One pot cheeseburger casserole

Don’t you just love one-pot dinners? I love that I don’t have nearly as many dishes to wash at night and this one is a family favorite. If you love pasta and cheese (and who doesn’t?!?!) then you need to try this cheeseburger casserole recipe!

Usually when you hear “one-pot” and casserole in the same recipe it doesn’t quite jive. At some point they tell you to use “already cooked pasta” – um, well excuse me but where do I get that already cooked pasta? From another pot!! Lol!

But not in this recipe. This truly is a one-pot casserole. And yet it is also so crazy yummy and delicious your kids will ask for more. Be sure to make tons because you can easily freeze half and get two dinners for the price of one night of cooking!

I got this recipe from Chungah over at Damn Delicious and can’t rave about her recipes highly enough. She is so great and her pictures really put mine to shame; she does a great job of sharing yummy recipes your family is sure to love. But back to this recipe….

So easy!

If you use my hack for saving money on ground beef and bought in bulk you probably already have a few freezer bags in your freezer of browned ground beef and chopped onions. Pull one out the night before and let it thaw then throw that bad boy in your pot. Otherwise, start with your ground beef and a little bit of your favorite oil of choice. Brown it up with half a chopped onion. Once it’s done browning, drain and return to the pan. Add one can of diced tomatoes, don’t bother draining it, and just throw it in!

Then, add a can of tomato sauce, 2 cups of chicken broth, and 2 cups of water. Lastly, add in your uncooked pasta and bring to a boil. The recipe calls for rotini but I used tiny shells and the kids loved it, really these types of casseroles can be anything you have in your pantry. In fact, this would be a great way to get rid of those half opened bags you have hanging around in your pantry, mix them all up and throw them in!

Bring to a boil once the pasta is added and then reduce heat and cover. Let it cook for about 15 minutes.

This is my favorite time in any pasta recipe to pour a glass of red vino and get a head start on cleaning the kitchen. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting down to dinner with an already clean kitchen rather than some angry, destroyed monster waiting for me after I am done eating.

Cheeseburger casserole that won’t last long!

Top with 2 cups of shredded cheese and let it melt. Call the kids to the table and serve immediately. It won’t last 10 minutes, trust me on this one. You won’t have leftovers unless you make extra so be sure to do so as it is always nice to get a two-for-one dinner! This recipe freezes so easily, even with the cheese added, it melts no problem and is so yummy the second time around!

So there you have it, a one-pot casserole that really is one pot! I hope your family enjoys this dinner as much as mine.

If you make it, be sure to show off your pictures over on Pinterest  click here to see my pin and then click the three little dots in the top right corner, choose “Tried It!” and share with all of us your masterpiece!

And if you’re ready to start planning your meals, check out this free printable that walks you through the exact steps I use every week. This saves me so much time, money, and stress that I can’t imagine missing my meal planning session.