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Healthy Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet is a simple low-calorie dinner made with lean beef, macaroni, cheese, and packed with the flavors of a cheeseburger while being lighter in calories. This casserole-style meal is made easily on the skillet for a quick and delicious meal! It's Low Calorie + Gluten Free!
This easy cheeseburger macaroni is a casserole made in a skillet. It's super easy and is great for a simple meal that's satisfying and delicious. Best of all, the whole family will enjoy it!
Cheeseburger macaroni can absolutely be a healthy dinner option when you lighten it up with healthier ingredients, add more veggies, and pack the dish with protein! This healthy cheeseburger macaroni recipe is a play on cheeseburger pasta casserole but cooked in one pot on the stove!
It's similar to my cheeseburger soup recipe in my low-calorie cookbook. If you loved that recipe, you will enjoy this one too! If you prefer more easy dinners, try this recipe for Healthy Tuscan Shrimp or this Turkey Skillet Burrito which is always a hit with kids!
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Why I Love This Cheeseburger Macaroni Recipe
There is so much to love about this ground beef skillet macaroni recipe! Here's why it's one of my favorite dinners and also, why it's better for you!
- Simple To Make: All you do is brown the meat and layer in the remaining ingredients for a super easy dinner!
- Basic Ingredients: Most of the ingredients are kitchen staples and they're also easy to find in any well-stocked grocery store.
- Low Calorie: One serving of cheeseburger pasta is under 400 calories. Total calories are important for weight management but so are the sources of the calories and the macronutrient balance. I balanced the recipe so that it is better balanced and has healthier ingredients for you.
- High Protein: Protein is so important and the most overlooked nutrient. I often see my weight loss clients deficient in lean protein. This recipe has 39 grams per serving that comes from the ground beef, Greek yogurt, and high-protein pasta.
- Lower Fat: Macaroni cheeseburger recipes have a ton of saturated (less optimal) fat in them. This cheeseburger skillet pasta recipe has 9 grams of total fat, only 3 of which come from saturated fat.
Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this yummy beef mac and cheese lighter and healthier! See the full recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients and methods.
- Lean Ground Beef: I used grass-fed, pasture-raised lean ground beef from ButcherBox. Choosing lean ground beef keeps the calories lower while boosting the protein. You can use a different version of beef especially if you need to make it more budget-friendly. Ground turkey or chicken would also work in place of ground beef. I recommend adding a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet when using ground turkey or chicken.
- White Onion and Yellow Pepper: These two ingredients cook with the beef and really layer on the flavor. You can use yellow onions or other colors of peppers instead. You can also replace the fresh onion with one tablespoon of onion powder.
- Ketchup: A key flavor component I don't recommend omitting as the flavor will be bland without it. I use a lower-sugar ketchup and find ketchup without sugar or using sugar substitutes doesn't taste the same to me!
- Mustard: Yellow mustard works best in this recipe. I would not recommend using another type of mustard as the flavor profile is quite different.
- Beef Broth: I used a no-sodium beef broth for this recipe. You can use beef stock, vegetable broth or stock, or chicken broth or stock too. Low-sodium or no-sodium is what I recommend for making this recipe.
- Protein+ Elbow Macaroni: Using a protein pasta increases the protein in the dish. You can also use regular pasta if you prefer but the nutrition will be quite different.
- Greek Yogurt: The yogurt adds consistency and protein to the recipe. Dairy-free yogurts are not recommended as they are mostly fat content, not protein, and will not add the same consistency.
- Milk: Regular dairy milk contains the most protein and if you prefer dairy-free milk instead soy milk has a similar protein profile.
- Cheddar Cheese: I used low-fat cheese to keep the calories low without sacrificing flavor. You can substitute with full-fat cheese or non-fat cheese though these will impact the nutrition (adding more fat) or may not have the same flavor (fat-free cheese).
- Burger Toppings: A bit of shredded lettuce and tomatoes for garnish add more of a burger feel to this dish along with a splash of color.
PRO TIP: Please remember that recipe substitutions are not reflected in the nutritional data you see in the recipe card below. Changing, adding, or substituting ingredients will change the nutrition data.
