French Onion Beef and Noodles

Name: French Onion Beef and Noodles
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons butter; 1 large red onion, minced (Mine was 9.8 oz or 277 g.); 1 lb. ground beef (80/20); 3 Tablespoons homemade beef bouillon, divided (If using store-bought bouillon, start with half the amount and taste as you go, adding more as needed.); 2 (10 oz) cans French Onion Soup; 1 can + 1 cup water; 12 oz. wide egg noodles (Shells, rotini, or fusilli also work well.); 6 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated (that’s around 1 1/2 cups). You can substitute American Swiss cheese or a combination of mozzarella and Parmesan.

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Rich, beefy, and satisfying French Onion Beef and Noodles is the ultimate easy recipe for a delicious comfort food dinner at home. Young and old will joyfully indulge in this simple six-ingredient one-pot Beef and Noodle Casserole.

French Onion Beef and Noodles in a white dish with tomato salad.

My version of beef and noodles is made more affordable by using ground beef. You won’t believe how deeply flavorful the cheesy, saucy noodles and beef become in this easy 30-minute meal.

This delectable French Onion Ground Beef Casserole takes one pound of hamburger and stretches it to feed six to eight people, depending on the appetites you’re feeding.

Simple and delicious, this easy ground beef and noodle casserole will rush to the top of your list of favorite weeknight dinners.

A few simple pantry staples, simmering away on the stove, will bring everyone running to the dinner table for this easy French Onion Beef and Noodles.

In This Post:

The Ingredients

Butter
Red Onion, minced
Ground Beef: I use 80/20 ground beef for the best flavor.
Beef Bouillon Powder: I used my homemade beef bouillon.
French Onion Soup: I emptied the cans into my smoothie blender and blitzed it until it was completely smooth. See why, below.
Wide Egg Noodles: Use your favorites. I was making the beef and noodle casserole gluten-free, so I used Jovial brown rice Mafalda. I love these noodles and order them from Walmart! You can also get them on Amazon, _{[Amazon affiliate link]} but Walmart is so much cheaper. Rotini/Fusili or Shells would also work well in this recipe.
Water, Salt and Pepper
Cheese: I used Gruyere but American Swiss or a combination of Mozzarella and Parmesan would also work.

FAQs

How long will French Onion Beef and Noodles keep in the fridge?

Sealed in an airtight container, your ground beef and noodle casserole will keep three to four days in the fridge.

Can I freeze beef and noodle leftovers?

Yes, be sure the casserole is completely cooled. Then seal it in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to two months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Add the thawed casserole to a skillet with 1/4 cup of beef broth or water and reheat it over medium heat. Stir as it heats and add additional liquid if needed.

Can I use a different cheese in this recipe?

Absolutely. Gruyere is the traditional cheese used in French onion soup, so I chose it for this recipe. However, American Swiss cheese is very meltable and more affordable. It can be a good choice as a substitute in this recipe. A mix of Mozzarella and Parmesan would also be great. None of these alternatives has the exact flavor profile as Gruyere, but they are all wonderful melting cheeses whose unique flavors would complement the beef and noodle casserole, well.

Why blend the soup?

I wanted the flavor of the onions, but not the pieces. By blending them until everything is liquified all that flavor is available to be soaked up by the noodles.

A Note About Beef Bouillon

I created French Onion Beef and Noodles using my homemade beef bouillon powder. I know what is in this seasoning blend, and I feel confident about the flavors it creates.

Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder in a glass apothecary jar. The lid is off and a heaping Tablespoon of Bouillon powder is sitting on the concrete countertop in front of the jar.

It is vegan, low-sodium, gluten-free, and has no MSG. Plus, it’s loaded with herbs, spices, and even a couple of dehydrated vegetables.

If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to make a batch of my beef bouillon. It has so many delicious uses and adds rich umami flavor to many of my favorite dishes, like Easy Slow Cooker Beef Cube Steak.

