Ground Beef Casserole loaded with beef, cheese, and egg noodles is sure to be a family favorite.
I can never get enough of cooking or eating casseroles. They’re easy to make, filling, and just have a way of comforting the soul.
Sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese (yes there’s really that much cheese) make this casserole sinfully rich and gooey. Served with a side salad and some crusty bread, this will easily last 2 meals for a family of four.
It can also be assembled, frozen and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator. Then bake according to recipe directions.
I don’t know what it is about egg noodles, but I absolutely love them. Their flavor and shape is a nice change up from pasta. I’m still Jenny Craiging it this week (down 3 pounds and halfway to my goal in 1 week!) so no foods like Ground Beef Casserole for me this week.
However I could use the comfort of a delicious casserole today because in exactly 1 week my son will be having major surgery in Indianapolis to remove his retroperitoneal lymph nodes. He recently completed chemotherapy for testicular cancer and his tumor markers have come down to the normal range, but he needs to have some lymph nodes removed. Something called RPLND surgery. A doctor named Richard Foster at Indiana University is widely considered the best surgeon in the world for doing this type of surgery and he will be my son’s surgeon.
If anyone lives in the Indianapolis area we would love to hear some restaurant suggestions especially places that are good for take out and are near the IU Medical Complex since we will be there 8 days. We’ve been to Bru Burger and boy do they ever have fantastic burgers 🙂
Love that cheese 🙂 🙂
Watch the short video below to see how easy this recipe is!
Ground Beef Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground round
- 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
- 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel tomatoes
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
- 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add ground round. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink.
- Add both cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, sugar, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir to mix and let simmer over low heat while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook egg noodles according to package directions and drain well.
- In a medium bowl, stir together noodles, green onions, sour cream, and cream cheese.
- Spoon noodle mixture into a greased 13X9-inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses.
- Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and place cooking spray side down on top of baking dish to cover.
- Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 more minutes.
Nutrition
Recipe Source: adapted from Southern Living
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Very good made way to much but was amazing
Can you make it in the crock pot?
This looks amazing! Thank you so much for posting! 🙂
Can someone confirm the cream cheese amount? The recipe states 3-ounce, but all I’ve ever seen are 8-ounce packages.
Check at a different store, I’ve seen 3 oz. packages all the time, or use a part of an 8 oz. pkg.
With regards to precooking the egg noodles: won’t they turn into mush by the time it comes out of the oven? I like my egg noodles al dente. Any suggestions?
Thank you. Looks delicious.
I always buy the Klusi noodles (Meijer brand) and they work very well. Cook al dente. Regular noodles don’t turn out as well.
Whenever I’m using pasta in a casserole, I always boil the water, then when it is boiling, I take if off the heat and throw the noodles in the hot water and let it sit while I’m getting the other stuff ready. I let it sit for maybe 8 minutes. The noodles don’t cook all the way and finish in the dish. It works pretty well for this situation.
I wasn’t very impressed with this dish. I expected the meat/sauce mixture to mix into the noddles better. Such a bummer because the comments were all positive. My kids liked it though and they don’t like tomatoes or sour cream. Not a total failure.
*Kluski
This was so delicious, I made it my way because I doubled the recipe. I cooked onions with the ground beef. After adding cream cheese and sour cream, seasoned my noodles with a little salt and garlic powder. I didn’t use green onions. instead of Italian seasoning I used house seasoning( pepper, garlic powder, season salt). My family loved it.
I made this dish and my husband and I loved it!
I made servings in individual casserole dishes. I’ll be making it again, possibly for guests. Great presentation, rich with the cream cheese and delicious!
😊😊😊😊😊
Cool recipe. But I tweaked it a lot instead of egg noodles I used rotini pasta. One can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and a half a can of hunts garlic and herb sauce. Didn’t have green onion so I used parsley. Seasoned pasta mixture and meat mixture gives it more flavor. Used Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, sharp Cheddar and a Mexican blend cheese on top came out really good.
If made with Ricotta cheese substituted for the cream cheese what a count would you use.
