Friendship Casserole Recipe! Great to Share and Freeze For Next Time!

Friendship Casserole is a huge hit in my house! The kids have loved it every time we have made it! The second time, I made two larger casserole dishes instead of the three smaller casserole pans pictured, and we froze one and cooked one!

Kylie is obsessed with any pasta dish, so this is one of our busy weeknight go-to recipes! Plus, this is a super cheap dinner, since it also makes a second casserole! I always have dinner in the freezer to pull out if we don’t give away the second unbaked casserole!  We first made this back in 201,3 and it still gets made at least once a month.

Friendship Casserole Ingredients:

• Ground Beef
• Pasta Sauce
• Minced Garlic 
• Egg Noodles
• Butter
• Minced Onion
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

How To Make Friendship Casserole:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a frying pan, start thoroughly browning the meat, or pull out frozen cooked ground beef. (see my post on tips for this -> here)

Bring a pot of water to a boil and start cooking the no-yolk noodles. Follow the package directions; you can make them al dente or as soft as you want.

Drain fat off the ground meat, and then strain the egg noodles when done.  

Place the browned hamburger back into the frying pan and allow the meat to simmer with the pasta sauce and seasonings.   

When your noodles are strained, return them to the pot and mix with butter and parmesan cheese until the butter has melted. I love using a bamboo wooden spoon for this recipe.

Spray your casserole pans with a non-stick spray.

You can use disposable aluminum pans to make this.  I do this often when giving other moms a casserole in the neighborhood, and I must say this is perfect for a new mom to be given as well.

Spread half the sauce mixture over the bottom of both pans, so 1/4 of the sauce covers the bottom of each of the pans. 

I also make this with Pyrex casserole pans; they clean very easily. They also work to store your leftovers or freeze the casserole.

Divide buttered egg noodles over the sauce mixture of both pans.

Spread the remaining sauce and meat over the noodles in both pans.

Top any of the pans that you are cooking with mozzarella cheese.

If you are freezing any of these, skip the cheese at this step.

If cooking immediately, cover the pan with foil and place it in the oven to bake for 10 minutes. 

Add more time if needed and remove when the cheese is melted.

Serve and enjoy!

Safe T-Serv Lids

Potlucks and cookouts can be difficult because some of the dishes don’t have lids! I met Safe-T-Sirv in Chicago in March and fell in love with their lids for foil pans and casserole pans! They attach to foil pans but also fit on normal casserole dishes!

You can order directly → here and save 10% or order them on Amazon → here!  It’s a weird Amazon thing, but you have to click see buying options to add to cart.

How To Freeze A Casserole

If freezing before cooking, wrap tightly with foil and freeze for up to 30 days.

How To Cook Frozen Casserole

Remove the casserole from the freezer the night before cooking and place it in the fridge. It must be thawed before baking.

Cover with aluminum foil to bake for about 30 minutes; remove and top with mozzarella and bake for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese and fully cook through. This will take longer to cook than when assembling the first time.

Substitutions For Friendship Casserole 

• Fresh Mushrooms
• Garlic Powder 
• Salt 
• Black Pepper 
• Ground or shredded chicken
• Ground Turkey 
• Green Onions
• Diced Green Pepper
• Sauteed Green Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Parsley 
• Italian Cheese Blend
• Diced Yellow Onion

How To Store Leftover Friendship Casserole

Also, store in the baking dish covered with wax or foil or with the pan lid.  You can also move this to an airtight container for storage as well. Store in the refrigerator for up to three to five days.

What To Serve With Italian Friendship Casserole

Bread: Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread, Garlic Parmesan Biscuit Pull Part Bread, English Muffin Garlic Cheese Bread, Easy Cheesy Monkey Bread, Corn Bread, Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks

Side Dishes: Air Fryer Bacon Asparagus, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes, Air Fryer Brussell Sprouts, Green Beans, Caesar Salad, Acorn Squash, Green Salad, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Air Fryer Broccoli, Grilled Zucchini, Grilled Corn On The Cob, Air Fryer Zucchini Chips, Macaroni And Cheese, Broccoli Salad, Cole Slaw, Vegetable Stir Fry