One Pot Cheeseburger Pasta – Easy 30 Minute Meal

If you are looking for an easy but super tasty meal idea, try this one pot cheeseburger pasta.  It’s on the dinner in less than 30 minutes!

Thanks to Barilla Pasta for sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine.

If you’re like me you’ve probably been seeing one pot meals all over Pinterest.  I’d never made one until I made this one pot cheeseburger pasta because… well, I have no idea.  I guess I like to make life harder than it has to be?  

Because guys this one pot cheeseburger pasta is so easy.  Easy like you don’t even have to drain the pasta water, easy.  I know, it seems too good to be true, but it’s not!  I wish I had started making one pot pastas years ago!  They save SO much time.

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Once I had settled on the idea of making a one pot pasta, I needed to find out what kind of one pot pasta to make.  When I started thinking about options, I thought of some of my favorite foods.  

I have always loved pasta, and “cheeseburger” was practically my favorite word in college… and then it hit me – why not make a cheeseburger pasta!? ? Even just writing that out sounds decadent.  

I headed out to the shop down the street from me and scooped up everything I needed for this recipe.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lean Ground Beef (I used 94% lean 6% fat)
• Yellow Onion, Diced
• Cloves of Garlic, Minced
• Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• Beef Broth
• Water
• Ketchup
• Mustard (I used a spicy brown mustard)
• Barilla Marinara Sauce
• Elbow Pasta
• Cheddar Cheese
• Small Tomato, Diced (to garnish)
• Green Onions, Diced

One of the great things about this recipe is that even though there are quite a few ingredients, there are very few steps. I’m all about working smarter and not harder.  I heard that phrase one time when I was younger and it has stuck with me.  

Life has so much hard work in it, why should I make dinner harder than it has to be?  Making a meal in one pot takes some of the “work” out of making dinner.  And when you take the work out of making dinner, you have time for so many other, more important, things!

I used Barilla Pronto Pasta for this meal.  This pasta is magical.  You don’t have to drain the pasta water (or boil it before hand) and you can make it in one pan!!!  

(No, I’m not kidding.  It’s really that awesome.)  And it has the same great taste that the regular pasta has!  I’m so glad this new pasta has made it into my life.

Making this one pot cheeseburger pasta

OK so see this photo?  With my recipe for one pot cheeseburger pasta, in less than 30 minutes you will have that.  Ready to have dinner on demand?  Let’s get started!

You need a big pot (I used a 6 quart pot) because everything will be going straight in there.  Start by heating 1 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium heat, then add the ground beef, diced garlic, and chopped onion making sure to stir and crumble the meat apart, for about 3-5 minutes until the meat has browned.

Then add the beef stock, water, canned tomatoes and their juices, Barilla Pronto pasta, Barilla Marinara, ketchup, and mustard to the same pot and stir! I chopped the tomatoes before adding them, because those pieces are huge.  Then put on cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

At around the 15 minute mark, take off the lid, and stir.  There might still be a little bit of liquid in the pot, but that’s fine, just stir for a minute or two until it has absorbed.  While it’s still hot add your cheddar cheese, and stir.  It will melt beautifully!

See?  Cheesy and beautiful!  Yes, in my world cheesy = beautiful.  ?  I’m not even bashful about it.  BRING ON THE CHEESE!

Now you can garnish with your chopped tomatoes and green onions and, my friend, you are done!  This one pot cheeseburger pasta really is that easy.

This recipe makes a heaping 11 cups of cheeseburger pasta.  Can you say leftovers?!  Hallelujah!!  In college I learned that making huge portions with tons of leftovers is the way to go.  

I am always bouncing around from one activity to the next (filling my schedule way more than I should – as always!), and I don’t have time to cook every night.  With this recipe though, since it’s a cheesy pasta, I’m going to go ahead and say this one might be even better the second day!  

Leftovers that can last me through a busy week and get better each day?  That’s a win in my books!

Guys, I know I’ve mentioned how easy this pasta is to make, but I don’t think I’ve stressed how easy it is to clean up.  Normally after writing blog post I have approximately 8 million dishes to clean.  This time?  Say it with me friends, “one pot”.

I used a pot, a cutting board, knife and spatula and that’s it.  My drying rack wasn’t even full!!!  Easy to make and easy to clean up?  Yes puh-lease!  What on earth will I do with all the time I’m not spending washing dishes?!?!

Pin this one pot cheesy pasta recipe for later

Would you like a reminder of this 30 minute meal?  Just pin this image to one of your cooking boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Are you drooling yet?  Well I encourage you go shopping so you can make your own one pot cheeseburger pasta!  You’ll be happy you did!

Looking for more cheesy pasta goodness?  Check out my recipe for Mexican Mac and Cheese!

Admin note: This post first appeared on the blog in May of 2016. I have updated the post to add more photos and a printable recipe card.

Yield: 11

One Pot Cheeseburger Pasta

Print

One pot meals are some of the easiest out there but don't let that fool you. This one tastes like it took hours to make.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Lb Lean Ground Beef (I used 94% lean 6% fat)
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 3 Large Cloves of Garlic, Minced
• 1 Can (28 oz) of Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• 1 Cup of Beef Broth
• 1 Cup of Water
• 1/4 Cup of Ketchup
• 1 Tbsp of Mustard (I used a spicy brown mustard)
• 1 Cup (8 oz) of Barilla Marinara Sauce
• 1 Box of Barilla Pronto Elbow Pasta
• 2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese, Grated
• 1 Small Tomato, Diced (to garnish)
• Green Onions, Diced

Instructions

1. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic. Stir until the meat has browned (3-5 minutes) making sure to break apart the meat.
3. Add the canned tomatoes and their juices (I diced the tomatoes), beef broth, water, ketchup, mustard, Barilla Marinara sauce, and Barilla Pronto elbow pasta. Put a lid on the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Uncover the pasta and stir for a couple more minutes if any liquid remains until it is absorbed.
5. Stir in 2 cups of cheddar cheese.
6. Plate, and serve immediately, garnishing with chopped tomatoes and green onions.
7. Yields 11 cups of cheeseburger pasta.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

11

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 425mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 18g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." One of the companies who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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