Variations
Here are a few ideas for changing up the recipe for this one-pot cheeseburger pasta.
- Vegetarian: Swap the ground beef with a vegetarian ground beef substitute. I recommend adding some olive oil to the pan to cook it since it likely has less fat.
- More Veggies: Add more veggies if you want. Diced zucchini, mushrooms, or thawed frozen peas would all work.
- Dairy-Free: It's challenging to make this recipe dairy-free without sacrificing some of the protein. I recommend this brand of dairy-free yogurt that is higher in protein. Instead of the cheddar cheese add some nutritional yeast or a dairy-free cheese and substitute the milk for a dairy-free milk.
- Gluten Free: Ensure you use a gluten-free elbow macaroni like this one by Banza available on Amazon.
- Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet: Add chopped bacon or turkey bacon to cook with your ground meat at the start of the recipe or you can cook it until crispy and sprinkle it over the top just before serving.
How To Make Cheeseburger Pasta In A Skillet
Here's a look at the main steps involved in making this cheeseburger macaroni skillet. For the full recipe instructions, ingredients, and nutritional data, scroll to the bottom of this post.
- Step One: Heat a large skillet on the stovetop and add the ground meat, bell pepper, and onion. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Then drain off any excess oil in the pan from the meat.
- Step Two: Stir the broth, ketchup, and mustard into the cooked beef. Add the pasta, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Bring the skillet to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Cook uncovered until the pasta is cooked to your liking.
- Step Three: Add the milk, Greek yogurt, parsley, and half of the cheese to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Step Four: Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top then cover and cook until the cheese is melted.
Sprinkle the top with dried parsley and then add the shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes to the top for garnish. Serve while it's still warm.
Serving Suggestions
This healthy recipe is a meal in itself! You can serve it with a healthy salad on the side or with an additional side of veggies like roasted broccoli or roasted cauliflower. Brussels sprouts, asparagus, or baked carrots would be delicious too!
Storing Tips
- Storing: This recipe will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze leftovers without the garnish for up to 3 months. Let the dish fully cool down before transferring it to an airtight container or storage bag to freeze.
- Reheating: You can reheat this recipe on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs
Here are my top tips for making sure your stovetop cheeseburger pasta turns out perfectly!
- Drain After Cooking the Beef: If there is any excess grease in the skillet after cooking the beef it's a good idea to drain it off. You may have more grease if you cook with less lean ground beef.
- Watch Your Substitutions: Changing up the ingredients may impact the flavor and nutrition of the recipe. Be sure to check the ingredient section above for my suggestions.
Yes, of course! I find that macaroni pasta works especially well making it more like beef mac and cheese. Any short pasta works great but you may need to adjust the cooking time for some.
More Easy One Pot Dinner Recipes
If you tried this cheeseburger pasta recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
- ½ cup White Onion diced
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced
- ⅓ cup Ketchup low sugar
- 1 tablespoon Mustard
- 4 cups Beef Broth no sodium
- ¾ lb Elbow Macaroni high protein
- ½ cup Nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup Nonfat Milk
- 1 cup Low Fat Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon Dried Parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Shredded Lettuce & Tomatoes for Garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large skillet to medium heat. Add the ground beef, bell pepper and onion. Cook until no longer pink then drain and return to the pan.
- Add the broth, ketchup, mustard and stir to combine. Then add the pasta with salt and pepper.
- Bring the skillet to a boil then cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and cook until the noodles are cooked to your desired consistency.
- Stir in the milk, yogurt, dried parsley and ½ cup of cheese.
- Add the other half of the cheese on top then cover to melt the cheese on top.
- Sprinkle the top with more dried parsley and serve with shredded lettuce and tomatoes for garnish. Serve warm!
Notes
- Serving size equal 1/6th of the recipe or approximately 1 1/2 cups.
- My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my weight loss clients.
Nutrition
Used lean ground turkey and beef bone broth. It was a huge hit. I added a few dashes of worcestershire sauce. Will definitely make again!
This was so delicious. I used ground turkey instead of hamburger and it turned out great.
My husband and teenagers loved this! It was so good.
Thanks Betsy!
This was so quick and easy to make and so delicious my whole family loved it!