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
Ash says
This was so good! So simple and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely be trying more recipes
I’m so glad to hear it!
Holly C says
I knew as soon as I saw this recipe, I had to make it for our family. I did tweak the recipe, though. I wanted penne pasta, but our local store was out of most pasta, so I used rotini. I made double (or more) since we have four teens (two boys, two girls), my husband, and myself. I used 3 colorful bell peppers, added a can of roasted chilies, and used more seasonings in my hamburger mixture. It turned out absolutely amazing! I made a big 13×9 pan full to the top, and I wanted more when I woke up the next morning. There was one serving my 19 year old sat aside for me, everything else was gone! The kids wanted me to make more that next day. They absolutely loved it. My husband loved it, as well as myself. I will definitely start making this every couple of weeks based on how much everyone loved it. I’m so glad I found this recipe!
I’m so glad everyone liked it!
Joslyn says
After reading the reviews, I added Weber Savory Steakhouse seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Used orange, red and yellow sweet mini peppers , 2 lg cloves of garlic and browned hamburger( all together). Weighed out 8 oz of pasta(dry) and boiled in water but made homemade beef broth to use in the mixture. 1/3 bag of Shredded Mozz and used smoked provolone on top, which didn’t melt very well but has good flavor. Too much cheese, which i thought could never be a thing but Next time, I’ll break up a few slices of the provolone to scatter on top and melt. Overall, I’ll probably make it again. Teenager man-child gives it 4 stars so it’s a good one.
Erin says
Easy and amazing!! Perfect recipe for my household, thanks for the tips!
I’m so glad that your family liked it!
Ebony says
I absolutely loved this recipe. Really easy and quick. I added a can of cream of mushroom soup. 😋
I’m so glad you liked it
Holly C. says
Did I just make this at almost 2 am? Yes, I sure did! I can’t brag on this recipe enough! I add a few bell peppers and green chilies, then mix everything in a big baking pan. This is my second comment, but it’s literally my fave! My four teens came to me at midnight wanting this so I happily agreed! Absolutely delicious! We love it so much I make it every 2-3 weeks.
LOL! What a great mom you are! If my teens came to me at midnight craving food, I’m pretty sure I’d just point towards the door, lol.
Sue A says
I used a 2qt. casserole to bake it. Fit perfectly. All baked & ready to go. So easy once I had everything prepped. Smells amazing.
I hope you love it, Sue!