Cheeseburger Casserole is what I make when I want burger night on a weeknight and I would rather not stand at the grill or set out a build-your-own line. It bakes elbow macaroni and seasoned ground beef under a layer of cheddar, with ketchup, mustard, and chopped pickles doing the job of the bun and the toppings.

From Mandy's kitchenCasseroles for Family Gatherings · 37 family favorites, one dish each

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One pound of beef and a cup and a half of macaroni feed six from a single dish, and the burger taste comes from condiments already sitting in the fridge door. I cook the macaroni a minute shy of the package time so it keeps some bite after the bake instead of going soft.

A close-up of a cheesy cheeseburger casserole pasta bake with ground beef, garnished with chopped parsley, being served with a spoon. — Cheeseburger Casserole. Photo Credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Burger flavor without the grill or the buns. The condiments that make a cheeseburger go straight into the beef, so it reads as burger night rather than pasta night.
The whole table eats it. Burger flavors are the ones even picky eaters tend to go for, which makes this an easy weeknight call.
It reheats without falling apart. The baked macaroni and cheese warm back through the next day, so I often make it to cover two dinners.
The macaroni holds its bite. Boiling it just under done means it firms up in the oven rather than softening into the sauce.
Everything’s a fridge or pantry regular. Ground beef, dried pasta, cheddar, and a few condiments, with nothing special to shop for.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll need all the ingredients in the photograph below.

Lean ground beef is the base. I drain it well after browning so the finished dish isn’t greasy, and a leaner grind keeps the fat pool small to start with.

The burger condiments are what turn beef and pasta into burger night: one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, one tablespoon of yellow mustard, two tablespoons of ketchup, and two tablespoons of chopped dill pickles, all stirred into the meat. Yellow mustard gives the familiar burger tang, and Dijon works if that’s what you keep. Chop the pickles small so the tang spreads through every bite instead of landing in clumps.

Elbow macaroni is the classic shape, though penne, fusilli, or rotini hold the sauce well too. Boil it a minute under the package time, since it keeps cooking in the oven.

Cheddar melts into the pasta and browns on top. Half goes through the mixture and half over the surface, so every scoop has cheese in it under a cheesy top.

A variety of labeled ingredients for a cheeseburger casserole are arranged in bowls, including ground meat, macaroni, cheese, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and seasonings. — Cheeseburger Casserole ingredients. Photo Credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes

How to Make Cheeseburger Casserole

A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.

Boil the macaroni

Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Cook the elbow macaroni in salted water to just under al dente, then drain. It finishes in the oven, so pulling it a minute early keeps it from going soft.

From Mandy's kitchenCasseroles are my love language. My Casseroles for Family Gatherings book has 37 more, one dish each.

A pot filled with cooked pasta. — Cook the macaroni in salted water until just under al dente, then drain.

A frying pan filled with meat and seasonings. — Brown the beef, drain excess grease, then add onion, garlic, and burger-style seasonings and cook until softened.

Brown the beef

Cook the ground beef in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it goes, until it’s browned through. Ground beef is safe once it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Drain off the excess grease before you move on.

Season it like a burger

Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic and cook about five minutes, until the onion softens. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ketchup, chopped pickles, and a little salt and pepper, and mix it through.

Assemble

Lightly oil a baking dish. Combine the drained macaroni and the meat mixture with half of the cheddar, spread it into the dish, and scatter the rest of the cheese over the top.

Cheesy cheeseburger casserole in a white dish. — Combine macaroni, meat mixture, and half the cheddar, then spread in a lightly oiled baking dish.

A cheeseburger casserole filled with meat and cheese. — Scatter the remaining cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes until melted and bubbling.

Bake and serve

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the top has taken on some color, about thirty minutes. Let it settle for a few minutes, scatter chopped parsley over the top, and serve it warm.

Recipe Notes and Expert Tips

Drain the beef well. A lean grind plus a good drain keeps the casserole from going greasy under the cheese.
Don’t skip the condiments. The Worcestershire, mustard, ketchup, and pickles are the whole point. Leave them out and you’ve got cheesy beef macaroni, not a cheeseburger.
Grate the cheddar from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is dusted with starch to stop it clumping, and that coating keeps it from melting as smoothly, so a block grated at home gives you a cleaner melt on top.

Recipe Variations

Ground turkey or chicken instead of beef. The recipe’s own notes list this swap, so it’s a tested option. Cook ground poultry to 165°F, a little higher than the 160°F for beef.
Stir in cooked bacon. Diced crispy bacon or bacon bits mixed in near the end give you a bacon-cheeseburger version, backed by the card notes.
A different pasta shape. Penne, fusilli, or rotini stand in for the elbows, a swap supported by the notes; cook whichever you pick to just under al dente so it holds in the bake.
Sautéed vegetables to stretch it further. Cooking bell peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini with the onion adds bulk for little cost, supported by the notes too.

How to Store Leftovers

Get leftovers into the fridge within two hours of the casserole coming out of the oven, or within one hour if the kitchen is above 90°F, rather than leaving the dish out to cool all the way down. Keep it covered or in an airtight container and use it within three to four days. To hold it longer, freeze portions for up to three months and thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating. Reheat in the oven or microwave until the center reaches 165°F.

To make it ahead, assemble the casserole, cover it, and refrigerate it unbaked. Coming straight from the fridge it needs a little longer in the oven, so add time and check that the center reaches 165°F before serving.

What to Serve With Cheeseburger Casserole

A crisp green salad with a sharp vinaigrette cuts the richness, and a pile of oven fries leans into the burger-night feeling. To push the idea further, set out the things you would pile on a burger, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, extra chopped pickles, and a little burger sauce, and let everyone spoon their own over the top after it comes out of the oven.

More Casserole Dinners I Keep in Rotation

If this one earns a spot on your weeknight list, here are other one-dish casseroles from the site worth a look.

Tater Tot Casserole layers seasoned ground beef in a creamy mushroom sauce under crispy tater tots and melted cheddar.
Cowboy Casserole tops taco-seasoned ground beef, corn, and tomatoes with tater tots and cheese.
Taco Casserole layers seasoned beef and black beans over corn tortillas that are baked into chips first so the base stays sturdy.
Chicken Pot Pie Casserole gives you the creamy chicken-and-vegetable filling of a pot pie with layered puff pastry instead of a bottom crust.
Tuna Casserole is an egg-noodle bake in a creamy sauce with cheddar and a golden panko top.