This Philly Cheese Steak Casserole is such an easy delicious dinner! Full of the Philly Cheese Steak flavor you love, but baked up in a delicious noodle casserole!
This super simple casserole recipe started off as a riff on some delicious Philly Cheese Steak pizza I ate at Chuck E. Cheese’s during my kid’s birthday party.
Yup. For real.
Since then it has become a crazy viral recipe.
This really simple casserole that can be done in 40 minutes has been viewed millions of times and has so many five star reviews.
“This has become a standard in our household. It’s our go-to when we want to cook for friends or family and everyone always loves it!” – John
Philly Cheese Steak Casserole Ingredients
This easy dinner is made with simple ingredients, which is one of the reasons it is so loved.
- Pasta
- Beef Stock
- Butter
- Garlic
- Ground Beef
- Cream Cheese
- Onion
- Green Pepper
- Mozzarella
- Provolone
How to Make Philly Cheese Steak Casserole
- Cook the noodles: To deepen the flavor in this recipe, we are cooking the noodles in beef stock. Be sure to reserve a cup of that starchy cooking stock before draining the noodles.
- Cook the ground beef: In an oven proof skillet, cook the ground beef.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the onion and bell pepper to the ground beef and sauté to soften.
- Drain the excess grease: Very carefully, drain the excess grease from your skillet. I like to do this using the lid of skillet, and putting it just slightly ajar and tipping the skillet over my sink into a jar. The lid keeps the contents in the skillet, but that little crack lets out the grease.
- Add cream cheese and noodles: Stir in some cream cheese, the cooked noodles, and the reserved cooking liquid.
- Top with cheese and bake: Add a little bit of provolone to the top of your skillet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Why Reserve Pasta Water
Reserving pasta water is a great trick in cooking. Right before you drain the noodles you dip a glass measuring cup into the liquid and pull out 1/2 cup or more. The water (or in this case the water and beef stock mix) is full of starchiness from the noodles.
When you add starchy pasta water to a casserole like this, it helps pull the entire dish together in the most amazing way. I like using this trick in my Broccoli Pasta too.
Why Use Beef Stock
The beef stock is one of my favorite parts about this recipe. Cooking the noodles in the stock is a great way to deepen the flavor. With so few ingredients, this is an important one.
If you aren’t used to cooking your noodles in stock, I highly recommend it. It is something I do in a few recipes, like this Chicken Noodle Casserole, and it is a game changer.
PRO TIP: If you are budget conscious, buy stock base. It is a powder you buy near the stock, and mixing it with boiling water gives you stock. It is not the same caliber as actual stock, but it will definitely get the job done.
Storing Leftovers
Left overs can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I would not recommend freezing this recipe. Since it is such a quick stove top recipe, I think it is worth it to just make it from scratch.
Other Great Recipes
If you are looking for more easy dinners, you have come to the right place, friends!
Other big hits are:
- Beef and Broccoli Only 25 minutes on the stove top!
- Chicken Spaghetti My kids LOVE this easy recipe.
- Turkey Meatloaf Easy to make, and the best tasting meatloaf ever.
If you make this recipe or any of my others, please come back and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!
Philly Cheese Steak Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound small shells
- 32 ounces beef stock + 32 ounces water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 6 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the beef stock with 32 ounces of water and cook the shells in it according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water.
- In an oven proof skillet (see note for alternative), melt the butter, cook the garlic clove for thirty seconds, then add the bell pepper and onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook through. Drain the grease, then return to heat and stir in the cream cheese until melted.
- Stir in the reserved cooking liquid from the noodles, the noodles, and the shredded mozzarella.
- Top with sliced provolone. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the provolone is completely melted.
Notes
Sarah says
I’m going to try this tonight for dinner, and I was wondering how i would add the mushrooms into it.. any suggestions???
I would saute them with the onions and peppers!
Sue McGee says
Did you cover this with foil before baking?
I did not cover it.
Bwendy says
I followed instructions as given except did a short broil at the end to brown the cheese a little. I also added chives before serving and family really enjoyed it. I would drain the grease after browning beef next time. I think I will added mushrooms as well.
I’m so happy that you liked it!
Cindi says
How many calories is this cassrole
Jan E Oaks says
This is the first I’ve heard of this site, but saw a share on Facebook from a friend. I live alone and do NOT cook much for myself, but when I saw this, I told myself “Omg! I would SO be willing to cook this creamy, cheesy batch of comfort food for myself!” Anything with cheeses and/or cream cheese sucks me right in. Yep, I’m going to make this since it seems so simple and easy and scrumptious! I thank my friend for sharing it and you for creating it!
Theresa says
That seems a waste of beef stock to cook noodles and drain. I think I will cook noodles in water and add beef better than bouillon to the dish. Otherwise an amazing looking dish! Will be making this tonight!!
Tracey says
I just made this recipe but instead of the shells I used zucchini noodles and it was a hit and a keto friendly meal ..????????
So glad to hear you liked it!
Eric says
I tried this a couple nights ago and it was incredible! The only change I made was draining the hamburger meat. It tdoesn’t dry it out at all and you save a cup of grease from entering your body. This has shot to the top of our choices for dinner.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Shelley williams says
What size casserole dish could I use instead of s 9×13?
I used a 10 inch skillet that could be put in the oven and that worked great!
Stevie says
Made this tonight and my family loved it!!! I separated it in half because I don’t like onions or peppers. I was so impressed with how easy and yummy it was. Next time I will drain the ground beef, it was a little greasy, and add mushrooms. Thanks for the great recipe.