My Cheesy 3-Step Hamburger Skillet Is Super Nostalgic

A certain boxed hamburger meal was the very first meal I cooked by myself as a kid, and the combination of pasta, creamy tomato and cheese sauce, and beef will always hold a nostalgic allure for me. 

As my kids got older, I wanted to introduce them to this classic meal from my childhood. I knew my take on the nostalgic dish had to be as easy as a box and include a pound of ground beef. That’s how this one-skillet cheesy hamburger pasta came to be one of my family’s favorite recipes. 

This recipe comes from years of experience with one-pot, minimal-ingredient pastas. The base is ground beef and pasta, but it only needs a handful of other ingredients to come together: canned tomatoes, broth, cheese, and a little cream.

Everything cooks in a single skillet and takes less than 20 minutes to cook. The result is an ultra-creamy pasta balanced with acidic tomatoes and a beefy flavor. 

Simple Substitutions

Ultimately, this is a dinner built on some grocery basics and pantry staples, so here are some substitutions that customize this dinner to what is already in your fridge or cupboard:

• Beef: Lean ground beef, such as ground sirloin, works really well here because of its beefy flavor. Plus the cheese and cream bring enough richness to this skillet. You can use ground turkey or chicken; I’ve even subbed bulk Italian sausage in a pinch. 
• Pasta: This dish really is best with small shells, but other short, dried pasta works as well. Macaroni elbows are a great second choice. If you use fusilli, orecchiette, or cavatappi noodles, they take a few extra minutes to cook. 
• Canned Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce are all interchangeable here. No need to drain the diced tomatoes. Jarred marinara sauce can also be used; just use less salt for seasoning. 
• Seasoned salt: Your favorite seasoned salt probably works here. I love Beautiful Briny Sea’s Magic Unicorn Salt for this, but Lawry’s is also perfect. If you don’t have any on hand, you can also sub 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder.  
• Cheese: This recipe calls for a whole 8-ounce block or about 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. High-quality pre-shredded cheeses, like Tillamook and Cabot, work if you don’t have the energy to grate the block yourself. You can also swap the cheddar cheese for other melty cheese like Monterey Jack or provolone.