Such a busy couple of weeks, didn’t want to spend a whole lot of money and had some ground beef and canned veggies I needed to use. After looking through some recipes, I settled on this one & Wow! As is, the recipe sounded good. I made this but added 1/2 cup green beans (drained) , 1/2 cup corn (drained) along with some chili peppers to give it a little kick and they ate it up. The best part, I already had all the ingredients at home. Will make this on the weekend too as I have some extra beef left. Thanxs 😊😊👍🏻👍🏻
That was good dish. It is the type of dish you want when you don’t feel like cooking
I use a drained 14oz can of petite diced tomatoes and a can of manwich in my meat mix with a little tony chacheries seasoning. I cook the cauliflower and drain the water. I add the sour cream and cream cheese in the pot so it melts. I then lay the cauliflower mix down then a layer of mozzarella slices then the meat mix and topped with a fiesta cheese blend from walmart.
A few folks inquired about freezing options, but I saw no answers. How would I go about freezing?
I saw the exact same recipe elsewhere and it said;
To Make Ahead: Label and Freeze assembled, unbaked casserole up to 1 month. Thaw in fridge overnight. Let stand 30 minutes; then bake as directed.
We are starting our church group back up to have some casseroles in the freezer for emergency needs of individuals or families. My question is whether or not you would recommend this for freezing and if so what adjustments to directions would you suggest? We are thinking making some smaller sizes and some larger family sizes, freeze in the aluminum pans, cover with plastic wrap, then aluminum to keep sealed.
Yes I’m diabetic and would like to make this but need to know carb count
Wish I knew the remaining nutritional values. Carbs? And what is a serving size considered?
can wait to try it im having it tonight I added garlic to it and basil and oregano I looks delicious I love how much cheese is on it yummy
I made this tonight; it was great. I didn’t have a few ingredients so I substituted yogurt for the ricotta cheese, Fajita veggies (onions, green peppers, and red peppers) for the green onions, and only used cheddar and mozzarella cheese. My family of 4 had 2 servings already and the pan is almost gone… This was great! This will definitely be in rotation every other month.
I don’t see that the recipe called for ricotta cheese. Am I missing something?
NO..IT DOESN’T CALL FOR IT
I think she meant for the cream cheese.
Excellent dish. I upped the ground beef to 1.5 lbs. and added 3 cloves crushed garlic. Last time I made it, I used 1 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage and the garlic. My family can’t decide which way they like it best. Either way, it has become a family favorite. Thanks so much.
OUTSTANDING!!! It is very easy to make. I upped the ground beef to 1 1/2 pounds. It was a hit and I WILL be making this casserole again.
I’m making this dish right now
This recipe is nothing more than good old fashioned goulash.
You cannot ruin it. Tomatoes or sauce or Prego. Any noodle,
no yolk, chinese, pasta, gluten free. Whatever. Make it to suit your
households palates and allergies!
It does not say anything about draining the hamburger after u cook it I know that’s a stupid question but I was confused on that
I drain it now after finding it too water the first time I made. I also drain the diced tomatoes
You use ground round, not ground beef. Ground round doesn’t require draining.
I used ground deer meat (venison).
How much cauliflower would you use to substitute for the pasta? Would you use cauliflower florets or rice? If So, how much and would you cook before? Thanks. This looks delicious!
I would use about 4 cups of caulie florets.
I would definitely cook the cauli half-way before assembling the casserole. I hope it turns out good!
This is my new family favorite. Delicious.
this recipe looks so so good I want to try it but just wanted to know if maybe we can use chicken instead?? trying it with beef but just wanted to know if anyones tried it with chicken?
I made this tonight. Very good. But you know I bet made with chicken with a white cheesy sauce would be so good. Gonna try it tomorrow. Yum
Ground turkey works well. I season while browning with Trappey’s Bull Sauce. People believe it’s beef all the time.
Where did you buy that seasoning? I just made this for dinner and it’s in the oven now, hope it tastes ok
My children are deathly allergic to eggs – so no egg noodles. But they really would like this dish – any thoughts on another noodle type that would work well in this casserole? Or another substitute? (but my boys unfortunately aren’t going to eat cauliflower etc).
