It doesn’t get much tastier than this Skillet Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole! This easy weeknight dinner is a great spin on an American classic and cooks in less than 20 minutes.
Why this recipe works
This bacon cheeseburger casserole is a real crowd pleaser, it keeps in the refrigerator for a few days and can easily be reheated later on.
Did I mention how simple it is to make? You can throw this together very quickly and have it cooked and ready to serve in less than thirty minutes, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge already. This was just as popular as the John Wayne Casserole and my Shepherd’s Pie I make regularly.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
BEEF – Lean ground beef is our beef of choice. You can substitute for ground chicken, turkey, or pork instead if you’d like.
CHEESE – We recommend grating your own mozzarella and cheddar as fresh shredded cheese doesn’t contain additives and provides a smoother, creamier consistency as opposed to store-bought shredded cheese which can sometimes be grainy when melted.
How to Make Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Cook the bacon first, I prefer to cook it on a sheet pan in the oven until it’s crispy but you can cook it whichever way you prefer. Drain it on paper towels and chop it or break it into small pieces and set aside.
- Cook your macaroni according to directions on the pack, then drain.
- While the macaroni is cooking brown the beef in a large skillet until fully cooked. If after cooking the beef has a lot of fat/liquid/juice left you can pour some of that off, I prefer to use lean beef and keep some of the juice as I think it adds to the flavor.
- Measure the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup into a small bowl or measuring jug and mix well to combine. Place cornstarch in a separate small bowl and add a tablespoon or two of the broth mixture. Stir until well combined then add that mixture to the rest of the broth mixture. Doing it this way will keep the cornstarch from clumping together.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet along with the beef broth mixture, stir well to combine beef, pasta, bacon, and sauce.
- Cook on medium heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens. If it’s too thick for you, thin it out with a little more beef broth.
- Sprinkle shredded cheeses over the top of the skillet cheeseburger mixture. Cover and cook on very low heat until cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Our readers have had success adding seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and hamburger seasoning as well as diced onions, green or red bell peppers, and fresh garlic. Red pepper flakes or jalapeno would make a great addition as well for some heat!
To make bacon cheeseburger casserole gluten free, simply substitute gluten-free pasta for regular, make sure the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free, and you are good to go! For those that are dairy free, you can use a shredded vegan cheese substitute instead, it works just as well.
You can store this casserole in an air tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Try adding a little bit of water when reheating to add moisture back to the dish.
Serving Suggestions
Put ideas here about how to serve, bulleted list with links and a short sentence or phrase (i.e. Our crockpot mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus make a great side for this recipe.)
Bacon cheeseburger pasta is quick, easy, and takes ingredients you most likely already have on hand to make a delicious weeknight meal that’s budget-friendly and filling.
More Dinner Recipes
- Crockpot Roast Beef – Amanda’s Cookin’
- Oven Chili Dogs– Amanda’s Cookin’
- Southwest Ground Beef Casserole – Amanda’s Cookin’
- One Pan Beef Stroganoff – Noshtastic
- Crockpot Beef Burgundy – Amanda’s Cookin’
- BBQ Chicken Tater Tot Skillet– Amanda’s Cookin’
- One Pot Chili Pasta – Kids Activities Blog
- See all my Macaroni and Cheese recipes here.
- This is my favorite meatloaf recipe in the world.
- Crockpot John Wayne Casserole – Amanda’s Cookin’
- Chicken Stuffing Casserole – Amanda’s Cookin’
- 7 Layer Casserole – Amanda’s Cookin’
- Dorito Casserole – Amanda’s Cookin’
- Ground Beef Stroganoff – Amanda’s Cookin’
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Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 8 oz elbow macaroni pasta
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 6 strips bacon cooked and cut into pieces
- 1 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch may use less
- 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup
- 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- You can store this casserole in an air tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Try adding a little bit of water when reheating to add moisture back to the dish.
Instructions
- Cook the bacon first, I prefer to cook it on a sheet pan in the oven until it’s crispy but you can cook it whatever way you prefer. Drain it on paper towels and cut it or break it into small pieces and set aside.
- Cook your macaroni according to directions on the pack, then drain.
- While the macaroni is cooking brown the beef in a large skillet until fully cooked. If after cooking the beef has a lot of fat/liquid/juice left you can pour some of that off, I prefer to use lean beef and keep some of the juice as I think it adds to the flavor.
- Measure the beef broth,Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and cornstarch into a small bowl or measuring jug and mix well to combine the cornstarch.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet along with the beef broth mixture, stir well to combine beef, pasta, bacon, and sauce.
- Cook on a medium heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens. If it’s too thick for you, thin it out with a little more beef broth.
- Sprinkle shredded cheeses over the top of the skillet cheeseburger mixture.
- Cover and cook on very low heat until cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on Sept. 4, 2018 and has since been updated with new photos.
Sheena Strain
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Karen Chormanski says
I followed everyone’s suggestions but also added a can of diced tomatoes which was delicious!!
Steph says
I think this is a great base recipe for cheeseburger mac, but in my opinion it was lacking seasoning. I added some diced onion, garlic powder, salt pepper, onion powder while sauté the meat. I did add more Worcestershire sauce and more cheese, I mixed the cheese in as well as mixing it on top. It has great flavor if you add some extra spices. I have made it a couple of times and it turns out great.
Jennifer Calire says
To the sauce recipe, I added a tsp of onion powder,a teaspoon of garlic powder,1 tablespoon of yellow mustard and 1 tablespoon of steak sauce… I also used an “overflowing” teaspoon of Worcestershire… When I tasted the sauce prior to adding it to the pan… It tasted like I was eating a loaded burger! It’s on the stove now, can’t wait to try it!
Kristine Wade says
I added pepper, Mustard and onion powder. Also, I didnt have enough cheddar so I added some american. I will say my taster is off from chemo so I l8ke a lot of flavoring!!❤️
Sonia says
Our family loved this recipe! Right up our alley and very tasty. Thank you!
Raija says
This is such a great recipe! Thank you! My husband loves hamburger helper (yuck for me), so I wanted to try something similar with less preservatives! This is an easy, and amazing tasting recipe! I did season the beef when cooking it with seasoned salt and onion powder and added a tablespoon of fresh garlic. When I put everything into the pan together I also added about a 1/4 of a stick of cream cheese, but I don’t think you would need that!
Joanne says
Can this be frozen?
Peggy Zurawski says
This recipe is a good starting point but it really needs seasoning. Added onion, salt and pepper, tomato sauce and more worchestershire sauce.
April says
Would this be good with cream cheese added to it
Amanda Formaro says
We haven’t tried that yet. If you decide to experiment, we would love to hear how it goes!
Kylee says
Everyone liked it, there were no leftovers, and they want me to make it again in the future sometime.
Lacey says
Great base recipe to tweak creatively. I added a TBS of A-1, a dash of liquid smoke, 1 tsp of dry mustard and cracked black pepper, omitted the cornstarch, subbed tomato sauce for the ketchup and browned the beef with onion and garlic. I used two packets of Velveeta before putting in the oven so it had more of a baked Mac and cheese texture. It turned out great!
Jenny says
Good base recipe. Based on other reviews, it seemed to need some extra flavor so I added onion powder, garlic powder and season salt. Had I seen the reviews sooner during cooking, I would’ve used fresh garlic and onion. My kids liked the recipe.
Sue Wicker says
Could beef broth be exchanged for chicken broth? I just don’t have beef and if like to make it tonight
Amanda Formaro says
Yes!