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
Robin M Davis says
Has anyone made/froze/reheated/eaten this yet? Curious as to how it reheats with the cream cheese in it.
Alanna says
I’ve made this like 4 times and it’s a new family favourite! Only thing I do different is I add Parmesan cheese. It’s delish! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that you liked it!
Detra says
Can I use chopped steak instead of ground beef?
I haven’t made it that way, but it sounds delicious!
Ruth says
I recently made this recipe and it was okay. I will probably make it again, but will reduce the cream cheese to half, increase the amount of veggies and add 1 cup of liquid. Also, I would add beef stock to mix in, but not add it to the pasta cooking water. The noodles don’t soften to my liking. Also, the cream cheeese flavor was a little too strong. I also added mushrooms because I like them in my Philly cheese steak.
Kak says
I was looking for something new to make. I like to try new recipes all the time. Saw this, we love Philly cheesesteaks, had to try. It did not disappoint. The casserole was delicious and so easy to make It is being added to my “Keeper List”!!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Jennifer Boone says
Omg this is my new favorite recipe!!! I made it last night and did double the mozzarella but this was sooooo yummy!!! I can’t stop raving about it!!
That’s so great Jennifer, I’m so happy you like it!
Barb says
Made this tonight according to the recipe. Had absolutely no taste and is going down the garbage disposal.
I’m so sorry you didn’t like it Barb. This is a fan favorite, but definitely one where tastes vary.
Joelle says
Great recipe, my picky kids love this total winner all around.! Thanks for making dinner time a lil easier!
So glad to hear that Joelle!
Dawn says
I added a can of cream of mushroom soup with some of the pasta broth/water and stirred it in before baking…. yum!!
John VerWiebe says
Recipe instructions call for butter and salt but not included in the ingredients list..want to make this tonight but need a full ingredient list..
Hi John! The butter is listed in the ingredient list as 2 tablespoons butter. As for the salt and pepper, it is just a taste thing, so a sprinkling of both is fine. No need to measure.
Michelle says
I just made this tonight. Made it in my electric skillet tonight. Added red pepper flakes to it. Delish
So glad you liked it!