Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Casserole

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I have a real soft spot for pasta bake casseroles — and this cheeseburger pasta might be the one my family requests most. I mean, who doesn’t love a bacon cheeseburger?! This one takes everything you love about the burger (seasoned beef, smoky bacon, melty cheese, even the ketchup and mustard) and folds it into a creamy, cheesy pasta bake with a golden, crunchy topping.

The best part is how it’s lightened up without losing any of that burger-joint flavor: extra lean ground beef, high fiber pasta, light cream cheese, and bacon keep it at just 6 Points per serving. It comes together in about 40 minutes with simple ingredients you probably already have, and it reheats beautifully for lunches. If casseroles are your comfort zone too, check out our other Weight Watchers casseroles.

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Why try this bacon cheeseburger pasta?

• All the bacon cheeseburger flavor, none of the drive-thru. Ketchup, mustard, ground beef, bacon, and two kinds of cheese. It genuinely tastes like the burger.
• Family-friendly and picky-eater approved. It’s cheesy pasta at heart; even the skeptics come back for seconds.
• Simple, everyday ingredients. Nothing fancy, the whole list is probably in your kitchen right now.
• Weeknight-fast. About 20 minutes of prep, 20 in the oven.
• Six generous servings. Dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow, and cleanup is one casserole dish.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6

6 WW Points Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups high fiber pasta, measured uncooked
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef (approximately 14 oz cooked)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 6 slices cooked low-point bacon
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp mustard
• 2 Tbsp light cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup light grated cheese
• 2 Tbsp panko crumbs

The swaps are what keep this one light: extra lean beef instead of regular ground, high fiber pasta, light cream cheese for that creamy “special sauce” feel, and low-point bacon, which gives you all the smoky flavor for fewer points than regular slices.

Instructions

1. Cook your pasta and your ground beef separately. Drain both well and add them to a large bowl.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish.
3. Chop up your cooked bacon slices. Add 3 chopped slices to the beef and pasta mix, and set the other 3 aside for the topping.
4. Mix the pasta, beef, onion, ketchup, mustard, and softened cream cheese together, making sure the cream cheese mixes in well.
5. Mix in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese, leaving the other 1/2 cup for the topping.
6. Spread everything out into your casserole dish, then top with the panko crumbs, the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and the reserved chopped bacon.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the topping is golden. Serve hot!

Variations and substitutions

• Swap the pasta. Any short pasta works here: rotini, penne, elbows. Whole wheat pasta is a great option too. Just remember any pasta swap can change the points, so run your version through the WW app.
• Change up the meat. Extra lean ground turkey or ground chicken both work beautifully and keep the points in the same neighborhood (run your version through the app for exact points). It becomes more of a “turkey burger casserole,” and honestly, no one complains.
• Turkey bacon is an easy swap if that’s what you keep on hand.
• Add pickles. I know, I know. But if your idea of a perfect cheeseburger includes pickles, stir in a few tablespoons of chopped dill pickles or scatter them over each serving. It really completes the burger experience!!!
• Make it a “loaded” cheeseburger pasta. Diced tomatoes stirred in, or a little shredded lettuce and diced fresh tomato over each plate, gives you the full burger-with-toppings effect.
• Spice it up. A few dashes of hot sauce in the mix, or pepper jack in place of the light grated cheese (points will change, so check the app).

Tips and tricks

• Cook the pasta just to al dente. It finishes in the oven, so slightly firm pasta going in means perfect pasta coming out — not mushy.
• Drain the beef well. Extra lean beef doesn’t give off much fat, but draining keeps the casserole creamy instead of watery.
• Really soften the cream cheese. Take it out ahead of time or give it a few seconds in the microwave. It needs to coat the pasta evenly, and cold cream cheese will fight you.
• Not a raw-onion fan? The diced onion softens in the oven, but if your crew prefers it mellower, you can cook the onion along with the ground beef instead.
• Make it ahead. Assemble the casserole (hold the panko, cheese, and bacon topping), cover, and refrigerate; add the topping and bake when you’re ready. You may need a few extra minutes in the oven straight from the fridge.
• Leftovers are the whole point. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, and a splash of water or a teaspoon of milk keeps it creamy.

What to serve with it

This casserole is hearty enough to stand alone, but since it plays the role of both burger and fries, I like to round out the plate the way I’d top a burger: a crisp green salad with a light vinaigrette, simple steamed green beans, or a pile of dill pickle spears on the side. Roasted broccoli is another favorite here. A little char on the edges next to all that creamy, cheesy pasta is a very good thing.

More cheeseburger comfort food

If this pasta bake hits the spot, the cheeseburger-flavors-in-cozy-form category is kind of our thing. Try the bacon cheeseburger bubble up casserole for a biscuit-based take, cozy up with a bowl of bacon cheeseburger soup, or go back to basics with our homemade Hamburger Helper. Same creamy, beefy comfort, all with points included.

4.20 from 5 votes

Bacon cheeseburger pasta bake

By: Drizzle

Servings: 6

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

6-8PP, 8SP blue, green & purple /serving *note-swap out for whole wheat pasta and it is 6SP purple

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups high fiber pasta, I measure pasta uncooked
• ▢ 1 lb extra lean ground beef, about 14oz cooked
• ▢ 1/2 cup diced onion
• ▢ 6 slices cooked low point bacon, I use Oscar Mayer center cut bacon
• ▢ 1/4 cup ketchup
• ▢ 2 Tbsp mustard
• ▢ 2 Tbsp light cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 1 cup light grated cheese
• ▢ 2 Tbsp panko crumbs

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Cook both your pasta and ground beef, drain and add to a large bowl
• Preheat oven to 350F, spray a 9×13 casserole dish.
• Chop up your cooked bacon slices, add 3 slices to the beef and pasta mix, leaving other 3 slices for topping.
• Mix your pasta, beef, onion, ketchup, mustard and softened cream cheese together, make sure cream cheese mixes in well.
• Mix in 1/2 cup of your grated cheese, leaving the other 1/2 cup for topping
• Spread out into your casserole dish, top with your panko crumbs, remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 3 slices of chopped bacon.
• Bake in oven for 20 minutes, serves 6 at 6-8 personal points, 8sp on all 3 MyWW programs or 8 points plus each, *note- use WW pasta and points is 6 on purple
• Nutrition info, per serving.. Calories 308… Fat 10.8g… Saturated fat 2.7g… Carbs 27.9g… Fiber 3g… Sugars 4.1g… Protein 27.9g

Notes

6 WW Points per serving. Any pasta or cheese swap can change the points, so run your version through the WW app.

Additional Info

Course: Main meals

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