Description
Comfort meets indulgence in this loaded bacon cheeseburger pasta, blending classic burger flavors with hearty pasta. Sizzling bacon, melted cheese, and seasoned ground beef create a mouthwatering dish that brings home a restaurant-style experience you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
Dairy and Pasta:
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz (225g) pasta (such as penne or rotini)
Seasonings and Liquids:
- 1 cup beef broth
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings:
- Diced tomatoes
- Chopped pickles
- Shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Prepare a generously sized pot with salted water, bringing it to a rolling boil.
- Submerge pasta and cook until perfectly tender, following package guidelines. Strain and reserve.
- Render bacon pieces in a spacious skillet over medium heat until achieving a golden, crisp texture.
- Transfer bacon onto paper towels, preserving approximately one tablespoon of rendered fat within the skillet.
- Introduce ground beef, diced onions, and minced garlic to the same skillet, sautéing until meat browns completely and onions become translucent.
- Eliminate excess grease from the meat mixture.
- Pour beef broth, heavy cream, ketchup, and mustard into the skillet, whisking thoroughly to create a cohesive sauce.
- Allow sauce to gently simmer, thickening and developing rich flavors for several minutes.
- Fold cooked pasta into the sauce, ensuring complete and even coating.
- Remove skillet from heat source and incorporate shredded cheddar cheese, stirring until creating a smooth, melted consistency.
- Distribute crispy bacon fragments across the surface of the pasta.
- Optional: Embellish with fresh diced tomatoes, chopped pickles, or shredded lettuce for added texture and visual appeal.
- Serve immediately while hot and bubbling.
Notes
- Swap ground beef for turkey or plant-based crumbles to create a lighter, leaner version of this comfort dish.
- Reduce sodium by using low-sodium beef broth and carefully measuring added salt during cooking.
- Prep crispy bacon ahead of time and store in an airtight container to speed up meal preparation.
- Balance rich flavors by adding a small side salad with tangy vinaigrette to cut through the creamy, cheesy pasta.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 735
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 950 mg
- Fat: 49 g
- Saturated Fat: 23 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg