Everyone’s favorite retro meal, beef stroganoff, now in casserole form. This easy recipe for beef stroganoff casserole will have them asking for seconds!
Okay, this recipe is for you, all you Mad Men fans out there…the show is FINALLY coming back and we need to be ready! This was an era where the men wore skinny ties and fitted suits and Brylcream in their hair, and the women wore pencil skirts and sheath dresses and pillbox hats. There was lots of smoking and martinis and “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs was the #1 Billboard song. And much as I watch that show and absolutely covet the gloves and the poufy skirts, the reality is that during the actual Mad Men era I looked like this.
Yep, there I am in my sheath dress and my black oxford shoes. At least I HAD shoes, which is more than I can say for my brother. At least we are rocking extremely cool matching outfits. And we are totally color coordinated with the sofa, so there’s that.
At any rate, since I completely missed the entire gorgeous Mad Men grown-up clothing era, I am consoling myself with this vintage 1960’s era casserole. Beef stroganoff…but in casserole form, and tasting every single bit as scrumptious as its more elegant traditional version, and a snap to make on a night where you might be wanting something quick and easy because you have to be ready to watch Mad Men. (I’m a little excited that it’s coming back, since it’s been off the air for about 100 years at this point.)
Okay, so here’s what you need: some ground beef, a chopped onion, some cottage cheese and cream cheese, some tomato sauce, and of course egg noodles…the nice wide kind please. I like the version with a little curl to them.
The cottage and cream cheese is going to give the casserole that nice little tang that the regular version usually gets from sour cream, along with a gorgeous creamy sauce. The beef gets browned with the onion, and then you mix in the tomato sauce and the cheeses until it is creamy and wonderful. Stir in the noodles and the pour the whole thing into a casserole dish. Sprinkle it with some shredded cheddar (gotta give a shout-out to my favorite Cabot cheddar here!) and pop it in the oven.
About thirty minutes later you will have a cheesy stroganoff casserole that has a hint of tomato, a creamy little tang to it, and tummies will be growling all over your house. Here’s a quick video look at how super easy it all is…
I don’t know how they ate this sort of thing back in the 60’s and still fit into their sheath dresses, but I’ve got me some Spanx, so I figure I am good to go. Welcome back, Mad Men!
Beef Stroganoff Casserole
Yield: 6 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 pound curly wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I like the sharp Cabot variety)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 2 quart casserole with cooking spray.
- Saute chuck and onions in large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce, cottage cheese and cream cheese and cook another 2-3 minutes until fully combined. It’s okay if the cream cheese isn’t fully melted…a few chunks are good!
- Add cooked noodles and pepper to the skillet, stir to combine and pour the whole mixture into the prepared casserole. Sprinkle cheddar evenly on top.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes until bubbling and a little browned. Cool for about 5 minutes and serve!
Mad Men really does make that era look so damn debonair! However, back then these casseroles were probably made with cream of something disgustingness. Let’s NOT bring that back. :P
Totally agree on the cream of….yikers!
I don’t know – we were a lot healthier then and obesity was not common. In a senior class of approximately 1000, we had 1 very obese girl and it was a medical problem. Can the same be said today?
Oh. let’s do bring the cream or fat free milk back. Real beef stroganoff Is traditionally made this way, I believe.
Hi Kate, Im new here and i must say…i LOVE what im seeing and reading. You got me at bacon on your right bar of the page. :)
Hi Sharon and welcome – I’m always happy to meet a fellow bacon fan!! :)
Stroganoff casserole looks yummy.
Noticed you have garlic as an ingredient but not placed in directions but I’m assuming that you put the chopped garlic in with the onion and ground chuck and saute all together.
ColleenB.
Yeesh! Yes I did and I will fix…thank goodness for eagle-eyed readers. :)
I hate any form of garlic or spice. I know it is healthy, but I still do not like it. I leave it out of any recipe.
After reading your food blog and marveling at your talents for over a year, I FINALLY made something! The beef stroganoff casserole was delicious. Looking forward to poking around and seeing what I’ll attempt next.
Hurray!! Looking forward to hearing what you make next. :) :)
Now don’t be hatin’ on the Cream of…It has its place. Can’t beat Cream of Mushroom Soup in a Tuna Casserole — throw in grated extra sharp cheddar (go Cabot!), a little garlic, a little sherry, some capers, some olives, top with grated Parm, and even the I hate tuna casserole crowd loves it. I know. Put the gorgeous golden crispy topped casserole on the table only to have one of the guests announce that he hates the stuff. Just taste it, I said. He did. “Hey, this rocks!” As a fellow add a little of this and a litttle of that cook, you know this is true.
I love casseroles with those wide egg noodles anyway, and I love Stroganoff, so this is a good one.
That is true – I have a chicken tortilla soup recipe that does feature cream of chicken soup, so it has its place! (And that tuna casserole sounds like a classic!)
This looks good. I think I’d find a way to sneak in some mushrooms, sour cream & a dash of good ol’ Worcestershire Sauce. BTW, I agree w/ ruthie… cream of … has its place in an occasional recipe. I miss the small-town potlucks where nothing was healthy but everything was good.
Let me know how it comes out if you change it up a little! :)
I agree with Kevin. Beef Stoganoff is one of my personal favorite dishes. However, I have never had a “version” without mushrooms. When I try this recipe, I am going to try to infuse the flavor of mushrooms. I will add some baby bellos’s and maybe press some to extract the juice. Hmm…..may be on to something here. Thanks for the recipe!
Kevin: You are right. I am perhaps older than some here. Traditional beef stroganoff is made with a cream, not tomato paste. However, with the exception of the garlic I like the recipe posted here too. I just would call it another name. The beef stroganoff might be better with mushrooms , too. I like the wide noodles. They seem hard to find sometimes now. I suppose the beef stew meat is preferred to the ground chuck or hamburger meat for the beef stroganoff. It’s like Swedish Meatballs. You don’t use a tomato base with it. It is a cream or milk base of some sort. I am a very traditional old fashioned type of old bachelor and my tastes were inherited from small town and farm cooking.
Hi, Kate:
I made your Beef Stroganoff Casserole last night – for family plus one unexpected guest. It was a hit. I added a small can of sliced mushrooms – I usually use fresh but didn’t have any. It worked out well. Everything I’ve made from your blog has turned out great, Kate!
I’m so glad! This stroganoff is one of my faves (maybe even more than the traditional kind!)
This reminds me of Pioneer Womans Sour Cream Noodle Bake = DELICIOUS
That is high praise – I love pretty much every single thing she makes!
p.s.: I’d love to win the cookbook!
made this for dinner tonight and loved it. 3 kids loved it. red seal chef hubby loved it. then we all agreed we love Kate! thanks for saving dinner! keep up the great work! it’s most appreciated!
I’m so glad! Love that you loved it, and that you told me so! :)
I made this on Monday for dinner- it was delicious! I changed it a bit and added more garlic (bc we love garlic at our house!), sautéed mushrooms and added more tomato sauce and cottage cheese bc it just didn’t look saucy enough! Oh, and I may have added an extra handful or two of the Cabot cheddar (love that stuff!). Great for dinner with a fresh green salad and better for lunch the next day!
Those all sound like fabulous additions…and hurray for leftovers!
Throw in that garlic Kate! :) I’m assuming you’ll be throwing it in towards the back half of the ground beef/onion saute time. LOVE the cottage cheese idea. Great protein addition!
Yes, if you are adding garlic that’s exactly where it should go!
This was a huge hit with my family. I used ground turkey instead of beef and I forgot the garlic so I just added a little garlic salt and it was perfect! Even my super picky 3 year old son ate it with no arguing!
So glad I found this… I will put in my ‘must make again’ file!
I’m so glad! And I’m a great fan of improvisational cooking – your changes sound like they worked out wonderfully (I know three year olds are the toughest audience!) :)
Hi Kate! This sounds yummy! Found it on Pinterest. Think I’ll make it tonight but my BF doesn’t like cottage cheese. Could I sub in sour cream? If so, would it be the same amount as cottage cheese that you have listed?
Thanks! (I’ve never made beef stroganoff before).
Hi Whitney, and sorry for taking so long to respond – your comment got caught in cyber-space! I think you probably made this long ago but just in case…you could try sour cream, but sometimes it breaks down in high heat so I can’t totally vouch for it. If cottage cheese is definitely out of the running, a better bet might be creme fraiche, which tends to hold up better. If you do try it, let me know how it comes out? :)
I found your recipe and blog on Pinterest. I tried this tonight and it was a hit with me and my wife! Super-easy to make. I doubled the recipe as we normally eat larger portions and like to have leftovers.
Hi Ryan – glad you made it over here from Pinterest (LOVE Pinterest!) So glad you liked this one, and I’m totally with you on the leftovers…Ieftovers-for-lunch is one of my faves. :)
im gunna try this tonight my family dont do cottage cheese so were gunna try it wit ricotta cheese an toss in some mushrooms they all said its sounds so good ill let u know how it turns out
Great – hope they loved it! :)
Can you say DELICIOUS? This has a permanent place in my recipe file and is a family favorite here. It is really so delicious, a classic American-style comfort dish, perfect for cold weather dinners. I grew up eating casseroles and I’m glad to be able to re-create that casual homey-style of retro cooking using real-food ingredients. y spouse will not eat anything involving a can of soup or processed cheese, and after years of eating organic “whole foods”-type meals, my palate has changed so that I’m almost as bad as him (almost…I’ll still attack some Ro-Tel dip like nobody’s business), so I was thrilled to stumble on this recipe. I never write in or make comments or reviews on anything, but I just wanted to say thank you! I also love the rest of your site (especially the pan-roasted artichokes,…yum).
