Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole: Easy One-Skillet Dinner

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole delivers everything you love about a loaded bacon burger: seasoned ground beef, crispy bacon, melty cheese, and a tangy burger sauce, all folded into tender pasta and baked in one pan. It actually tastes like a cheeseburger, not just noodles with meat and cheese.

If you love skillet dinners that feed the whole family, you will also want my Cast Iron Burgers and my creamy Philly Cheesesteak Pasta.

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What Makes This Cheeseburger Casserole Different

Most cheeseburger casseroles taste like mac and cheese with ground beef, or a sloppy joe over noodles. Good, but not a cheeseburger. The fix is the sauce. A blend of beef broth, ketchup, yellow mustard, dill pickle brine, and Worcestershire gives you that tangy, savory special-sauce flavor you actually get from a burger. Stir dill pickle relish in at the end and you get little bursts of that classic burger bite.

The bacon does its own heavy lifting, and cooking the onions in a little of the rendered bacon fat carries that smoky flavor through the whole dish. We use two cheeses on purpose: mozzarella melts into the sauce for creaminess, and a sharp cheddar finish gives you the classic burger-top flavor.

And because it all happens in one cast iron skillet, you get a hard sear on the beef for flavor, then a quick oven finish to melt and brown the cheese. No second baking dish to wash.

Recipe Ingredients

• Macaroni - elbow macaroni is the perfect size, but any small pasta works.
• Ground beef - lean is best, 85% or higher.
• Bacon - regular thickness; thick cut works too.
• Cheese - mozzarella for melt, cheddar for that burger-top flavor. Block cheese you grate yourself melts better than pre-shredded.
• Onion - yellow onion, finely diced.
• Cheeseburger sauce - low-sodium beef broth, ketchup, yellow mustard, dill pickle juice, and Worcestershire. Cornstarch is optional for a thicker sauce.
• Dill pickle relish - jarred dill relish, or finely diced dill pickles.
• Seasonings - salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and paprika.

See the recipe card below for full measurements.

How to Make Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

1. Step 1: Cook the bacon. Chop and crisp the bacon over medium-high heat, then set it aside and drain all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat.

2. Step 2: Sweat the onion. Cook the diced onion in the reserved bacon fat for 2 to 3 minutes until it softens.

3. Step 3: Brown the beef. Crumble in the ground beef and cook until done, season with garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper, then stir the bacon back in.

4. Step 4: Add the cheeseburger sauce. Whisk together the beef broth, ketchup, mustard, pickle brine, and Worcestershire, then pour it in.

5. Step 5: Stir in the pasta. Off the heat, fold in the cooked macaroni, then the pickle relish and mozzarella, and simmer until the sauce thickens.

6. Step 6: Top and bake. Scatter the cheddar over the top and bake until melted and golden, then let it rest a few minutes.

Variations and Substitutions

• Swap the protein. Ground turkey or ground chicken work well if you want it lighter.
• Change the pickle. Dill is the classic burger flavor, but relish-style or even bread-and-butter work. Hate pickles? Leave them out.
• Load it like a burger. Garnish with diced tomato, chopped green onion, shredded lettuce, or a sprinkle of sesame seeds for a Big Mac feel.
• Make it creamier. Swap the mozzarella for 4 ounces of cream cheese melted into the sauce.
• Slow cooker. Full crock-pot directions are in the recipe card notes.

Expert Tips

• Pull the pasta early. Stop cooking it one minute shy of the package time. It finishes in the oven and will not turn mushy.
• Reserve a little sauce. Hold back about a quarter cup in case you want to thin it after baking, or use the cornstarch option to thicken.
• Dab the fat. While it rests, rendered fat rises to the top. A quick pass with a paper towel keeps it from looking greasy.
• Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to prevent clumping and does not melt as smoothly.

How to Serve Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

• A crisp green salad or my Simple Coleslaw balances the richness.
• Make it a burger-joint plate with Garlic Butter Skillet Corn or a basket of Crispy Buttermilk Onion Rings.
• Steamed or roasted vegetables like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus keep it light.
• Diced tomato and extra pickle on top to lean into the burger theme.
• Make it a diner night with a root beer float or milkshake for the kids.

Recipe FAQs

Other Related Pasta and Casserole Recipes

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5 from 22 votes

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole has all the flavor of a classic bacon burger combined with pasta for a hearty casserole the whole family will love.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Resting Time3 minutes mins

Total Time38 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 1014kcal

Author: Ned Adams

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ▢
  12-inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 oz. elbow macaroni (any small pasta)
• ▢ 1 lb bacon chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsp. bacon grease (butter or oil will work too)
• ▢ ½ cup onions finely diced
• ▢ 1½ lbs. ground beef
• ▢ ½ tsp. salt +/-, to taste
• ▢ ½ tsp. pepper +/-, to taste
• ▢ ½ tsp. granulated garlic (or powdered, not garlic salt)
• ▢ 1 tsp. paprika

Cheeseburger Sauce

• ▢ 1½ cups beef broth
• ▢ 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1¼ cup ketchup
• ▢ 4 tbsp. yellow mustard
• ▢ 2½ tbsp. dill pickle juice (brine from a jar)
• ▢ 1 tsp. cornstarch (OPTIONAL)

Casserole Mix-ins

• ▢ ¼ cup dill pickle relish (or finely diced dill pickles)
• ▢ 4 oz. mozzarella cheese grated/shredded
• ▢ 4 oz. cheddar cheese grated/shredded

US Standard - Metric

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the macaroni according to package directions EXCEPT stop cooking one minute before it should be done.
• Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chopped bacon, reserving 2 tbsp. renderings once done, drain the rest; set aside.
• In the same skillet, return to medium-high heat, add the reserved bacon renderings and onions, cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Crumble the ground beef into the skillet, stirring to mix in the onions.
• Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika; cook about 5 minutes or until done, drain any renderings.
• In a medium bowl, combine the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, pickle juice, and cornstarch; whisk until combined.
• Once the beef is cooked, remove from heat and stir in the bacon and the pasta.
• Over medium heat, pour in the liquid mixture, stir to combine.
• Stir in the pickle relish and the mozzarella cheese, cook until it starts to bubble and the sauce begins to thicken; about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top.
• Place the skillet in the oven uncovered and cook until the cheese is melted; 7-10 minutes.

Notes

• Pull the pasta early. Stop cooking it one minute shy of the package time; it finishes in the oven and will not turn mushy.
• Thicken to taste. Use the optional cornstarch, or reserve about a quarter cup of the sauce to stir in after baking if it gets too thick.
• Dab the fat. While it rests, rendered fat rises to the top. A quick pass with a paper towel keeps it from looking greasy.
• Grate your own cheese. Block cheese you shred yourself melts smoother than pre-shredded.

Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

This casserole works well in the slow cooker, especially if you prep the night before. Cook the noodles one minute shy of package directions, drain, toss with a little oil, and refrigerate. Cook the bacon and set aside. Sear the ground beef with the onions and spices in the same skillet, drain, and mix in the bacon (the beef does not need to be fully cooked; it finishes in the slow cooker). Whisk the sauce ingredients together. Add the meats and sauce to the slow cooker, stir in the pickle relish and mozzarella, cover, and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Stir in the cooked noodles, top with the cheddar, cover, and cook another 30 to 60 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 1014kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 2007mg | Potassium: 849mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1023IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 291mg | Iron: 4mg

Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

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