Cheeseburger pasta combines all the flavors of a delicious American cheeseburger into an easy weeknight pasta recipe! Done in 30 minutes, this one-pan pasta dinner is a family favorite packed with juicy ground beef, onion, tomatoes, and pickles in a melty, cheesy sauce.
Make sure to try my classic cheeseburger sliders, cheeseburger dip, and cheeseburger coup recipes, too!
This cheeseburger pasta is one that I make often. And as it turns out, I make it a little different every time. I start with the recipe that I am sharing here today, and it’s very simple to modify to your taste, making everyone in the family happy! Cozy, comfort food is where it’s at lately. Similar to my creamy beef pasta or Hamburger Helper, this pasta recipe is satisfying, easy, and nostalgic.
Reasons to Love This Cheeseburger Pasta Recipe
- One pan. Aside from boiling the pasta separately, the rest of the ingredients cook in a single skillet. Easy to make, even easier to clean!
- Big cheeseburger flavors. This cheeseburger pasta is loved by kids and adults alike, making it the perfect family-friendly comfort food. Every forkful is loaded with savory flavor.
- Pantry staples. All you need is ground beef, onions, canned tomatoes, and pickles (basically, all your classic cheeseburger toppings!), your favorite pasta, and a few easy seasonings.
What You’ll Need to Make This Pasta
For all the flavor packed into this recipe, the ingredients are super simple. You probably have them already. Check out some quick notes here, and scroll to the recipe card for the printable ingredients list, amounts, and recipe details.
- Dried Pasta – I use penne, but you could also use rotini, elbow macaroni, shells, or another short-cut pasta.
- Olive Oil – Or your preferred cooking oil to sauté the beef and onions.
- Onion – Yellow onion works best for sautéeing, and I also add chopped green onions at the end.
- Ground Beef – I like to use lean ground beef. Another option is to make this pasta with ground turkey, chicken, or sausage.
- Steak Seasoning – I always put it on my burgers, so I figured it belongs in cheeseburger pasta! Choose your favorite steak spice, like Montreal steak spice or similar.
- Canned Tomatoes – Fire-roasted tomatoes add extra depth of flavor to the sauce. If you don’t have fire-roasted tomatoes, use regular canned diced tomatoes instead.
- Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayo – This classic burger condiment trio contributes to the overall flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Substitute soy sauce if needed.
- Cheddar Cheese – Use freshly grated cheese, and not pre-packaged cheese, for the best results. Freshly grated cheese melts more smoothly.
- Pickles – My favorite are dill pickles. You can replace the pickles with relish or skip it altogether if pickles aren’t your thing.
Optional Toppings and Variations
- Not a fan of pickles? Leave them out, or sprinkle in fresh or dried dill to mimic the flavor.
- Instead of mayonnaise, use milk or sour cream to make the sauce creamy.
- Add bacon. Recreate the flavors of a bacon burger and garnish this pasta with cooked crispy bacon.
- Use a combo of cheeses. American, Swiss, Cheddar, Gruyere, and Havarti cheeses are all great choices.
- Skip the ketchup and add BBQ sauce (even better if it’s homemade BBQ sauce).
- Add garnishes. Serve this pasta with any toppings you’d add to a classic cheeseburger, including diced fresh tomatoes, chopped Romaine lettuce, diced red onions, etc.
Can I Bake This Instead?
Sure! For a similar baked version, check out my cheeseburger casserole. I’d suggest preparing the pasta as written, and then transferring it to a baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes to melt the cheese on top. Keeping your oven-safe skillet in the oven on the warm setting works, too, if you’re making this pasta ahead.
What to Serve With Cheeseburger Pasta
Round out dinner with a side of garlic knots or garlic bread and a fresh green salad. Or, serve this pasta with veggies like slow cooker mushrooms, air fryer green beans, or asparagus. Enjoy a slice of blueberry buckle for dessert!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
- Refrigerate. Store leftover cheeseburger pasta airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm servings in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven until they’re hot throughout.
- Freeze. I rarely freeze this pasta (I find that the texture of the pasta changes after freezing and thawing). However, if you’d like to, freeze any leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Easy Cheeseburger Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy cheeseburger pasta recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner for cheeseburger lovers! It’s done in one pan in 30 minutes and packed with all the classic beefy, cheesy flavors that you crave.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 tablespoons steak seasoning
- 1 (14.5- ounce) fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup diced dill pickles
- 2 tablespoons green onions
- optional garnish – chopped, cooked bacon
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook until soft.
- Add the ground beef to the onions and cook, breaking apart the meat, until no longer pink. Drain excess fat if necessary and then sprinkle in the steak seasoning.
- Stir in the tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 5 minutes, or until mixture comes to a simmer.
- Add in the cooked pasta and stir to combine with the sauce evenly.
- Mix in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese until combined. Top with the remaining cheese and allow it to melt.
- Garnish with dill pickles and green onion and bacon if desired.
Notes
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 585
- Sugar: 7.5 g
- Sodium: 777.1 mg
- Fat: 24.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.6 g
- Protein: 39.6 g
- Cholesterol: 103.4 mg
Its new for my taste in pasta, but really delicious! And easy to make!
What’s the serving size for this recipe? But I was very amazed by the simplicity of this recipe, thank you.
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! I will definitely make this again! I used a can of regular diced tomatoes because I didn’t have fire roasted tomatoes. I did put the chopped dill pickles, green onions and real bacon bits on top. This is a meal that my grandkids will like.
So glad you enjoyed!!
Hi can I use pasta sauce instead of tomatoes I don’t have any on hand, plus should still do the ketchup mustard , I also want to know if I can bake it.
I have made this dish many times since it was posted. It’s excellent! It’s truly a pantry recipe – using ingredients already in the house. I keep hoping you create something with Buffalo Chicken. Thank you!
Oh that’s a great idea!!
Today I tried this one ,everybody liked.Thank you so much for posting such a authentic recipe
This was delicious! Late this afternoon, I was looking at my email, saw your blog post and realized I had all the ingredients (with some tweaks) for this dish. It was delicious, different from our normal, and surprisingly quick to make! Thank you for a great family meal recipe!
So glad you liked it!!
I don’t have “steak seasoning”. What can I use as a substitution?
Just use a combo of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. That should work!
Hi Shelly,
I hope you and your loved ones had a Hopeful and Blessed Easter and staying safe.
I’d love to see if I could adapt this recipe to my instant pot.
If you have any suggestions, they’d be greatly appreciate.
Thank you,
Susan