Our cheesy, one pot cheeseburger casserole is easy, flavorful, and done in around 30 minutes. No oven required!

Cheeseburger casserole in a blue skillet.

Best Burger Casserole Recipe

Our cheeseburger pasta recipe is one of our favorite dinner ideas. If you’re looking for an easy ground beef recipe, this is it!

This casserole has all the flavor of a classic cheeseburger but made in a skillet. That means it’s easy to clean up, and dinner can be on the table in no time.

It uses easy to find ingredients like ground beef, elbow noodles, cheddar cheese, and a bit of ketchup and mustard. Nothing fancy! Just normal items that you may already have handy.

It’s comfort food that even the pickiest of eaters love!

Looking for more one pan meal ideas? Try our garlic parmesan pasta, egg roll in a bowl, and easy hamburger rice casserole!

Ingredients You’ll Need

1 pound ground beef: I use 85/15 or 90/10, basically whatever is on sale that week. You can use ground turkey or chicken instead if that’s what you prefer.
½ cup diced white onion: If you don’t have white onion on hand, use some diced yellow onion or a teaspoon of onion powder.
4 cups low-sodium beef broth: Regular broth is fine, just hold back a bit on the added salt until you know how the dish will taste.
⅓ cup ketchup + 1 tablespoon yellow mustard: These are classic burger flavors. You don’t need a lot of either.
1 teaspoon salt + ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper: Adjust these to taste. You can also wait until the casserole is completely finished to add them.
1 pound elbow noodles: If you don’t have elbow noodles in the pantry, other short pastas like rotini or medium shells will work.
½ cup sour cream + ¼ cup milk: Cream cheese can be used in place of the sour cream, but you’ll probably need some milk to thin out the consistency a bit.
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese: Freshly shredded melts best. Try Colby Jack or mozzarella for slightly different flavor.

How to Make Cheeseburger Casserole

Start by heating a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Make sure it’s a pan with a snug-fitting lid.
Add your ground beef and onions. Cook until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it up as it browns. If the beef releases a lot of grease, go ahead and drain it; otherwise, the pasta will be greasy.

Ketchup and mustard over ground beef in a pan.

Pour in the beef broth, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper, and still until well combined.
Toss in the dry elbow noodles, and stir to combine. Adjust the heat to bring the broth to a boil. Once all the liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover it, and let it simmer for about 10–12 minutes.

Beef broth and elbow macaroni added to the pan.

While the pasta cooks, briefly uncover, and stir once or twice so the noodles don’t stick. Return the lid to the pan.
Take the lid off and let it simmer another 3–5 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. You want a little bit of liquid left in the bottom but not a lot.
Stir in the sour cream, milk, and 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the last of the cheese over the top and cover it just long enough to let the cheese melt.

Sour cream and cheddar cheese added to the saucepan.

Serve with chopped lettuce and diced tomato. You can even toss on some chopped pickles or bacon crumbles.

Important Tips

Stir during simmering. You don’t want clumps of noodles that didn’t cook properly.
Taste before serving. Depending on your broth and cheese, you might want a pinch more salt.
Try to use freshly shredded cheese off the block. It melts so much better! If you must use pre-shredded bagged cheese, two of our favorites are Tillamook and Kraft Creamy Melt.
Set out the refrigerated ingredients. Cold ingredients like sour cream, milk, and even cheese, can reduce the temperature of the pan and may curdle if added straight out of the fridge. Try to set those out ahead of time to warm up to room temp.

The casserole has been garnished with diced tomatoes and lettuce.

Why Aren’t My Noodles Cooking Right?

One pot pastas can be a little finicky the first time you make them. If your noodles are undercooked, mushy, or not soaking up the sauce right, here’s what to check:

Noodles are too firm: Add a little more broth, and cook a bit longer.
Noodles are too soft: That’s usually from high heat, not enough stirring, or simmering too long/over cooked. Once the noodles are tender, take the lid off and finish it uncovered.
Using gluten-free or protein pasta? These can cook faster or break down more easily. Check them early, and expect to tweak the liquid or timing a bit.
Different brands cook differently. Some macaroni noodles go soft fast while others hold up longer. Go by texture, not the clock.

Stay close by the stove the first time you make it, and once you get a feel for the recipe, it’s an easy dish to nail every time.

A portion of the casserole being eaten with a fork.

How to Store Leftovers

This cheeseburger casserole stores well! Place leftovers into an airtight container in the fridge, and they’ll stay good for about 3–4 days.

Reheat in the microwave or a skillet with a splash of milk if it looks a little dry.

This casserole doesn’t freeze well. The pasta turns mushy, so I’d skip the freezer on this one.

More Ground Beef Recipes

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