This cheeseburger pie has gotten me out of more dinner jams than any other recipe in my rotation. I started making it about five years ago when Emma was going through his "I only eat cheeseburgers" phase, and I needed something that tasted like his favorite meal but actually had some vegetables hidden in it. After making it for his birthday parties, team dinners, and regular Tuesday nights, I've figured out exactly how to get that satisfying burger flavor baked right into a filling casserole.
Why You'll Love This Cheeseburger Pie
I've brought this to enough school potlucks to know what works about it. One pound of ground beef feeds six people, which helps when you're watching your grocery budget or feeding a crowd. The topping makes it more satisfying than regular ground beef dinners. And here's the sneaky part - you can chop onions really small and mix them right into the meat. Emma never notices them, even though he usually picks onions out of everything else. Bell peppers and mushrooms hide the same way.
The timing works for real life too. Some mornings I'll throw it together before work, stick it in the fridge, and bake it when I get home. It also freezes well before baking, though you'll need to add ten minutes to the cook time. Leftovers don't get watery in the microwave like some casseroles do. And honestly, day-two slices taste better because everything has time to soak together overnight.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Cheeseburger Pie
- Ingredients for Cheeseburger Pie
- How To Make Cheeseburger Pie Step By Step
- Storing Your Cheeseburger Pie
- Cheeseburger Pie Variations
- Equipment For Cheeseburger Pie
- Smart Swaps for Your Cheeseburger Pie
- What to Serve With Cheeseburger Pie
- Top Tip
- The Secret My Neighbor Won't Share
- FAQ
- Dinner's Ready!
- Related
- Pairing
- Cheeseburger Pie
Ingredients for Cheeseburger Pie
The Meat Base:
- Ground beef
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Dill pickles
- Ketchup
- Yellow mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
The Cheese:
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- American cheese slices
The Topping:
- Eggs
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
If You Want:
- Sesame seeds
- Diced tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce for serving
- Extra pickles
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Cheeseburger Pie Step By Step
Brown the Beef:
- Cook ground beef with diced onions
- Break it up as it cooks
- Drain the fat really well
- Toss in garlic and cook one more minute
Add Burger Flavor:
- Stir in ketchup and mustard
- Add Worcestershire sauce
- Mix in chopped pickles
- Let it bubble for 5 minutes
Layer It:
- Grease your pie dish
- Spread the meat on the bottom
- Put American cheese slices on top
- Sprinkle cheddar over everything
- Press down a bit
Make the Topping:
- Whisk eggs and milk
- Add flour and baking powder
- Mix until smooth
- Pour over the cheese
- Spread to the edges
Bake:
- Let it sit 5 minutes before cutting
- 400°F oven
- 25-30 minutes
- Watch for golden brown on top
Storing Your Cheeseburger Pie
Fridge (3-4 days):
- Let it cool completely first
- Cover tight with foil or plastic wrap
- Reheat at 325°F to warm through
- Add a splash of milk if it seems dry
Freezer (2 months):
- Wrap in plastic wrap, then foil
- Write the date on it
- Thaw overnight in the fridge
- Reheat covered so the top doesn't dry out
Make-Ahead:
- It freezes fine after baking too
- Put the meat layer together the day before
- Add the topping right before baking
- Or bake it completely and just reheat
Cheeseburger Pie Variations
Bacon Cheeseburger:
- Cook bacon and crumble it
- Brown the beef in bacon grease
- Extra sharp cheddar
- Bacon bits on top before baking
BBQ Burger:
- BBQ sauce instead of ketchup
- Caramelized onions
- Smoked cheddar
- More BBQ drizzled on top
Mushroom Swiss:
- Sauté mushrooms with the beef
- Swiss cheese instead of cheddar
- Little bit of fresh thyme
- Extra caramelized onions
Spicy Jalapeño:
- Dice jalapeños into the meat
- Pepper jack cheese
- Cumin and chili powder
- Crushed tortilla chips on top
Equipment For Cheeseburger Pie
- 9-inch pie dish or 10-inch cast iron skillet
- Large skillet for browning meat
- Mixing bowl and whisk
- Cheese grater
- Wooden spoon
Smart Swaps for Your Cheeseburger Pie
Meat:
- Ground beef → Ground turkey
- Regular → Lean beef (90/10)
- Beef → Plant-based crumbles
- Standard → Ground chicken
Cheese:
- Cheddar → Pepper jack
- American → Provolone
- Regular → Low-fat cheese
- Dairy → Vegan cheese
Topping:
- Regular flour → Almond flour (for keto)
- With crust → No crust at all
- All-purpose → Gluten-free flour
- Milk → Almond milk
Flavor:
- Plain → Add hot sauce
- Yellow mustard → Dijon
- Dill pickles → Sweet pickles
- Ketchup → Sugar-free ketchup
What to Serve With Cheeseburger Pie
From making this for tons of dinners, I know what sides work. The burger basics make sense - fries, tater tots, onion rings, or coleslaw. Emma always picks tater tots. For something lighter, a plain green salad helps when the pie is so heavy. Steamed green beans, roasted broccoli, or raw veggies with dip work too. When his friends come over, I put out carrot and celery sticks because those actually get eaten.
