Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

It doesn't get much tastier than Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta! This easy weeknight dinner is a great spin on an American Classic and cooks in less than 30 minutes. Adapted from Taste of Home magazine.

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4.29 from 7 votes

It doesn’t get much tastier than this Skillet Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta! This easy weeknight dinner is a great spin on an American classic and cooks in less than 20 minutes. This ground beef meal idea is a real crowd pleaser, will keep in the refrigerator for a few days and can easily be reheated later on.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Well, I don’t know about you, but for me, life just seems to get busier and more hectic every day. Often it means that preparing tasty, healthy meals that everyone in the house will love can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, so you’ll thank me for this really easy Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta recipe! It cooks up in a skillet and is ready to serve in almost no time at all.

I was looking through an old Taste of Home book recently when I came across a very similar recipe and knew instantly that it would be something that I could tweak to cook on a weeknight without too much stress, and most importantly I knew my family would enjoy it.

I have two boys at home and as predicted they really loved this recipe and even asked me to make it again. My youngest son is eleven, he had two bowls for dinner and asked for a third, it was that good! He even insisted on having a bowl when he came home from school the next day instead of his usual snack. 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 I’ve made several times.

To make Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta you will need:

(full printable recipe is below)

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni pasta
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

You’ll also need:

• Liquid measuring cup
• Skillet
• Saucepan or this one with a steamer basket

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 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 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.

If you’d like to print this recipe, scroll down to the printable recipe card.

If you have gluten-free family or friends this would be a very easy dish to make for them, just substitute gluten-free pasta for regular, make sure the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free, and you are good to go! If they are also dairy free like I am then you can use a shredded vegan cheese substitute instead, it works just as well and I know they will thank you for it.

More dinner ideas you might like:

1. One Pan Beef Stroganoff – Noshtastic
2. Crockpot Roast Beef – Amanda’s Cookin’
3. Oven Chili Dogs– Amanda’s Cookin’
4. Southwest Ground Beef Casserole – Amanda’s Cookin’
5. Ramen Noodle & Beef Skillet – Amanda’s Cookin’
6. BBQ Chicken Tater Tot Skillet– Amanda’s Cookin’
7. One Pot Chili Pasta – Kids Activities Blog
8. See all my Macaroni and Cheese recipes here.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet

It doesn't get much tastier than Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta! This easy weeknight dinner is a great spin on an American Classic and cooks in less than 30 minutes. Adapted from Taste of Home magazine.

4.29 from 7 votes

Print Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, casserole, one pan, pasta, skillet

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Servings: 6

Calories: 453kcal

Author: Sheena Strain

Ingredients

• 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 teaspoons 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

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

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 689mg | Potassium: 386mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5.8% | Vitamin C: 0.4% | Calcium: 19.4% | Iron: 14.8%

This post was originally published on this blog on April 12, 2016.