This Cheeseburger Casserole is packed with all your favorite smash burger flavors, perfectly cooked pasta, and loads of gooey cheese. The perfect quick weeknight dinner!
Cheeseburger casserole is the ultimate mash up. Burger flavors AND pasta? Yes please!
What is cheeseburger casserole?
Cheeseburger casserole is a mash up of a smash burger and baked pasta dish! Noodles of choice are combined with your favorite cheeseburger flavors like beef, onions, fry sauce, pickles, and more, then baked until gooey and delicious.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Bacon – thick cut bacon is recommended, because the texture is better, but any kind of bacon will work. Not a bacon fan? Omit!
- Ground Beef – 80/20 ground beef was tested, but any ground beef you have on hand is fine. Keep in mind, the less fat it has, the drier the outcome. Feel free to substitute ground pork, chicken, or turkey, if desired.
- Onion – yellow onion is sautéed until tender with the ground beef. Red onion, white onion, or shallots can be used as well. Omit, if necessary.
- Steak Seasoning – use your favorite steak seasoning blend! We tend to season our smash burgers with steak seasoning, but if you have another blend of spices you like for your burgers, use that instead.
- Fry Sauce – homemade is best (and it’s SO easy to make), but a store-bought fry sauce may be used in a pinch. The flavor is very pronounced in this recipe, so be sure you enjoy the flavor of the store-bought fry sauce first.
- Pasta – any pasta shape will work! I used ziti, because that’s what I had on hand. Whatever pasta you use, be sure to cook it 2 minutes less than al denté, because the pasta will continue to cook as it bakes in the oven.
- Cheese – cheddar cheese was tested in the original recipe, but use whatever cheese you like on your burger! Whatever cheese you use, be sure to shred your own; it melts better! Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking agent mixed in which prevents the cheese from melting as well.
- Toppings: Pickles, Lettuce, and Tomato – we love this combination of toppings on our smash burgers, but feel free to use your favorites instead!
Best pasta to use
Any pasta you have on hand is fine to use. Ziti is pictured, but if you’d like something more classic, try macaroni. Rotini or medium shells would also work.
Whatever pasta you use, be sure to cook it 2 minutes less than al denté, because the pasta will continue to cook as it bakes in the oven.
What to serve with cheeseburger casserole
Serve this casserole with your favorite pasta and/or burger sides!
- Garlic Bread
- Pear, Blue Cheese, Candied Pecan Salad
- Air Fryer Frozen French Fries with Honey Mustard
- Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Air Fryer Pickles
- BBQ Baked Beans
How to store
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge, if frozen, then microwave or heat in the oven until warmed through.
– Jennifer
Cheeseburger Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
Cheeseburger Casserole
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon roughly chopped
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1/4 cup steak seasoning
- 2 cups fry sauce
- 1 pound pasta of choice cooked 2 minutes less than al denté (pictured:ziti)
- 1 (8 oz) block sharp cheddar cheese shredded and divided
Optional Toppings
- Dill pickles diced
- Shredded lettuce
- Roma tomatoes diced
Instructions
Cheeseburger Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a glass 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place bacon into a large stockpot, then cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the bacon is crispy.
- Remove the bacon and set aside, but leave the grease.
- To the hot pan and grease, add in the beef and onions, and cook, breaking up the meat as you go, until the beef is no longer pink.
- Drain any grease, then stir in the steak seasoning, fry sauce, cooked pasta, half the cheese, and crispy bacon.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with tin foil that’s been sprayed with cooking spray (this prevents the cheese from sticking), and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the center is hot.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with toppings of choice, serve and enjoy!
- Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!
Nutrition
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