Beef Lombardi Casserole with Egg Noodles and Mozzarella

This beef Lombardi casserole stacks wide egg noodles folded into a sour cream and cream cheese mixture with a thick tomato and ground beef sauce, then finishes under a layer of mozzarella. It is a lasagna-style bake that uses egg noodles in place of lasagna sheets and has no ricotta. The noodles go in slightly undercooked because they finish softening in the oven.

It serves 8 from one 9×13 dish. Plan on about 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking and assembly, plus a 10-minute rest before cutting.

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How Long It Really Takes

Written timelines for this kind of casserole often run shorter than a real kitchen does. Here is how the time adds up:

• Prep, about 20 minutes: dicing the onion, mincing the garlic, shredding 3 cups of mozzarella, softening the cream cheese and greasing the dish. Put the cream cheese on the counter before you start.
• Noodles, about 15 minutes: bringing the water to a boil takes about 10 minutes, then the noodles cook 5 to 6 minutes. Start the pot while you cook the beef.
• Meat sauce, about 25 minutes: 8 to 10 minutes to brown the beef and onion, 1 minute for the garlic, then 12 to 15 minutes of simmering to thicken the sauce.
• Assembly, about 10 minutes: done while the sauce simmers or right after.
• Baking, 30 minutes: 20 minutes with the first layer of cheese in the middle, then 10 more minutes after the remaining cheese goes on top.
• Resting, 10 minutes: so the layers set enough to cut.

With the noodles cooking while the sauce simmers, the recipe takes about 1 hour 15 minutes from the first chop until the casserole comes out of the oven, and about 1 hour 25 minutes until the first portion is on a plate.

Ingredient Notes

Lean ground beef: One and a half pounds. Ground beef labeled 90/10 leaves little to drain; 85/15 works too but needs a thorough draining so the sauce does not turn greasy.

Tomato sauce and diced tomatoes: One 15-ounce can of sauce and one 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juice. The juice adds liquid, so the sauce needs a real simmer to thicken. A thin sauce is the main reason this casserole turns watery.

Wide egg noodles: Eight ounces, cooked about 2 minutes short of the package time. They keep absorbing moisture in the oven, and noodles that start fully soft turn mushy.

Sour cream and cream cheese: One cup of sour cream and 8 ounces of softened cream cheese make the creamy layer. Use full-fat sour cream and a block of cream cheese; reduced-fat versions have more water and can look thin or separated after baking.

Mozzarella: Three cups total, shredded from a block of low-moisture mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella adds water, and bagged shreds are coated in starch that can leave a dull, powdery surface.

Italian seasoning, salt and pepper: One teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper season the meat sauce. Canned tomatoes and cheese add salt too, so taste the sauce before the cheese goes in.

Making the Casserole

Cook the noodles

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Boil the noodles in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says, usually 5 to 6 minutes, and drain well. Leave them in the colander to cool for a few minutes; very hot noodles can thin out the sour cream mixture.

Make the meat sauce

Brown the beef and onion in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the beef into small crumbles, until no pink remains. Drain off the fat. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute, then add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with their juice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough that a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail for a second or two.

Mix the creamy noodles

Stir the sour cream and softened cream cheese in a large bowl until completely smooth; lumps of cream cheese will stay lumps after baking. Fold in the drained noodles until every noodle is coated.

Layer and bake

Spread half of the creamy noodles in the dish, top with half of the meat sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella. Add the rest of the creamy noodles and spread the remaining meat sauce over them. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until the edges are bubbling. Scatter the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella on top and bake another 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted with some light golden patches and the center of the casserole reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Rest and serve

Let the dish stand for 10 minutes on a dry towel or trivet. The sauce and creamy layer set slightly, so the portions hold together. Sprinkle with parsley and cut into 8 pieces. The layers will not be perfectly even, and that is normal.

Why Mozzarella Goes in Two Stages

One cup between the layers helps the middle hold together. The other 2 cups wait until the last 10 minutes. Cheese that bakes for the full 30 minutes browns heavily and turns tough, while 10 minutes is enough to melt it and give it light golden spots.

Making It Ahead

You can assemble the casserole up to 24 hours ahead. Let the meat sauce and the noodle mixture cool to lukewarm before layering so the dish chills quickly, then cover tightly and refrigerate. Keep the top 2 cups of mozzarella in a separate bag.

• Do not put a cold glass or ceramic dish into a hot oven. A sudden temperature change can crack it. Either let the covered dish stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes while the oven preheats, or place it in a cold oven, set the oven to 350°F, and add roughly 15 minutes to the timing.
• Cover with foil for the first stage: Bake covered for about 35 to 40 minutes, then uncover, add the remaining mozzarella and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the center reads 165°F.
• Do not set a hot dish on a wet or cold surface. Use a dry towel or trivet.

Troubleshooting

• Watery casserole: The sauce was not simmered long enough, or the noodles were drained badly. Simmer until a spoon leaves a trail, and let the noodles drain for a full minute.
• Dry or stiff noodles: The sauce was too thick or the noodles were cooked too far under. Next time, stop at 2 minutes short, not 4, and keep the sauce loose enough to spoon.
• Greasy top: The beef was not drained well. Blot the surface with a paper towel before the rest.
• Lumpy creamy layer: The cream cheese was cold. Soften it fully, or beat it with the sour cream in a bowl before adding the noodles.
• Pale cheese: Broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching closely.
• Layers that slide when cut: It needs the 10-minute rest. A hot casserole sliced straight from the oven will slump.

Variations

• Ground turkey: Use the same weight and add a tablespoon of olive oil when browning, since turkey has less fat.
• Spinach: Squeeze one 10-ounce package of thawed frozen spinach very dry and fold it into the creamy noodles.
• More heat: Add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce.
• Provolone: Replace 1 cup of the top mozzarella with shredded provolone.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate: Cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, covered, for up to 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat: Cover a portion and warm it in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or microwave it in 1-minute bursts, until it reaches 165°F.
• Freeze: Wrap the cooled casserole or individual portions tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The creamy layer may look a little looser after thawing.

More Ground Beef Dinners

For another noodle dish with sour cream, try our one-pot ground beef stroganoff. If you like a tomato beef sauce with pasta, make the creamy beef and shells, or try our ground beef casserole. You can also browse all of our dinner recipes.

Beef Lombardi Questions

Is this the same as lasagna? No. It has a similar layered structure, but it uses egg noodles, a sour cream and cream cheese layer and no ricotta or lasagna sheets.

Can I use a different noodle? Wide egg noodles hold the creamy layer best. Other pasta shapes change the texture and the layering.

Do I need to cover it while baking? Not for the fresh version. The sauce is thick, and the dish bakes uncovered. Cover with foil only when baking from the refrigerator.

What should I serve with it? A green salad and garlic bread.

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