the sweetness of the meat sauce.
I do like this recipe, I added tomato juice to the meat mixture along with the tomato soup, I added cream of mushroom to the noodles along with the cream of chicken. I baked it in a 9 by 13 dish and I didn't repeat the layers, instead I added shredded cheddar chesse between the meat mixture and the noodles. I was looking for something different to cook and found it.
We were disappinted in this dish. It was very dry and the cheese didn't melt. Also, didn't like the sweet flavor.
I didn't care much for this recipe. It didn't taste bad but it was a very weird combination of flavors.
This was very good. The sweetness of the ground meat made it something a little different. I too used cream of potato soup with the noodles. Everyone in the family liked this one.
Made this dish exactly as is and we really enjoyed it. The tastes were different but blended together very well. This is an easy throw together dish and perfect for small children who are usually picky eaters. I am looking forward to having leftovers.
As is I didn't think that the recipe was nutritious enough so I followed the advice of another review and added onions, tomato, grated carrot, garlic, bell peppers, wheat germ(that was me)and low sodium soup to the meat mixture. Instead of cream of chicken soup I used sour cream and a chicken bouillion cube and parmesan cheese on the noodles. I also used cheddar cheese instead of american and left out the brown sugar. I decreased the amount of the ingredients because it made way too much. My whole family loves this version. It is now one of my go to meals.
added small onion to beef, didn't have tomato soup, used small tomato sauce and tomatoes with green chilies, shredded cheese, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup sour cream, no salt. Yummy
A good casserole for kids; they loved it. It burned on top, though, so watch it carefully. I would recommend doubling the meat mixture but not the brown sugar.
I also added diced tomatoes to the ground meat and sour cream and cream of potato soup to the noodle mixture. I also covered it when I cooked to make sure the noodles wouldn't dry out. This was a big hit with the family.
I cut down on the brown sugar and also added some sour cream. I also used cream of mushroom instead of cream of chix.
Very good and easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly except 1) I added garlic to the beef as I was cooking it (because my husband and I love garlic!) and 2) rather than making layers, I mixed the beef and noodles together before topping it with grated cheddar cheese and putting it in the oven (I was too lazy and too hungry to spend time making layers!). I also only had it in the oven for about 20 minutes (everything was already pre-cooked, so the 35 minutes it called for seemed excessive)
This was an easy, tasty dish however I will either decrease the amount of brown sugar or omit it all together next time. It was a little too sweet for my family's taste. I will probably also play with the seasonings more.
I used whole wheat egg noodles and absolutely LOVED this. We ate leftovers the next day (something we rarely do) and just couldn't get enough of it. I can't wait to make this again!
Fixed this tonight for my family. It didn't make sense to me to use Cream of Chicken soup with a beef casserole, so I added an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce instead. The casserole was dry, so if I try it again, will use a can of Cream of Celery. That makes more sense than Cream of Chicken. Also, I'm not a huge fan of American cheese but my guys are, so they really liked the cheese. Next time, I think I'll use Cheddar.
I had to change a lot to fit what I had on hand. Used tomato sauce, cream of mushroom soup, elbows noodles, and fiesta shredded cheese. My husband, myself and our one year old son loved it!! Our 13 and 4 year old girls only took a couple bites...they are my hard to please ones :)
This was very good. My kids loved it. I loved that I was able to stretch 1 lb of beef for a family of 6! I followed the recipe except I only had 6 pieces of cheese to use and it was plenty. Will def. make this recipe again. Also, I can see were this would be a great recipe for adding in what you have on hand like celery, onions, peppers, etc.
I like this casserole so much that I've added it to my favorite recipes cookbook that I will pass down to my daughter sometime. I usually substitute ground turkey, but I've made it several times with ground beef as well. I add onion and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies when I add the tomato soup. I like the combination of sweet with the kick from the green chilies.
This recipe was a very good home-style dinner. I followed the advice of other raters, using 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, plus I added about a half can of milk. I used shredded cheddar in place of American slices, and omitted the sugar. Great family meal!
Enjoyed it but next time I will change it up a little needs more meat and add some french's onions in the layers and on top but it was cheap & easy and that's always good
Really liked the casserole, but husband (Mr. Meat & Potatoes) did not. I used shredded cheddar cheese in place of the American cheese slices, and sprinkled Parmesan cheese over top before serving. Daughter (5 yrs old), who is picky eater, ate the casserole and asked for a second helping, so will consider making again when husband is out of town.