And if you find, after making it, that you love the freedom and nutrition of making your own seasoning blends, be sure to check out my homemade chicken bouillon, the best homemade all-purpose seasoning, plus taco seasoning, Southwest seasoning and Mediterranean seasoning, too.

You can also use your favorite store-bought bouillon in this recipe. Just keep in mind that it will be much saltier, so you will need to reduce the amount you use.

To start with, use only half the amount called for in the recipe. Taste, taste, taste, and add more, in small increments, as you go, so you don’t make your beef and noodles too salty.

What to Serve with French Onion Beef and Noodles

French Onion Beef and Noodles is savory, rich, and beefy. Side dishes that are lighter with a bit of acid are a great complement. Or choose a simple green vegetable like roasted broccoli.

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Possible Variations and Substitutions

The Onion: Chop or slice the onion into larger pieces if you prefer soft, cooked onion pieces in your finished dish, rather than mincing it. You can even buy frozen, pre-chopped onions at the store to save some time. I always have red onions on hand, so that’s what I use, but of course use what’s already in your pantry.
The Meat: Substitute in any ground meat — pork, chicken, turkey etc. You could even try using leftover roast beef or pulled pork in place of the ground beef.
The Pasta: I made our French Onion Beef and Noodles a gluten-free dish using my homemade bouillon and Jovial gluten-free pasta. You can use any affordable pasta that works well for your own family. Feel free to change up the pasta shape, too. I think that fusilli/rotini or shell pasta would hold the sauce well and be great in this recipe. NOTE: My gf pasta comes in 12-ounce boxes, so that’s what I use. If your pasta comes in a 16-ounce package, you’ll only use about 3/4 of it and store the rest for later.
The Cheese: Mix it up and use the cheeses your family likes best. I feel confident that American Swiss or a combination of Mozzarella and Parmesan would be great in the recipe.

How to Make Beef and Noodle Casserole

Mince the onion finely. We don’t love the texture of large pieces of cooked onion in our dishes. This is a personal preference, and the reason I finely mince the onion. They literally melt into the sauce as the casserole cooks. However, if you prefer, the onion pieces can be the size you like best. Also, mincing the onion means the moisture will cook out of it more quickly than large pieces, and the onions will be done faster.
Melt butter in a deep 12″ cast iron skillet _{[affiliate link]} or a Dutch oven _{[affiliate link]} and add the minced onion. Choose a heavy-bottomed pan that can be covered with a tight-fitting lid later.
Cook the onions over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until they are softened and becoming translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add the ground beef to the skillet with the onions.
Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of homemade beef bouillon powder over the meat. Increase the heat a bit to brown the hamburger and begin breaking it into smaller pieces and crumbles as it browns.
Pour the two cans of French onion soup into a blender and process it until it is a smooth liquid.

Fully cooked French Onion Beef and Noodle Casserole on the stovetop.

French Onion Beef and Noodle Casserole sprinkled with grated cheese in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.

Pour the blended French onion soup over everything in the skillet, along with one soup can of water, and an additional 1 cup of water.
Stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and increase the heat until the liquid begins to boil.
Once the liquid is boiling, pour the noodles into the pan and stir. Gently press the pasta under the liquid. It will look like there isn’t enough to cook the noodles, but I promise there is. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the noodles are tender.
Stir the noodles several times during cooking to prevent them from sticking, and then replace the cover on the pan.
Continue cooking (with the pan covered) until the noodles are tender. If it seems like too much liquid has evaporated, you can add another 1/4 cup of water. Cover and keep cooking until the pasta is done. The pasta will absorb the liquid along with that luscious flavor, leaving only a silky sauce behind.
Sprinkle the grated cheese over the finished casserole and place the pan under the broiler until the cheese has melted and become golden brown. The edges of noodles sticking above the cheese will get crunchy like the edges of a lasagna. So good!
Serve.

French Onion Beef and Noodle Casserole in a cast iron skillet on a marble counter.

The Recipe

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