How to Make Not Very Fancy-Style Cheeseburger Casserole

The first time I made this dish that I call "cheeseburger casserole" instantly became my husband's favorite meal. This is one dish you'll want to have in your repertoire. It's family-friendly, easy, quick, and the leftovers are great! If you have a kitchen experience you'd like to share, link-up!

The essential ingredients here are 1lb pasta, 2 cans of tomato, 1 onion, 2 c cheese, 1/4 c ketchup,  1/4 c mustard, and 1 lb ground meat.

Meat--I usually use ground turkey

onion--I use fresh white or yellow onions, but minced onion flakes would be fine

tomato--I use 2 cans of diced tomatoes, but you could use fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, another type of canned tomato, or pasta sauce.

cheese--I use shredded mozzarella. You could use any kind you like. Mixing in some cottage cheese would be good, too.

pasta--I've used rotini, penne, and macaroni. It doesn't make a difference!

Other ingredients that make it yummy:

parsley, red wine, garlic, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, frozen (or fresh) spinach, basil, oregano, chipotle, and mushrooms

I suppose if you are a person who likes pickles, they would be good. Personally, I can't stand pickles, so I never use them, but if you like it with a cheeseburger, you'll like it in this casserole.

*special note about spinach--Frozen spinach can be added to all kinds of things! Almost any time I'm browning turkey or hamburger, I add a handful of it. It's healthy, and no one minds!*

Add a jalapeno to make it spicy. If you like A1, that would be good.

Here's an ingredient picture for my visual learners!

1. Brown the meat with onion and minced garlic. Add parsley, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano during this process.
2.  Add the frozen spinach
3. Add ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, wine, and tomato
4. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water (or any combination)
5.  when the mixture boils pour in pasta and cook according to directions on the box
6. Stir every few minutes so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan
7. Stir in cheese, or add it after it's served to make the pan easier to clean.

Honestly, I don't measure ketchup or mustard, I use about this much.

This is to give you an idea of the consistency it should have with the pasta added.

My kids like to see the cheese, otherwise they think they're being cheated.

Click on the picture to access a printable copy in Google Docs.

For other great teacher-friendly recipes read my posts about frittata and baked oatmeal.

If you found this post to be interesting or fun, I'd love for you to connect with me!