Cheeseburger Casserole

Cheeseburger Casserole

 

This is most certainly one of my favorite fall/rainy/chilly/lazy night dishes. It's quick, easy, satisfying and tastes like a cheat meal but isn't. I love cheeseburgers more than one person probably should but cooking them inside is messy and while we are proponents of all-year grilling, I'm not crazy enough to ask my husband to grill in the rain (usually). 

This casserole of ground beef, pasta and cheese is perfect topped with whatever you usually like on burgers. We chose "whopper style" with fancy sauce (lightened up by using greek yogurt instead of mayo), lettuce tomato and pickles.  This would also be amazing with sauteed onions and BBQ sauce or any other number of toppings. Keep it simple or get nuts with your toppings! The choice is yours, but either way you will not be disappointed!

Casserole Ingredients:

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef (I used 96/4)
• 1/2 pound small, whole wheat pasta (best to use something that will soak up your cheese sauce - shells, rotini, elbows, etc)
• 1/2 cup cheese of choice (cheddar, jack, american, swiss will all work - whatever you prefer on your burgers)
• 1/2 cup vegetable both
• 1/2 tsp paprika 
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• Black pepper to taste 
• Toppings can include lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, etc.

Fancy Sauce:

• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.  
2. While oven preheats cook your pasta according to package directions and saute your ground beef. Drain both of excess liquid. 
3. Once beef and pasta are cooked, make your cheese sauce. In the pot where the pasta was, combine the cheese and vegetable broth over medium-low heat (4 out of 9 on my stove top) until melted and combined. 
4. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking oil. Add pasta, beef and cheese sauce. Toss until thoroughly coated. *Note: it may not look like a ton of cheese sauce ans that's okay, it will still flavor your casserole. 
5. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes until top of crispy. 
6. While your casserole bakes, mix up your fancy sauce. *Note: May need to play around with the proportions to get it to taste the way you want it to. We prefer a creamier sauce but you can adjust it to be exactly what you want. 
7. Serve immediately, top with fancy sauce and toppings and enjoy!