Imagine everything you love about a cheeseburger but in a casserole. Guess what -- you don't have to imagine it because it's a real thing. And now, you can have it whenever you'd like. And yes, it is as good as you think it would be. But don't take my word for it. Make this cheeseburger casserole for dinner and see for yourself. Alright, let's get cooking.
Ingredients
The ingredients for the Cheeseburger Casserole are 2 pounds of lean ground beef, 1 onion, 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 3 to 4 dill pickles, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 ½ cups beef stock, 1 ½ cups heavy cream, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, 340 g box dried penne pasta, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, ½ cup of bread crumbs, and ½ cup ketchup.
A word on the cheese: use a sharp or old cheddar for the best flavour. The stronger the cheese, the more that cheeseburger taste comes through in the finished casserole. Pre-shredded cheese from a bag will work in a pinch, but freshly grated cheese melts more smoothly because it does not have the anti-caking agents that bagged cheese contains.
Prepping The Ingredients
Start by thinly slicing the onion, garlic, and pickles. In total, you want 1 cup of sliced onions, 1 tablespoon of sliced garlic, and ½ cup of sliced pickles. If you added a few extra pickles to the mix, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the package instructions indicate. This is important because the pasta will continue to cook in the oven. If you cook it all the way through now, it will turn mushy in the casserole. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water for a minute to stop the cooking process. Set the pasta aside until you are ready to add it to the cheeseburger casserole.
Cooking The Cheeseburger Casserole
Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add in 2 teaspoons of canola oil along with the beef and cook until the beef is browned. This should take between 5 and 10 minutes. Break the beef up into small pieces as it cooks -- you want crumbles, not large chunks, so that every bite of the casserole has a bit of meat in it.
Add the onion and cook for 3 more minutes, then add the pickles and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and mustard, cook for 2 minutes, then add in the beef stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. The tomato paste and mustard need a couple of minutes to cook out their raw flavour -- do not rush this step. This is similar to the technique used in the sausage and black bean chili, where building layers of flavour in the pan makes all the difference.
Finishing The Cheeseburger Casserole
To finish the cheeseburger casserole, add the cream, bring it back to a boil, then add the sugar, pepper, and mix in half the cheddar cheese. Taste the mixture and add the salt as needed. Depending on the beef stock you use, you may need to add more or less salt than the recipe says.
Add the pasta to the sauce (Don't mind that I used different pasta shapes. I had a few boxes with a little bit left in them), and mix well. Combine the remaining half cup of grated cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the casserole. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F, then take the lid off and bake for another 10 minutes. The uncovered baking time is what gives you that gorgeous golden, crispy topping.
Let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven. This gives the sauce time to thicken slightly, making it easier to serve and ensuring every scoop holds together nicely on the plate. If you enjoy hearty, comfort-food casseroles like this one, you might also love the cheesy chicken and mushroom casserole.
If the kids would rather eat it on a bun, my sloppy joes come from the same pound of ground beef.
The Finished Cheeseburger Casserole
This might sound crazy, but top the casserole with ketchup and serve. It is a "cheeseburger" casserole, after all -- the ketchup kind of ties the whole thing together. You can drizzle it in lines across the top or serve it on the side if you prefer to control how much ketchup goes on each serving.
If you keep ground beef in the freezer like I do, these 4-ingredient ground beef recipes are worth bookmarking.
Recipe
Cheeseburger Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup chopped dill pickle
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 ½ cups cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 340 g box penne pasta
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the package instructions indicate. Drain the pasta, rinse under cold water, drain again, and set aside until you are ready to add it to the sauce.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add in 2 teaspoons of canola oil along with the beef and cook until the beef is browned. This should take between 5 and 10 minutes.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 more minutes, then add the pickles and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and mustard, cook for 2 minutes, then add in the beef stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the cream, bring it back to a boil, then add the sugar, pepper, and mix in half the cheddar cheese.
- Taste the mixture and add the salt as needed. Depending on the beef stock you use, you may need to add more or less salt than the recipe says.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well.
- Combine the remaining half cup of grated cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the casserole.
- Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F, then take the lid off and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Take the casserole out of the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, top with the ketchup and serve.
Final Thoughts
I know that some of you read this recipe and thought everything sounded great until I mentioned putting dill pickles in it. But the dill pickles are key. That little bit of acidity breaks up the richness of the dish. Getting that pop of dill pickle in every bite, to me, is what really makes this cheeseburger casserole special.
This has become a regular weeknight favourite in my house because it is the kind of comfort food that hits all the right notes -- cheesy, savoury, a little tangy, and absolutely satisfying. It also reheats beautifully the next day, which makes it a great option for meal prep. Just store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and when you reheat it, add a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce back up. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
