This 80-year-old comfort food casserole recipe is impossibly easy

It's easy, cheesy, and absolutely irresistible.

I've worked at Allrecipes for about 5 years now. I'm neck deep in top-rated, time-tested, and all-around great recipes day after day. It never gets old—but, after a while, many of these recipes start to run together. Of course, though, some most-loved recipes stand out from the crowd. Our users turn to them time after time, year after year—one such recipe: Grandma's Hamburger Casserole.

Though it was submitted to Allrecipes fewer than 20 years ago, the crowd-pleasing casserole is at least 80 years old. It's creamy, cheesy, beefy, and oh-so irresistible. It's no wonder our community members can't get enough of the tried-and-true, one-pan dinner—here's why:

Why Do We Love It?

The better question: What's not to love? This 9x13-inch casserole is easy to prep in just 15 minutes with incredibly basic ingredients you likely already have on hand (and, if you don't, they're just a quick grocery run away). It features three crowd-pleasing, nostalgic layers: soft egg noodles, a decadent, onion-spiked cream cheese and sour cream blend, and a hearty tomato-based ground beef mix. Finished with a sprinkle of bubbling Cheddar cheese, Grandma's Hamburger Casserole is peak comfort food.

How To Make Grandma's Hamburger Casserole

1. Prep: Cook and drain ground beef in a skillet. Add tomato sauce; season until the flavors are blended. Boil egg noodles in a pot of salted water, then drain. Combine sour cream, cream cheese, and onion in a bowl.
2. Layer: Layer half the noodles into a greased casserole dish; top with half the sour cream mixture, then half the ground beef mixture. Repeat layering; finish with a layer of Cheddar cheese.
3. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese melts and is golden brown. 

Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks

• "I like to add the diced onion with the cheese before baking, but you can sauté it with the beef if you prefer," says recipe creator LaDonna Langwell. 
• You can lighten things up by using lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken in place of classic ground beef. For extra flavor, try spicy Italian sausage instead. 
• Allrecipes community member Lorraine adds a splash of milk to the cream cheese mixture to make it easier to spread. 
• The recipe calls for a teaspoon of white sugar to cut the acidity from the tomato sauce. If you want to omit the sugar, try substituting jarred prepared pasta sauce (such as Rao's or Prego) for the plain tomato sauce—it'll already be perfectly balanced. 

Praise From the Allrecipes Community 

• "This has been a family favorite for decades! I'm 66 years old, and my grandmother made it for us as kids, too! I do sub a jar of good marinara sauce instead of the tomato sauce. To be clear, this is not a fancy dish you will find in a five-star restaurant, but it is a solid comfort food casserole that the family loves :) Yummy!" —Carol Kaufmann Haas
• "Very yummy! Comfort food. Not fancy, but satisfies." —Melissa
• "I made this last night. My daughter ate after I had gone upstairs, and I got the following text—' FOOD IS AMAZING DAD! love you ❤️.' A few minutes later, she came upstairs and said she had to hug me and tell me the food was good in person! I'd say that makes this a winner!!" —Robert B

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