Thank you
They have egg-less noodles….used them many times, no problem.
You can buy no yolk noodles in bigger grocery stores. Have used them many times – they taste like noodles. It is usually the yolk to which people are allergic. Check with your doctor to make sure.
I’m sure any kind of noodle will work.
You could get the giant macaroni noodles it would be like goulash.
I used spaghetti squash……we haven’t used pasta in over a year now…….spaghetti squash is the bomb
try tinkyada brown rice pasta – delicious and more nutritious and good fiber…
Making this tonight for dinner, with just a few tweaks since I am lactose intolerant. But I will find a way and I’m sure it will be amazing!
For people that can’t eat that much cheese this is really ruined, so I am very disappointed. Cream cheese and sour cream oh lord help me!! I would be so sick! I guess people think everyone can can eat that or likes it… a very little cheese on top goes a long ways.
This is simply a recipe that you need to skip, not complain for it to be altered to accommodate you, when everyone else seems to enjoy it and can have cheese
I agree. Skip it if it’s something you can’t have. I exchange fat free plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. I think I’m going to try this recipe!
My motto: “There’s no such thing as too much cheese!”
Soy cream cheese and soy sour cream would work well for you and I for one can’t taste the difference. There are also cheese substitutes—some better than others. Look for one made with cashews. BTW, cashew cream is VERY good and can be used as a substitute for cream.
Well Lori, don’t eat it? I don’t like peanuts, but I don’t comment of recipes that have peanuts and say that it’s ruined or that people think everyone likes peanuts. I just don’t comment, I move on, I find a recipe that sounds good. One that works for me. I don’t need to let everyone know how disappointed I am about said recipe.
I’m disappointed in you Lori. I guess you think we shouldn’t enjoy cheese because you can’t?
**Carry on
Sounds like this isn’t the recipe for you Lori! Mine’s in the oven now. Can’t wait to serve it tomorrow with my Christmas dinner. I think my family will enjoy it.
ummm…then don’t make it…pretty simple.
Please go find another recipe and stop complaining!
Lori sounds like one of those that bitch if her ice cream is cold
There is tons of recipes that I cant eat because of peanut allergies… I dont bitch about it and go on about how it should be altered. Many people love these ingredients as the same with alot of peanut butter recipes. Move on and look for more accommodating recipes if this one isnt for you.
My goodness.No need to be snarky and rude just because someone has a personal negative opinion.
How about you don’t read it and pass on by unless you have useful suggestions.
Dont make it then. Problem solved.
I’m going to try this tonight. What is a good side beside salad?
I am making this tonight, with the side being sautéed zucchini, onions, red bell peppers and whatever else I decide to add. Add a little (or a lot) of garlic.
We eat a Ketogenic Diet/Lifestyle, little/no carbs. Substituted cauliflower for the noodles. HUGE hit!
I was thinking of doing this keto-style as well with spiralized butternut squash noodles. Worth a try!
I’m keto as well … was thinking of Konjak noodles. Use them all the time for speggetti. No carbs!
I see the caolories count but I count protein and carb calories! What are those????. I times my protein gram X 4 and also my carbd and fats! Need those numbrs!!!,
There are program counters online for free you can use and get the info for any recipe.
Read the packages – hello…
To freezes ahead would I simply do the meat and then later the rest and add the cheese at the end?
Sounds yummy, I’m heading to the store to get things I don’t have to make for dinner tonight!
I’m originally from Indiana, my daughter had an autoimmune disorder we had treated at Riley
Great choices for treating children in Indy
I hope you and your family are doing well
GoinG to try tomorrow with all the ingredients . Looks so delicious can’t wait
Made this tonight and it was delicious.
My kids won’t eat the tomatoes, is there something else I could substitute for those two ingredients?
I’m just using sauce. I have a sensory kiddo who won’t do tomato chunks either.
Alfredo sauce would work
Alfredo sauce
This was delicious!
