Loaded cheeseburger casserole is beefy, cheesy, and full of your favorite burger toppings! It is the ultimate quick and easy dinner that is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
Cheeseburgers are one of those meals that make a regular appearance on our table — especially during barbecue season! But, we’ll be honest…once the temperatures start to drop, it is hard to find the motivation to stand out in the cold in front of the grill. Our solution became a cheeseburger casserole! We have to admit, it’s a lot heartier than your regular old burger. With a little bit of prep work to build the casserole, and a little bit of patience as it cooks, you’ll be chowing down in about an hour. We highly recommend getting creative with your toppings. Pick and choose from our suggestions, or create something that is totally your own!
Choose Your Favorite Toppings
One of the best parts about our easy cheeseburger casserole is that you can really play around with the topping options. We’re huge onion lovers, which is why we load our version with plenty of them. If you love pickles, feel free to double our suggested quantity! There are just a few examples of some other toppings you can use:
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Bacon
- Fresh tomatoes
- Onion rings
- Sliced avocado
- Banana peppers
Get creative, and make this cheeseburger casserole exactly how you want it! We recommend that you add these extra toppings to the melty cheese layer once it comes out of the oven for the best results.
Meat Options
We like working with 90/10 lean beef best. You can also replace it with any of the following:
- Ground chicken
- Ground turkey
- Plant-based ground meat substitute
Use Your Favorite Pasta:
One of the most important parts of any good casserole is the pasta! We use rotini ourselves, but you can use whatever you like best. Here are some other fun options to choose from:
- Elbow macaroni
- Shells
- Bowtie pasta
- Fusili
Do I Have To Use Bread?
We love the added touch of using cubed hamburger buns on top of the rest of the cheeseburger casserole. That said, if you want to make this recipe a bit lighter, you can always skip the buns or even use a whole wheat bun. Again, this recipe is very versatile, and you can definitely play around with the ingredients as much as you want!
Can Cheeseburger Casserole Be Made In A Slow Cooker?
You may be wondering if you can load up your slow cooker and make this recipe in your crockpot. While we’re also huge fans of set it and forget it cooking, unfortunately, you can’t make this recipe in your slow cooker. The bread and cheese need to brown, which is why you must bake it in the oven. The good news is that while you can’t cook this in a crockpot, it is practically a one-pan meal. And, if you prepare it on the stovetop in an oven-safe cast iron skillet, it can be!
Can I Make This Casserole Ahead And Freeze It?
Absolutely! If that’s the case, we do suggest that you bake your easy cheeseburger casserole in an aluminum dish. This will make the freezing process a lot easier as you’ll be able to slip the entire pan into your freezer. Make sure to tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, then place a layer of aluminum foil on top. When you’re ready to eat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and heat at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Got leftovers? No problem! You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge where they should last for about 2-3 days. You can reheat single servings of cheeseburger casserole in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through. You can also reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through, about 15 minutes.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious casserole recipes:
My husband is diabetic, so I modified slightly to reduce carbs. Instead of pasta, I shredded cabbage, boiled it in water and drained it in advance. I ended up making a little bit of a slurry to make the sauce thicker since I didn’t have pasta to soak up the extra moisture. I also omitted the bun for his. Hubby, who hates it when I “health up” his recipes, couldn’t get enough of this so it’s a winner (The original recipe as-is was a winner too, but this makes me feel better about meeting his cravings for a big, juicy cheeseburger.).
Remarkably like a cheeseburger. We took our first bites and broke out into giggles. 😀 Tasty! It was made with 2 lbs of 80/20 beef – **straitly drained and patted* – wheat fusilli, and whatever cheddar we had in the fridge (maybe a half-cup?). Yes, it had a little extra liquid at the finish. But as it sat, any extra liquid was fully absorbed into the casserole. It was served with a little extra ketchup and dill relish on the side. So yes, it was pretty good. I’m still a little WAA! at the fact that it tastes like a cheeseburger. 😀
Would like to try this, but I am leary after reading it may come out soupy. Could you precook the pasta, then add all the ingrediants except the broth?
All of Stay at Home recipes are a hit, but want to ensure this one will be too!
Thanks!
You could, but you’d still have to add some broth. A different approach would be to add a thickening agent. In this case, I’d suggest a cornstarch slurry after cooking the pasta to create an extra thick sauce.
I have always thought this type of dish is kinda cringe worthy. I have only come across them since I plug into social media,and I just thought why.
But I have to say this one could be a game changer…lol
Going to make this tomorrow for Sunday dinner, so l’ll let you know and could well change my rating…🌻🇦🇺
I followed the recipe exactly. It was very liquidy, almost like a soup. The taste was good but too much liquid. Had to serve it in soup bowls. Maybe tomorrow there will be less liquid.
It really could be that ground beef that was used. I have realized that not all ground beef is created equal!
When I was searching through your recipes, I was on the fence about this one, but I’ve never made a recipe from here that wasn’t delicious! This one is super simple, large quantities, and the absolute comfort food. Family loved, loved, loved it!