Oven-Baked 4-Ingredient Amish Cheddar Broccoli Noodles

These cheddar broccoli noodles are creamy, cheesy, and wonderfully unfussy, with uncooked egg noodles that Bake right in the dish. You’re going to love how the soup, milk, and cheese turn into an easy, cozy Casserole with no pot of water to boil. It is not trying to be a salad—and sometimes that is precisely the point.

Why You’ll Love It

• No-boil noodles — uncooked egg noodles bake right in the dish.
• Four main ingredients — simple pantry and refrigerator staples come together fast.
• Creamy, cheesy comfort — cheddar broccoli soup and shredded cheddar make a cozy, savory sauce.
• Easy to serve — pair it with cucumbers, a green salad, toast, or warm rolls.

Ingredient Notes

You’ll want wide egg noodles here. The broad ones hold up nicely in the creamy sauce and cook right in the dish. I’ve used store brands, No Yolks, whatever was on sale—this is not a recipe that needs fancy noodles wearing a little bow tie.

The condensed cheddar broccoli soup is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, so use the regular canned kind, not a ready-to-eat carton soup. I usually grab Campbell’s because that’s what our little grocery store reliably has, but any condensed cheddar broccoli soup in that 10.5- to 11-ounce range works.

Whole milk makes the casserole especially rich and comforting. Two percent works too, and I have used it plenty of times because that was what was in the fridge. I say whole milk is better, then I use 2% anyway. Such is adulthood.

For the cheddar, shred it yourself if you feel like it. Bagged shredded cheddar is perfectly fine, though, and I’m not hauling out a box grater unless somebody has really tested my patience. Mild cheddar keeps it gentle for picky eaters; sharp cheddar gives it more bite.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles
• 2 cans condensed cheddar broccoli soup, 10.5 to 11 ounces each
• 3 cups whole milk, or 2% if that’s what you’ve got
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided—1 1/2 cups goes inside, and the remaining 1/2 cup is for that bubbly top

Instructions

Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or a thin swipe of butter. I use butter when I remember to set it out, which is not as often as I’d like people to think.

Pour the uncooked wide egg noodles into the prepared dish and spread them around so they’re more or less even. They do not need to look perfect. This is a Noodle Casserole, not a landscape design project.

In a large bowl, whisk together both cans of condensed cheddar broccoli soup and the 3 cups of milk until smooth. It will seem thin—almost suspiciously thin, honestly—but that liquid is what cooks the noodles while the casserole bakes. Don’t panic and add extra soup. I did that once and ended up with something the consistency of driveway patch.

Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese. Set aside the remaining 1/2 cup for later. Pour the soup mixture Slowly and evenly over the noodles.

Use a spoon to gently press down any noodles that are sticking up dry above the liquid. You want them mostly moistened and tucked in there. A few rebellious noodle corners may pop up anyway. They always do. Just nudge them down as best you can.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, crimping the edges so the steam stays inside. This part matters. I laid the foil on top like a loose little hat and wondered why the noodles were still firm after forty-five minutes. Well. Steam had escaped, and apparently so had my common sense.

Bake, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes. Check the center with a fork; the noodles should be tender. If they’re still a little firm, cover the dish again and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, then check once more. Ovens have personalities.

When the noodles are tender, carefully remove the foil. Watch that steam—it’ll get you right in the face if you’re not paying attention. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar evenly over the top.

Return the dish to the oven uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese melts, bubbles, and the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Let it rest on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. I know everybody will hover. Make them wait. The sauce thickens up during that little rest, and it scoops much better.

Variations

If I’m trying to make this feel like a complete one-pan supper, I stir in 1 to 2 cups of cooked chopped Chicken, ham, or rotisserie chicken along with the cheese. Rotisserie chicken is probably the easiest route, especially if you’re coming home from work or errands and your feet hurt for no good reason except you are over fifty and apparently that is how it goes.

Add frozen broccoli florets—about 1 to 2 cups—right over the noodles before pouring on the soup mixture. No thawing needed. A little garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper in the sauce gives it a more grown-up flavor. I like it that way too, although the plain version has its own soft, nostalgic charm.

For crunch, you can top it during the final 10 minutes with 1 cup crushed butter crackers or seasoned bread crumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter. I tried crushed potato chips once. Not terrible, exactly, but they got oddly chewy around the edges, and nobody needs that kind of surprise at dinner.

For picky eaters, use mild cheddar and add an extra 1/2 cup milk for a looser, creamier sauce. If your crowd prefers a sharper flavor, use sharp cheddar or half cheddar and half Colby Jack.

Storage & Reheating

Let leftovers cool a bit, then get them into a shallow covered container and refrigerate within 2 hours. They’ll keep well for a few days, though the noodles do soak up more sauce overnight. I actually like it cold straight from the refrigerator, which my family finds deeply unsettling. Their loss.

To reheat, warm a portion in the microwave until steaming hot, stirring if you can. A little splash of milk helps loosen it if it looks thick. You can also cover the casserole dish and reheat it in a 350°F oven until hot through the center. If you added chicken, ham, or any other meat, make sure it gets piping hot—165°F in the middle is the safe number.

Don’t leave it sitting out all evening while people pick at it, either. I know that’s how family dinners go sometimes, especially when somebody starts telling an old story and suddenly it’s dark outside. But creamy leftovers need to get chilled.

Final Notes

This isn’t fancy food, and I don’t mean that apologetically. There is a place in this world for dinners that arrive at the table bubbling, a little messy around the edges, smelling like cheese and warm noodles and relief.

Make a salad if you’re feeling virtuous. Slice some cucumbers. Open a bag of baby carrots and call it a vegetable course—I have done worse. Then put this casserole down in the middle of the table and let everybody have seconds if they want them.

Some nights, that is enough. More than enough, really…