For bigger meals, garlic bread is good for soaking up the juices. Mac and cheese makes it really filling, which some nights is what you want. Our Benihana Chicken Fried Rice sounds strange with burger stuff but it works fine. Skip mashed potatoes though - the pie already fills everyone up. You want something crunchy or fresh, not more heavy food.
Top Tip
- Emma found our best trick by accident one Sunday. He was draining the pickle jar over the sink, and some juice splashed into the ground beef browning in the skillet. I started to scoop it out, but he stopped me and said we should leave it. That tablespoon of pickle juice spread the tangy flavor through every bite instead of leaving it in random chunks. The vinegar made the meat more tender too. Now I add it every time on purpose.
- Our other find happened when I ran out of milk for the topping. I thinned some sour cream with water instead, and it came out richer with a slight tang that worked better with the beef. Emma started calling it "the special cheeseburger pie that's better than the drive-through kind." Coming from a seven-year-old who would eat burgers every day if I let him, that means something.
The Secret My Neighbor Won't Share
My neighbor brings this cheeseburger pie to every block party, and for three years running, people have asked what makes hers taste different from everyone else's. She never tells anyone. Just smiles and says it's nothing special. But last summer I stopped by her place to return a borrowed ladder, and she had a batch going in her kitchen. I watched her work while we talked, and that's when I spotted what she does differently.
She doesn't chop fresh onions at all. Instead, she dumps a packet of dried onion soup mix right into the ground beef while it browns. The whole packet. All those dried onion bits, the salt, the beef bouillon, whatever else comes in those things - it all goes in with the meat. The seasoning mix dissolves as the beef cooks, and the flavor gets way deeper into everything than it does when you just dice up a regular onion. The meat ends up tasting more like something you'd get at a diner instead of home cooking.
FAQ
What is in a cheeseburger pie?
This cheeseburger pie has seasoned ground beef, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and melted cheese layers, topped with a simple egg and milk mixture that bakes into a fluffy crust. It's all the burger flavors in a casserole you can slice and serve.
What are the ingredients in a burger pie?
The main ingredients are ground beef, cheddar cheese, eggs, milk, flour, onions, and burger seasonings like ketchup and mustard. Most versions add diced pickles for that real burger taste. The egg mixture bakes into a golden crust while the beef and cheese create the filling.
What are the ingredients for a Cheeseburger Pie?
Regular cheeseburgers have a beef patty, cheese (cheddar or American), lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard on a bun. This cheeseburger pie takes those same flavors and mixes them into the ground beef, then layers it with cheese minus the toppings.
What to have with cheeseburger pie?
This goes well with fries, coleslaw, or a simple salad. For something different, serve it with our Benihana Chicken Fried Rice recipe. Kids like it with tater tots or sweet potato fries for a full comfort food dinner.
Dinner's Ready!
Now you've got everything you need to make this cheeseburger pie work on your busiest nights. From draining the beef properly to that pickle juice trick Emma stumbled on, these are the things that took me years to figure out. This recipe feeds a crowd without costing much, hides vegetables where picky eaters won't find them, and tastes better the second day.
Want more dinners that actually get finished? Try our The Best Braised Cabbage Recipe for a side that even vegetable skeptics like. Our Delicious Lemon Chicken Recipe gives you another weeknight option when you're tired of ground beef. Need something different? The Delicious And Easy Tawa Pulao Recipe brings new flavors to your rotation without complicated steps.
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Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cheeseburger Pie
Cheeseburger Pie
Equipment
- 1 Pie Dish (9-inch) or Cast Iron Skillet (10-inch) (For baking the cheeseburger pie.)
- 1 Large skillet (To brown the ground beef.)
- 1 Mixing bowl (For preparing the topping (egg and milk mixture).)
- 1 Whisk (For whisking the eggs and milk for the topping.)
- 1 Cheese grater (To grate the cheddar cheese.)
- 1 Wooden spoon (For stirring the beef mixture.)
Ingredients
- 1lb Ground beef Main protein - Lean beef or turkey can be substituted.
- 1 Yellow onion Diced finely - Optional for picky eaters.
- 2cloves Garlic Minced - For flavor.
- ¼cup Dill pickles Chopped - Adds tangy flavor.
- 2 tablespoon Ketchup - For burger flavor.
- 2 tablespoon Yellow mustard - For burger flavor.
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce - Adds depth of flavor.
- Salt and pepper To taste For seasoning.
- 2cups Sharp cheddar cheese Grated - Adds to the cheesy flavor.
- 3-4 slices American cheese - To layer in the pie.
- 3 Eggs For the topping.
- 1 cup Milk For the topping.
- 1 cup All-purpose flour - Forms the topping.
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder - Helps topping rise.
- ½ teaspoon Salt - To season the topping.
Instructions
-
Brown the beef with diced onions and garlic, then drain the fat.
-
Stir in ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and chopped pickles. Let it bubble.
-
Grease pie dish and layer the meat mixture, followed by American cheese and shredded cheddar. Press down.
-
Whisk eggs and milk, then add flour and baking powder. Mix until smooth. Pour over cheese.
-
Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
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