Easy Pork and Noodle Bake

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/27/21
Easy Pork and Noodle Bake in a baking dish

The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 95 mins
Total: 115 mins
Servings: 6 servings

This pork and noodle casserole is an excellent alternative to roasting or baking pork loin, and it makes a delicious one-pot meal. The pork is cubed and briefly browned before baking it with the noodles and simple sauce mixture, and the peas add color and flavor. It's also a good way to use cooked leftover pork.

This casserole can be prepared a day ahead of time. See below for make-ahead tips. Enjoy it with a tossed salad and some warm homemade bread.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 cups diced pork loin, or other lean pork

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

  • 1 cup water

  • 6 ounces uncooked wide noodles, about 3 cups

  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

  • 1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms

  • 1 (2-ounce) jar chopped pimientos, drained

  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

  • 1 cup soft fresh breadcrumbs

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Pork and Noodle Bake ingredients in bowls

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  2. Heat the oven to 375 F. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish.

    Greased baking dish

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  3. In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, brown the diced pork in the olive oil.

    Diced pork in a pot with a wooden spatula

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  4. Add the chopped onion and sliced celery and sauté for about 3 minutes longer.

    Pork, chopped onion and sliced celery in a pot with a wooden spatula

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  5. Add salt, thyme, pepper, condensed mushroom soup, and water. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the mixture for 1 hour.

    Pork, celery, and onions with salt, thyme, pepper, condensed mushroom soup, and water in a pot with a wooden spatula

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  6. Meanwhile, just before the pork mixture is finished cooking, prepare the noodles. Cook the noodles in boiling salted water following the package directions.

    Noodles in a pot with water

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  7. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly with hot water.

    Noodles in a colander

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  8. Add the cooked noodles, peas, mushrooms, pimiento, and shredded cheese to the pork mixture.

    Pork mixture with cooked noodles, peas, mushrooms, pimiento, and shredded cheese in a pot

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  9. Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered large shallow baking dish.

    Pork and Noodle mixture in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  10. Combine the soft breadcrumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the top of the noodle mixture.

    Easy Pork and Noodle mixture, topped with breadcrumbs, in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

  11. Put the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

    Easy Pork and Noodle Bake in a baking dish

    The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

Glass Bakeware Warning

For premade casseroles or leftovers that are in a glass baking dish and have been refrigerated, do not place directly into a hot oven as the glass can shatter. Instead, place any cold glass bakeware into a cold oven to warm up while it preheats. Or allow the bakeware to rest outside of the fridge for 30 minutes to reach room temperature while the oven preheats.

Recipe Variations

  • The casserole can also be made with cooked leftover pork. Just dice the meat and add it to the sautéed onion and celery mixture. 
  • Feel free to substitute linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti, or another type of noodle for the wide noodles in this recipe.
  • Add carrots to this casserole for additional color and flavor.
  • Broccoli is a good substitute to use for the peas.

Make Ahead Tips

  • To make the casserole ahead, prepare the casserole, cover the dish tightly with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Take the casserole out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Remove the foil and bake as directed.
  • To make breadcrumbs ahead, cut or tear fresh or day-old bread into smaller pieces and pulse briefly in a food processor or with an immersion blender to make coarse or fine breadcrumbs. Freeze any crumbs you won't be using right away. When you need a cup of crumbs to top a casserole or use in a recipe, thaw them briefly before using.
  • This casserole is a great dish to freeze and have for later. Assemble it, but don't bake it. Plan ahead and when making it, do so in a metal or foil pan (so much easier!). Just cover tightly with foil and put it in the freezer for up to three months. To reheat, preheat the oven to 375 F, and bake—doubling the time to bake it since it's frozen, and remove the cover for the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking so it can brown on top. 

How to Store

Leftovers of this pork and noodle bake will last for three to five days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
727 Calories
32g Fat
46g Carbs
62g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 727
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol 173mg 58%
Sodium 903mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 62g
Vitamin C 13mg 65%
Calcium 180mg 14%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 1013mg 22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)