Good food
This looks delicious—I am a big fan of cheese and ground beef–well everything in this recipe except the green onions, which I will leave out.
I have one question, I noticed in the video, you poured the gb mixture over the noodles–does the ground beef mixture cook down between the noodles?
Making recipe tonight!!! Hope all is well with you and your family
Hope you enjoyed it Tasha! Everyone is doing well. 🙂
Do you cook noodles first? Might be a dumb question!
You cook them in step 3.
I am making this tonight for my three boys. I hope that your son is okay – I am truly so sorry that you are going through this. I can’t imagine how difficult it has been for you. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Yes I did
Can you use spaghetti sauce in place of all the tomato and seasoning items?
Just made tonight and I did just a bit different recipe. I used tomato sauce and added heavy cream so it wouldn’t be dry. I added ground sausage as well. I know I got off the path, but I’m a southerner. Lol Other than that great recipe!!!
Made it as directed and Loved it!! I’ve had to make it several times by request. I get excited when I find a new hamburger casserole recipe. Thanks so much!
I made the recipe exactly as directed and while it had a lot of flavor I thought it was a little dry. Next time I make this I’m not going to use Rotel. Instead I’m going to replace it with a can of whole stewed tomatoes. Also, add 1/4 cup of beef broth to the tomato/meat mixture while it simmers, and 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the noodle mixture. I think that when I brown the meat I’m going to julienne 1/4 cup onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, kosher salt, and pepper.
Great base for a very dynamic dish! You can really be creative with this one, thanks for the original post. And I definitely recommend making it AS IS the first time. You might love it!
I only had rigatoni pasta, and it was dry. So adding more broth works? I’m going to try it again with your recommendations.
I will have to add some diced onion and minced garlic.
Do you drain grease/ fat from hamburger meat or leave it for flavor etc?
if you use ground round or very lean hamburger there will not be enough grease to worry about.
I am not sure of the sour cream. Has anyone tried substituting ricotta cheese? It looks really good and will try this recipe. Thanks
Yes, I used Ricotta cheese and it was deliciou. My husband doesn’t do cream cheese.
Really liked this. I did 1/2 a can of rotel plus a 1/2 of reg diced tomatoes….then the italian style tomatoes. It was a tiny bit too tomato-ey to me, but otherwise very good. I will throw the tomatoes in the blender next time…don’t like the chunks 🙁 Don’t skimp on the sour cream/cream cheese…it really balances it out! I may do a little less of tomatoes next time. Great comfort food!
Don’t like Cream Cheese, can you omit.
We live in north central Indy and can recommend several restaurants:
1. Low cost but very good
Blaze Pizza on N. Michigan Road (Also other locations in the city.) Made to order; many toppings included for the same price: $8.45 for a medium size pizza cooked in about 5 minutes.
Jason’s Deli (multiple locations) has the best corned beef sandwich in the city; Forget Shapiros’ which has all the publicity and HIGH prices
Puccini’s (multiple locations) Their lasagna has minimal pasta and maximum goodies. Also check out their pizza and other entrees.
King Gyros on S. Madison Ave. Not fancy, but the best gyros around!
Bazbeaux Pizza (downtown and more) Good salads and pizza
2. Medium priced – very good
Hollyhock Hill (North) – known for their fried chicken family style dinners.
3. Splurge
Oakley’s Bistro (North) Known for inventive foods
St. Elmo’s is the famous one downtown.
Downtown, especially Mass. Ave, has lots of restaurants that have had good reviews.
Use TripAdvisor to look up other choices.
We have a wide variety of ethnic food restaurants. ENJOY!
Hope your son does well!
Looks good on short list to try
I am a vegetarian and this looks amazing! I am going to use Beyond Meat Fumbles (plant based) and try it tonight. Thank you for the recipe.
One of my favorite casseroles! Love all the cheese!