I have been making this for years, except my recipe calls for 1/2 of a chopped medium onion and 8 oz velvetta ( I use more) instead of American cheese. I always get asked for the recipe
so good. so easy. no one ive made this for has disliked or not gone up for seconds
I thought this was very good! I used potato soup instead of chicken but I think either would be yummy. I will add more meat next time. I used shredded mild cheddar instead of american cheese. My family had second helpings! I will definately make this again.
NO BUENO. My five year old loved it because it tasted like dessert but the grown ups not so much. I don't know if this is improvable by removing the brown sugar...probably would be to tart. Everybody likes different tastes and that what makes food good.
This was gross... my kids wouldn't eat it!!! I only ate it because that what I made for dinner.
Followed some of the more common suggestions...ie reducing sugar, adding veggies and stewed tomatoes in liquid to meat and using cream of mushroom soup and adding sour cream to the noodles. Also used different cheeses as well.
After reading some of the comments decided to use 1/2 block of cream cheese to give it more moisture. I used Cream of mushroom soup since that is what I had on hand. I used Kraft cheese slices in the layering and then added about 1 cup of sharp shredded cheddar on top and a handful of french fried onions on top.
This is one of those simple, but good casseroles that we wouldn't eat too often, due to the type of cheese and high in carbs, but it is sure tasty. I used ground turkey in place of the beef. I had some fresh spinach, so I also added that to the meat mix. Family likes it, so it will be a keeper to make again. Thanks for sharing.
I just made this last night for dinner. I made a couple of changes. I added garlic salt to the meat mixture because we love garlic. I also used cream of potato soup as suggested by other reviewers. This was very good. Served with some crusty bread and dinner was complete. Thanks!!
This was good. I debated whether to give 3 or 4 stars. I ended up giving 4 because the grandkids loved it. Very simple for everyday cooking. Plus it was fun to assemble with the grandkids. I thought it needed more hamburger to balance hamburger to noodle ratio.
We love this recipe, making it again tonight. The first time I made this I forgot to put the cream of chicken soup on the noodle and it was sweet. The second time I made it, I did remember and it cut down the sweetness. We love it either way,
Very good "go to" recipes! Had everything needed in the pantry. Used one can of cream of mushroom, can cream of chicken, and tomato soup. Added a few handfuls of fozen mixed veggies to the pot of noodles and mixed everything together. Quick and easy!
I love this recipe. I cooked it exactly and read the reviews afterward, so I'm extra excited to try it again and mix it up like they did. It could really be many different meals that way! Yum
my husband and i love how easy this recipe is and my two little ones love the taste. when we make it, we dont use the brown sugar. (a little too sweet for us.) and we always double the recipe so there are leftovers for work.
My family really love this recipe. It was different but good. My daughter had four servings....a big thumbs up!!!
I like the idea of adding brown sugar to the beef portion although I think 1/4 of a cup is a little too much. If I made this again, I'd cut it to two tablespoons. I think if you didn't use American cheese it would be too dry because American cheese melts differently than other cheeses and it adds some moisture.
I tried this recipe because I had everything on hand and it was really cheap. My husband liked it. I thought it was weird. Maybe with 1/2 the brown sugar and a lot more seasoning it would be better. I don't think I will make it again.
We add a bag of frozen sweet corn to the noodles prior to layering the caserole and one drained can of rotell (tomato and green chili) to the hamburger. also we add some shredded chedder over the noodles under the cheese slices. I wouldnt eat this recipe any other way again. I cook this at least twice a month.
I didn’t drain the beef but added corn,onions stirred in tomato soup and let it sit and cool while boiling the egg noodles. After draining added cream of chicken soup and tossed to coat the noodles and added the meat mixture and then tossed to combine then added mushrooms and sour cream and stirred them in and let cool then put half of the mixture in a greased 2-1/2 casserole dish and topped with shredded cheese and repeat.
I added sour cream to the noodle mixture, it seemed like it cold have been a little dry. I also added cheddar cheese between the layers. I topped this with panko and more cheese and added it to a buttered pan. It was a great week night meal.
I tried this recipe tonight. Everyone liked it but said a little too sweet.... so I would prob decrease the brown sugar. Also, if you are going to end with cheese on the top, as recipe says, you will need 15 slices of cheese instead of 10. But overall, I would make this again!
