This cheeseburger pasta bake is full of gooey cheesy goodness, and is so simple to make! Layers of wide egg noodles, creamy tomato sauce with ground beef, and plenty of shredded white cheddar cheese come together for a delicious cheeseburger pasta recipe that’s baked to perfection. It’s so easy to pull together that you won’t mind everyone asking you to make this tasty cheeseburger pasta again (and again and again).
I was inspired to create this cheeseburger pasta bake after one of my roommates was on a hamburger helper kick (and made it every day for a week!). While I do like hamburger helper, I thought it would be even better homemade AND baked with a perfect crispy layer of cheese on the top. This cheeseburger pasta is a great dinner idea for when you’re wanting something that’s easy to make, but want to make it from scratch!
Ingredients for This Recipe
To make this cheeseburger pasta bake, you’ll need a few ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen! Luckily everything you need for this cheeseburger pasta recipe is easy to find at any grocery store.
Ground Beef
Diced Shallots
Minced Garlic
All Purpose Flour
Beef Broth
Wide Egg Noodles
Heavy Cream
Shredded White Cheddar Cheese
Tomato Paste
Butter
Dried Oregano
Chili Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
How to Make Cheeseburger Pasta Bake
Let’s make this cheeseburger pasta bake together! It might seem like a lot of steps, but I promise it’s worth it (and still easy!).
Step 1. Boil the Noodles
The first thing we’re going to do is boil the egg noodles until they’re soft, but not all the way cooked. I suggest cooking them for about half the time stated on the packaging.
Step 2. Brown the Beef
Add the ground beef to a skillet along with the salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and chili powder. Use a spoon or spatula to break up the beef and stir together with the seasonings while it cooks. Once it’s browned nicely, remove from the pan and store in another dish until later.
Step 3. Start the Sauce
In the same pan you used to brown the beef, add the butter, minced garlic, and diced shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often.
Step 4. Add the Tomato Paste
Stir the tomato paste into the garlic and shallot mixture.
Step 5. Make the Roux
Sprinkle in the flour to the thick tomato sauce, then carefully pour the beef broth in. Stir continuously while cooking for 3-5 minutes. This will lead to a nice, thick sauce for your cheeseburger pasta.
Step 6. Finish the Sauce
Slowly pour the heavy cream into the tomato sauce mixture, stirring to combine. Once it’s nice and mixed together, add the browned beef back into the pan and stir.
Step 7: Assemble the Cheeseburger Pasta Bake
Spray a 10×10 baking dish generously with non-stick cooking spray. Add half of the noodles to the pan, then top with half of the creamy meat sauce. Give it a little stir to make sure the noodles are completely coated with the sauce. Sprinkle half of the white cheddar cheese evenly across the layer of pasta.
Add the second half of the noodles to the baking dish, and pour the remaining sauce evenly across the top of the noodles. Again, give this layer a little stir to ensure all of the pasta gets covered in sauce. Finish by sprinkling the remaining white cheddar cheese across the top and baking for 25-30 minutes at 450°F, just until the top layer of cheese begins to bubble and brown.
Step 8: Enjoy!
Let the cheeseburger pasta bake cool for about 10 minutes before enjoying. I topped mine with chopped up dill pickles to really pull the whole cheeseburger theme in!
Cheeseburger Pasta Bake FAQ
There are a few questions I wanted to answer ahead of time for this cheeseburger pasta bake recipe:
Why don’t you cook the noodles all the way in the beginning?
Since this dish gets baked, we don’t want the noodles to be overcooked. Only cooking them for half the time recommended on the packaging allows them to absorb the sauce and cook the rest of the way while baking, ensuring perfectly cooked noodles in your cheeseburger pasta!
Can I use lean beef?
Yes, absolutely! For this recipe I used 80% lean beef. You can honestly use whatever kind of ground beef you prefer.
What can I use instead of shallots?
If you can’t find shallots, or just want another option, feel free to use white or yellow onion instead!
Do I have to use white cheddar cheese?
You can use whatever kind of cheese your heart desires for this cheeseburger pasta bake. I am a huge fan of white cheddar on my cheeseburgers so that’s why I used it in this recipe. You’re welcome to use sharp cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, really whatever kind of cheese makes you happy.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Cheeseburger Pasta
This cheeseburger pasta bake can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. If you’d like to freeze your leftovers, make sure to use a freezer-safe container and enjoy within 2 months.
To reheat the cheeseburger pasta from the refrigerator, you can either:
Reheat in a covered (but not sealed) container or plate in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, OR
Reheat in the air fryer or oven at 350°F for 5-10 minutes.
To reheat cheeseburger pasta bake from frozen, you can:
Reheat in a covered (but not sealed) container or plate in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, OR
Reheat in the air fryer or oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
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Cheeseburger Pasta Bake
Cheeseburger pasta bake made with wide egg noodles, ground beef, heavy cream, tomato paste, butter, shallot, garlic, beef broth, shredded white cheddar cheese, flour, salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and chili powder.
Boil the egg noodles until they’re soft, but not all the way cooked. I suggest cooking them for about half the time stated on the packaging.
Add the ground beef to a skillet along with the salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and chili powder. Use a spoon or spatula to break up the beef and stir together with the seasonings while it cooks. Once it’s browned nicely, remove from the pan and store in another dish until later.
In the same pan you used to brown the beef, add the butter, minced garlic, and diced shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often.
Stir the tomato paste into the garlic and shallot mixture.
Sprinkle in the flour to the thick tomato sauce, then carefully pour the beef broth in. Stir continuously while cooking for 3-5 minutes. This will lead to a nice, thick sauce for your cheeseburger pasta.
Slowly pour the heavy cream into the tomato sauce mixture, stirring to combine. Once it’s nice and mixed together, add the browned beef back into the pan and stir.
Spray a 10x10 baking dish generously with non-stick cooking spray. Add half of the noodles to the pan, then top with half of the creamy meat sauce. Give it a little stir to make sure the noodles are completely coated with the sauce. Sprinkle half of the white cheddar cheese evenly across the layer of pasta.
Add the second half of the noodles to the baking dish, and pour the remaining sauce evenly across the top of the noodles. Again, give this layer a little stir to ensure all of the pasta gets covered in sauce. Finish by sprinkling the remaining white cheddar cheese across the top and baking for 25-30 minutes at 450°F, just until the top layer of cheese begins to bubble and brown.
Let the cheeseburger pasta bake cool for about 10 minutes before enjoying. I topped mine with chopped up dill pickles to really pull the whole cheeseburger theme in!
