This high protein creamy ground beef noodle casserole is rich, cozy, and packed with flavor, but gets a boost from cottage cheese that makes it extra satisfying without feeling heavy.
A nostalgic, family-friendly ground beef noodle casserole that uses cottage cheese to make a genuinely high-protein dinner—without tasting like “health food.” Each serving has 18g of protein!
It’s like a homemade version of Hamburger Helper—cheap, familiar, kid-friendly and comforting, but this one is secretly high protein which makes it more healthy!
Love easy ground beef dinners? Try our Korean Ground Beef Noodles or Korean Beef Cottage Cheese Protein Bowl next.
My mom was in the depths of motherhood—five kids, a husband traveling a lot for work, and dinner was starting to feel like a burden. Then my grandma called and said, “I have this casserole recipe for you. It’s super easy and cheap to make!”
My mom needed both, and this casserole has been in our family ever since.
Over the years, we’ve figured out how to make it even better: cottage cheese makes the filling extra creamy while adding protein, without making this taste remotely like “health food.”
Recipe The Secret to Why our Ground Beef Casserole is an Internet Sensation
Cottage cheese is the secret to making this classic casserole higher in protein and creamy! I hate the dry, flavorless egg noodle casserole recipes online. They are bland and a total waste of money. But adding cottage cheese in just the right proportion to the ground beef takes it from bland to grand! Not to mention, the added protein keeps you fuller longer and is a healthier option than sour cream or those weird mayo versions.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Beef Noodle Casserole
- Extra creamy: Cottage cheese creates a rich, creamy filling without canned soup.
- Protein-packed: Ground beef, cottage cheese and shredded cheese make it especially satisfying.
- Family-friendly: Familiar noodles, seasoned beef and melted cheese make this an easy one for kids.
- Budget-friendly: It’s made with simple, inexpensive grocery-store ingredients.
- Great for busy nights: Prep is
This viral beef broth bowl is loaded with crispy caramelized ground beef, fluffy rice and a creamy coconut curry broth with gochujang, ginger and lime. It’s an easy dinner packed with sweet, savory and spicy flavor, plus cool cucumber and fresh cilantro to balance all that richness.
I kept seeing broth bowls everywhere and finally had to know if they were actually worth the hype. Spoiler: they absolutely are! The crispy beef soaking up that creamy broth is what got me.
QUICK LOOK
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: About 15 minutes
- Servings: 4
- Difficulty: Easy
- Budget Friendly: Yes! Ground beef, rice and pantry staples keep this pretty affordable.
- Perfect For: Quick weeknight dinners, meal prep or trying the latest viral recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Beef Broth Bowl
- What It Is: Crispy ground beef + rice + creamy coconut curry broth
- Flavor: Savory, slightly sweet, creamy and a little spicy
- Why It’s Different: Gochujang gives the broth extra savory depth and heat
- Best Part: Those caramelized crispy bits of beef soaking up the broth
- Finish With: Cucumber, cilantro, sesame oil and plenty of fresh lime
What Is a Beef Broth Bowl?
A beef broth bowl is somewhere between a rice bowl and soup. Fluffy rice and seasoned beef are added to a bowl with fresh toppings, then hot flavorful broth is ladled around everything.
The version that’s gone viral adds another level with crispy ground beef and a creamy coconut curry broth. Every spoonful gets a little rice, caramelized beef and broth—and suddenly it makes perfect sense why everyone is making them!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Crispy Beef
- Canola Oil: Helps the beef get a good sear without burning.
- Ground Beef: Ground chuck works too. You want enough fat for flavor and caramelization without making the broth greasy.
- Fresh Ginger + Garlic: Fresh aromatics add loads of flavor to the beef.
- Cornstarch: Helps the sauce thicken and cling to the beef.
- Soy Sauce: The salty, savory base of the beef sauce.
- Beef Broth: Adds moisture and deeper beef flavor.
- Brown
These beef broth bowls are loaded with crispy Korean ground beef, fluffy rice and fresh cucumber surrounded by a creamy coconut broth. Ready in about 30 minutes, they’re an easy way to turn ground beef into a seriously flavor-packed dinner without spending hours making broth.
And yes, we finally jumped on the viral broth bowl trend!
But you know we couldn’t just make the same beef broth bowl everyone else is making. We took the sweet and savory flavors from our ridiculously popular Korean Ground Beef and gave them the broth bowl treatment.
The crispy caramelized beef with that creamy, spicy coconut broth? GOOD. GRIEF.
QUICK LOOK
- Time: About 30 minutes
- Protein: Ground beef
- Broth: Creamy coconut gochujang
- Base: Steamed rice
- Flavor: Sweet, savory, creamy and slightly spicy
Why You’ll Love These Beef Broth Bowls
- Crispy, caramelized beef: Letting the ground beef sit against the hot skillet before breaking it apart creates those deeply browned crispy bits that make these bowls so good.
- That broth! Coconut milk, gochujang, ginger, garlic and lime create a broth that’s creamy, savory and just spicy enough.
- Fresh + rich: Cool cucumber, cilantro and lime balance the rich coconut broth and beef.
- One skillet: The broth is made right in the skillet after the beef so all those browned bits become part of the flavor.
- Our Korean beef twist: We borrowed the sweet and savory flavors from one of our most popular ground beef recipes and turned it into something completely new.
What Is a Beef Broth Bowl?
A beef broth bowl is basically the delicious middle ground between a rice bowl and soup.
Rice, seasoned beef and vegetables are arranged in a bowl, then hot flavorful broth is ladled around everything rather than completely covering it.
You still get all the different textures—the fluffy rice, crispy beef and crunchy cucumber—but you can get a little of that incredible broth in every bite.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Korean Ground Beef
- Canola Oil: Helps the beef get a good sear without burning.
-