P.S. my friend Melissa says her mom used to make a similar casserole when she was young & called it “Johnny Marzetti”.
Well, I’m so glad you left this comment – I loved reading all this! And Johnny Marzetti? Love it. :)
This reminds me of Pioneer Womans Sour Cream Noodle Bake = Delicious
I made this last night and I was a little worried because we aren’t cottage cheese eaters, but it was AWESOME! For those of you that are worried about the cottage cheese, don’t be. The whole thing goes together great and you can’t taste the cottage cheese or even recognize the texture once it is all cooked. It’s so nice to have this great casserole that doesn’t need cream of mushroom soup. Super delicious! Thank you!
Thanks for the cottage cheese encouragement Hilary – I totally agree that if you don’t tell anyone they will never know! :) :)
Have you ever tried pre-making this? This sounds fantastic and I am going to try – just curious if I could pre-make this up to placing it in the oven – then when ready all I need to do is thaw and bake????
Hi Jennifer! I’ve never pre-made it, but I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work as long as you brought it to room temperature first. If you try it this way will you let us know how it goes? :)
COULD YOU USE SOUR CREAM INSTEAD OF CREAM CHEESE? JUST WONDERING.
THANKS!
Hi Debbie – I wish I could say yes but I’m not sure the sour cream would hold up to the heat of the oven. If you go ahead and try it will you let us know?
I’m new to your site but I look forward to trying some of the comfort recipes of my childhood. There is a lot to be said for those tried and true favorites and I’m glad to see the positive comments on those recipes.
Thanks
Carol Coleman
Welcome Carol – I’m so glad you found me! I hope you come back often. :)
I was looking for something a bit different than the usual dishes and this stroganoff casserole looked just right. It was. I followed the recipe and I have to say it was very delicious and no doubt I will be trying this one again. Thanks for making it available to this senior plus cook.
Evans
My pleasure, Evans! Glad you liked it. :)
About the sour cream….I just made this today and didn’t have any cottage cheese so I added about half a cup of sour cream at the very end of cooking time just before it went in the oven. It came out great!
Sometimes not having all the ingredients leads to wonderful discoveries – I’ll have to try it this way! :)
I make a community meal for needy people. I am using your casserole recipe for my next meal… which is today. I am very excited to make this for everyone. We usually have about 80 people. I always try to make something I think they will enjoy rather than the common things that are usually made. We will add a rainbow of fresh veggies salad and garlic bread to round out the meal. I’ll let you know how they like it.
I love that this recipe is being used for such a wonderful cause – can’t wait to hear how it went!
It looks terrific, but with stroganoff in the title, sour cream is a must! Re earlier comments: I use sour cream in casseroles all the time with no problem.
Hi, Kate~
We love this recipe. Just wondering if you’ve ever tried freezing it? Or should I maybe just make the sauce and freeze that, then add the noodles and assemble the casserole later?
Thank you,
Mindy
★★★★★
Hi Mindy! I’ve never tried freezing it, I have to admit, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t – I freeze lasagna which has many of the same ingredients and it comes out just fine. If you do freeze it, will you come back and leave a comment letting me know how it came out? In the meantime, hope you are having merry holidays! :)
Hi, Kate~
I ended up making and freezing the sauce ahead of time, and it worked beautifully. I took it out of the freezer in the morning, but it wasn’t fully thawed by the time I was ready to use it, so I heated it slowly in a large skillet while I cooked the noodles. (I think I could have made the whole casserole and frozen it until I was ready to use it, but my freezer was full-to-bursting at the time.)
Also, for others who have family members who are a little skittish about cottage cheese, I used a trick from another recipe: I put the cottage cheese in the blender with some of the tomato sauce, which turned it into a creamy sauce with no cottage cheese curds. Thanks again for a great recipe!
You are so wonderful to come back and let me know how it turned out – hurray! And love the cottage cheese suggestion. :)
Does the cheese take away from the tomato taste? I have always thought of beef stroganoff as a cream of mushroom or similar type of recipe. This recipe does sound good. The rich sauces are really not good for you.
Agree on the rich sauces! And I think the flavors work well together without anything being too dominant. :)
Great lead in…story…I LOVED it. Being I am disabled this is sure one I can and am going to do tonight!!!! Thank God For Food Banks. And mine deliver. Thank you again God. And thank you for the recipe. The ingredients are in the house and they ain’t “nuttin” go to waste in this house.
Hi Dave! We have the ‘let nothing go to waste” rule in our house as well! Glad you loved the recipe, and the story! :)
Kate, When I got the recipe I hadn’t made it yet, but when I did. It was to die for. I passed it along to my former mother-in-law and my oldest son and shared it with my neighbors.. Now. If you are going to make Beef Stroganoff. Then this is surely the way to make it. I hope anyone that is looking for a recipe for Beef Stroganoof goes for this one.
★★★★★
I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know. :)