This was very good, something I shouldn’t have made due to high cholesterol, but I’m a beef & cheese addict. Only complaints are I had to guess on a few things, such as the green onions, some recipes state to use both the white & greens parts, I used both. No mention of draining the grease from the ground beef, I did drain it. First time I used Rotel tomatoes, several different kinds out there and I was surprised to find a lot of liquid in the can (like canned corn), I dumped the liquid out but wasn’t sure if I was suppose to. Lastly no mention of what kind of cheddar cheese to use, I choose sharp. I did a lot of guessing, most of it was common sense & I got lucky. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
This was a big hit for my family! I used just one can of tomato sauce and one tomato paste, I added some v8, I used onion powder instead of the green onions. I omitted the rotel and diced tomatoes, also no green onions. (Picky eaters at my house do not like chunks). It was super delicious!!
Thank you for posting. I was wondering how it would taste with the tomato sauce instead of diced, and onion powder instead of pieces. I have picky eaters as well!
Tried this recipe for the first time tonight. Absolutely delicious! My husband just filled TWO containers for his lunch tomorrow and he doesn’t care for tomatoes. I love that I had all ingredients on hand. Fast and easy to throw together. Will definitely make again!
Yay! Thanks so much for letting me know you and your husband enjoyed it Merry Ellen!
Where do I find the rotel tomato’s
Do you use the Rotel tomatoes with green chilies? That is the only way I find them.
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but am definitely going to. I love Italian food. Question about the egg noodles, you first cook them according to package directions, then you bake them 35 mins. in the casserole. Won’t the noodles be over cooked?
I don’t find that they get undercooked. You can cook them for a minute or two less than package directions to make sure.
I thought this was very tasty. The only thing I changed was I used elbows instead of egg noodles because that was all I had. BUT my cream cheese/sour cream curdled. Has anyone else had this happen? Other than that, it was very good. I am eating leftovers while I type. 🙂
Made this last night and let me just say OMG!
Delicious! Pretty much what Donna said in the comments. My boyfriend doesn’t like cream cheese or sc…but he ate it and LOVED IT! Thanks, and didn’t change anything.
I made this tonight and followed instructions exactly. It was wonderful! I will be making this again!
Glad you enjoyed it Ann!
Hi, I just want to inquire about the measurement of cheese in the recipe, you say one cup in bracket 4 ounces, well don’t get me wrong but 4 Oz is half a cup, what is right?
Sorry for the confusion. If you buy a package of shredded cheese, on the package it says an 8 ounce bag has 2 cups of cheese. Therefore, when I buy an 8-ounce block of cheese, I assume that it makes 2 cups of shredded cheese. So half the block would be 1 cup.
This article helps you make conversions between different forms of cheddar cheese – http://www.cooksinfo.com/cheddar-cheese
4 ounces is half a cup when it comes to liquids.
Cheese isn’t a liquid. It takes less to actually fill 1 cup. Don’t take our word for it. Grate 8 ounces and try to fit it in 1 cup. 😉
Two girls one cup :p
Not about the recipe, but my mouth dropped open as I read about your son/University of Indianapolis/Dr. Foster. My son was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was a senior in high school and had emergency surgery the following day. At this point his urologist called us a few days after the surgery and told us if it were HIS son, U of I and Dr. Foster. We were there within 2 weeks. I hope that your son has done as well a mine. God Bless!!!
Thanks for sharing your story Janie! So glad your son is doing well. My son is feeling great and he’s been over 6 months with normal tumor markers. You are lucky your son’s doctor told you about Dr. Foster. I had to do hours and hours of research to determine that Indiana was where we needed to go to see Dr. Einhorn and Dr. Foster. They are both such amazing doctors and really helped give us peace of mind during the whole process.
In the oven now! How can you go wrong with cheese and meat? Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hope you love it!
I saw this recipe while browsing your site at lunchtime and realized I had all the ingredients already. I told my hubby that tonight’s dinner would be a “surprise” and he was not happy. He likes to know what to expect when it comes to his food but I knew that if I told him there was sour cream and cream cheese in it, he wouldn’t try it. Well, I took my time prepping and made sure he was good and hungry before serving dinner. He LOVED it. Didn’t ask any questions – just wanted to be sure there was some left for lunch tomorrow. It is very filling, so we both just ate a section and we’ll enjoy it again tomorrow. Thanks for sharing a tasty recipe. It’s a nice change from our usual ground beef recipes. BTW, I didn’t change a thing in the recipe!
