Cheeseburger Pasta bursts with flavor, smothered in a homemade cheddar cheese sauce that beautifully enhances every component. This is destined to become one of your new favorite recipes, guaranteed! You might even consider it Gourmet Cheeseburger Pasta!
This dish is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted, and that’s a promise. It might seem like a contradiction in terms. When we think of cheeseburgers, we imagine hefty, greasy, delicious beef and toppings. Similarly, most pasta dishes conjure thoughts of heavy sauces and gluten overload.
But this… this is different. It’s lighter!
Cheeseburger Pasta Recipe
There are 4 main components to this recipe:
Pasta
I chose Cavatappi pasta. I love how it looks and how the sauce and seasonings coat the noodles so perfectly. I got mine at the country grocery store, but if you can’t find any, I think rotini, rigatoni, and macaroni would all be good options. Or, make your own homemade shaped pasta!
Ground Beef
This recipe was born out of having too many hamburgers in my fridge. I wanted to make a pasta dish with chopped-up cooked hamburger, and that’s where the brainstorming began. While that’s a great option in this dish, it was easier just to make the ground beef fresh and crumbled in a pan.
Cheese Sauce
I used my homemade creamy cheddar cheese sauce, which is also a fantastic recipe in its own right!
Toppings
Just like a cheeseburger, or bacon cheeseburger to be exact, I added bacon, tomatoes, and dill pickles to the mix. Reserve some of the tomatoes and pickles to add as garnish before serving.
Can I Make Cheeseburger Pasta Ahead of Time?
As I mentioned above, you can just make extra hamburgers next time you grill and use chopped-up leftovers. You can also make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. When you are ready to make the recipe, boil your pasta, heat up the hamburger, and reheat the sauce. Drain the water from the pasta and mix all the ingredients in the warm pot you boiled the noodles in. This method takes about 10 minutes and still tastes amazing!
How to Store Cheeseburger Pasta
After the cheeseburger pasta has cooled, store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. You could also freeze this for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cavatappi noodles (225 grams)
Hamburger
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (15 milliliters)
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (5 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons hamburger seasoning (20 grams)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (2.5 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (1.25 grams)
- ½ cup yellow onion, minced (about 1 small onion) (75 grams)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced (5 grams)
- 1 pound ground beef (450 grams)
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (2.5 milliliters)
- 1 cup whole milk, divided (240 milliliters)
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour (10 grams)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (2.5 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (1.25 grams)
- ⅔ cup sharp cheddar, shredded (75 grams)
Topping
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced (about 1 cup), reserving some for garnish (200 grams)
- ½ cup dill pickles, chopped, reserving some for garnish (120 grams)
- 2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish (8 grams)
Instructions
- In a large pot of salted water, cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Hamburger
- In a small bowl, mix together the seasoned salt, hamburger seasoning, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- To a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pan. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Add the Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with the seasoning mixture. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until no pink remains in the meat. Remove from heat.
Cheese Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together ¼ cup of milk and flour.
- Pour in the remaining milk, salt, and pepper, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. Stir frequently.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture will start to thicken.
- Remove from heat, and immediately whisk in the cheese until the cheese melts.
Assembly
- To a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, bacon crumbles, tomatoes, pickles, cheese sauce, and hamburger. Stir to combine.
- Top with green onions, reserved pickles, and reserved tomatoes. Serve immediately.
