Cheeseburger Casserole

📝 Ingredients

• cooking spray
• ½ pound ground beef
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with herbs, undrained
• ½ cup water, or as needed (Optional)
• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef and onions in the hot pan until beef is browned and crumbly and onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off fat.
3. Drain liquid from canned tomatoes into a 4-cup liquid measure; add water if needed, to make 2 1/2 cups liquid. Add juice, tomatoes, macaroni, corn, bell pepper, garlic, soy sauce, chili powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper to the beef mixture; bring to a boil.
4. Pour 1/2 of the beef mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle 1 cup cheese over top. Repeat beef and cheese layers once more. Cover the dish and place it onto a cookie sheet.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until pasta is tender yet firm to the bite, about 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
7. Recipe Tip
8. You can use taco seasoning instead of chili powder, small shells instead of elbow macaroni, and an Italian cheese blend instead of Mexican.