Hope things go well for your son. It’s a tough thing to go through, but THINGS WILL WORK OUT!?! My husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer in Feb. 1983. We had a 3 year old daughter and 8 month old son. My husband is a Pharmacist with an advanced degree, he’d finally finished school, had a great job in Nuclear Pharmacy, and we’d bought our first home. Initially, they thought they had gotten all the cancer- his retroperitoneal node dissection was negative. However, when his tumor markers started going back up, we knew we were going to have to do chemotherapy. It was a rough year- he was in and out of the hospital for chemotherapy and had several complications. Thank goodness for family- my parents, his brother, people at our church all were wonderful… It’s now been 32 years and he’s a survivor! We’ve have a wonderful LIFE!?! He went on to start Young People Cancer Support Groups at St. Jude and the Medical College of Ga. We have been active with the American Cancer Society and as an RN I worked with Hospice for 14 years. We even went on to have two more children.. You’ll be in our thoughts and prayers…”When the going gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” Gather your family, friends, and God close…
Thank you for sharing your story Ann! I have found the cancer community to be such a source of strength and inspiration. My son finished 4 cycles of chemo and had a retroperitoneal node dissection in early March. His tumor markers have been normal since then! 🙂 🙂 🙂
His mental strength and positive attitude through the whole thing has been nothing short of amazing.
To the lady whose boys do not like tomatoes – Pizza Sauce would probably work in this recipe.
I started cooking on the farm where I was born at age 7 and I am now 88. You get to be a chemist and this recpie is a keeper. I will make it for my hired help this week.
Trying this out on my 19 year old son & friends tonite
Looks & smells delicious. Thanks
Hope you both enjoy it Sheryl! 🙂
This looks and sounds awesome. But anything with cheese is wonderful!! Praying for your son!
Thank you Kathy! He’s doing really, really well now! And I agree. Anything with cheese is wonderful!
Looks good – will have to try this (maybe next fall!) Hope everything went well with your son.
Thank you! My son is doing very well now 🙂
Thanks for asking and hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Looks like tomorrows diner Looks OHHHHHHH so good.
It is so good Larry! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
This looks incredible Christin! So much cheese ahhhh I’m in love.
Best wishes to your son and I hope that everything goes perfect. Sending hugs and good vibes your way xxxx
This casserole looks incredible Christin – love how hearty and comforting everything sounds. Hope everything goes well with your son’s surgery Christin, I will be keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.
Ooey, gooey goodness in a casserole! I love these type of meals. So comforting! Sending good thoughts your way for your son’s surgery!
Just wanted you to know that I made this casserole tonight and my husband and I thought is was delicious!
This looks like the best and cheesiest casserole I’ve ever seen! Hope everything goes well with your son’s surgery!
This looks insanely good… all that cheese is making me drool!
I’m with you on casseroles, Christin — they’re the best — especially when filled meat and cheese! I wish your son the best for his surgery and I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers!!
It’s hard to go wrong with meat and cheese 🙂
Thank you so much for your prayers Marcie!
My thoughts and prayers go out to your son. (I know it is worrying and that is exactly what us moms do– we worry. ) wishing him a quick recovery.
This pasta bake is going to be a big hit with my always hungry teenage boys. Love the recipe. Take Care, BAM
Thank You! Sometimes I don’t think I’ve stopped worrying since I became a mom.
Oh that cheese looks really good 🙂 what a filling warming dish 🙂
Thanks Medejo 🙂
The cheese!!!!!!! This looks so comforting and delicious. Thinking about you and your family!!
All that cheese is making me swoon!! I want some of this for dinner 🙂
This looks super delicious – I’ve never had this type of casserole before. Best wishes to your son on his upcoming surgery and to you as well!! Take care.