One Pan Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Bake -- Pierre Approved, No Drips

Spring cleanup. Pit maintenance — the annual re-mortar of the chimney joints that Louisiana weather insists on destroying. Pierre came up to inspect (uninvited, naturally). He looked at the mortar. He looked at me. He said, "Drip." I had a drip. Six years of pit ownership and Pierre still finds a drip. I fixed the drip. Pierre nodded. The annual review is complete.

Made a crawfish mac and cheese — crawfish tails folded into a baked mac and cheese with sharp cheddar, Gruyère, and a breadcrumb top. The Cajun-ification of a comfort classic, the kind of dish that makes people say "why haven't I been doing this my whole life?" and the answer is: because you didn't grow up in Louisiana where the crawfish go into everything, even the mac and cheese, especially the mac and cheese.

Pierre left satisfied, the drip was fixed, and I figured if I was already elbow-deep in annual maintenance rituals, I might as well commit fully to the day and make something that required zero finesse and maximum payoff. This One Pan Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Bake — no boiling, no draining, no fuss — is that dish: everything goes in together, the oven does the work, and what comes out is the kind of bubbling, cheesy, smoke-kissed bake that makes a chimney inspection feel like it was almost worth it.

One Pan Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Bake (No Boil)

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 6 strips bacon, chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups dry elbow macaroni or cavatappi (uncooked)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Sliced pickles and diced tomato for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. In a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the chopped bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving 1–2 tablespoons of drippings in the pan.
2. Brown the beef. Add the ground beef to the same pan and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it apart, until no longer pink, about 5–6 minutes. Add the diced onion and cook 3 more minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain excess fat if needed.
3. Build the sauce. Stir in the diced tomatoes (with juice), beef broth, milk, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Add the pasta — no boiling required. Stir the dry pasta directly into the liquid mixture. Make sure it is mostly submerged. Scatter most of the cooked bacon over the top, reserving a handful for finishing.
5. Cover and bake. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the pasta is just tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
6. Add the cheese and finish. Remove the cover and stir gently. Scatter 1 1/2 cups of cheddar and all of the Monterey Jack over the top. Return to the oven uncovered for 10–12 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden at the edges.
7. Top and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes. Top with the reserved bacon, remaining cheddar, and optional pickles and diced tomato. Serve straight from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 580 | Protein: 35g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 820mg