If you're in search of a tasty yet filling meal, but short on time, this delicious homemade beef and noodles combo can be prepared from a few everyday pantry items which you're almost sure to have available. It's one of our favorite ground beef skillet recipes for a quick lunch, meal prep for the week, or a late supper on the weekend. If you have ground beef, noodles, and a few vegetables, you can whip up this in just a few minutes.

So, grab your cast iron skillet and start learning how to make skillet ground beef and noodles.

Ground Beef and Noodles Skillet Dinner

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Servings

8

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 cups of broad egg noodles

• 1 lbs of ground beef (the leaner the better)
  

• 1 cup of sliced onion
  

• 1/2 cup of green pepper, chopped
  

• 10 oz canned mushrooms
  

• 10 oz can of tomato soup, condensed
  

• 1/2 cup of light cream cheese spread
  

• 1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
  

• Fresh parsley, chopped (garnish)
  

Directions

1. On the stovetop, boil a large pan of salted water and add the dried noodles. Cook them at a simmer until they are tender. This should take around 10 min, depending on the shape and size of the noodles.
   

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet and add the ground beef. Brown the meat, stirring to prevent any of it sticking to the bottom of the skillet. When the beef is fully cooked, with no sign of pinkness, put the onions and peppers into the pan and cook until softened.
   

3. Add all remaining ingredients, except parsley, to the skillet. Combine the ingredients until you have a consistent mixture. Continue to cook for another 6-7 min, or until the food is hot throughout.
   

4. Drain your cooked noodles, and optionally toss with a small amount of olive oil (about one teaspoon). Serve the noodles on plates and then top with the ground beef mixture, spooning over any extra sauce remaining. Top the completed portions with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.
   

Variations

Ground beef and noodle recipes are a favorite with home cooks who want to use up ingredients from the back of the pantry. They are so versatile that you can add almost any combination of frozen or canned vegetables and the pasta casserole will still taste great. Check out two popular alternative ground beef pasta recipes below:

Spicy Beef and Noodles Recipe

If you'd prefer a spicier noodle skillet dish, you can mix in a few spices with your ground beef while it is browning. Taco seasoning mix is popular, but if you don't have the ready-made version, you can make your own. You'll need powdered cumin, powdered cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder paprika (smoked is best), and chili powder.

Mix about a tsp of each spice in a small bowl and use 2-3 tsp of the mixture for each pound of beef. You can increase this if you like an extra kick. Instead of using chopped parsley to garnish, try using freshly chopped cilantro leaves if you have them.

Vegetarian and Vegan "Beef" and Noodles Recipes

If you don't eat beef, you can still enjoy this quick and simple dinner with a couple of substitutions. Instead of using ground beef, pick your favorite beef substitute. Vegetable or soy protein-based ground "meat" can be found in most major supermarkets pretty easily. You'll also need to check that the soft cheese and the canned tomato soup you use are vegetarian friendly.

For the vegan version, you can leave out the cheese altogether and instead use silken tofu, or alternatively use a nut-based cheese. And of course, the same care should be taken in choosing the brand of tomato soup to use.

If you liked our recipe, feel free to check out our other cast iron skillet recipes, such as cast iron mac and cheese or potato cakes!