Name: Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ½ pound elbow pasta, (cooked and drained according to package directions); ½ pound center cut smoked bacon, (cut into ½ inch diced pieces (approximately 6-7 slices)); 1 pound lean ground beef, (93%-7% fat); 21.50 ounces condensed tomato soup ((two 10.75-ounce cans)); 2 cups shredded cheddar-jack cheese blend, (Sargento brand)

Bacon cheeseburger pasta stirred in a stainless steel skillet with a wooden spoon.

This bacon cheeseburger pasta combines smoky bacon, juicy ground beef, and a rich tomato-cheddar sauce for a hearty meal.

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Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Servings

This bacon cheeseburger pasta recipe is all the best parts of a bacon cheeseburger. Smoky bacon, juicy ground beef, a rich tomato-cheddar sauce—this is full-throttle comfort food, made in one pan and on the table in 25 minutes.

The shortcut? Condensed tomato soup. Don’t knock it. When used right, it adds deep, concentrated flavor that makes this dish taste like you simmered it for hours.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta raw ingredients that are labeled — Everything you need for a cheesy, beefy pasta bake: elbow macaroni, ground beef, crispy bacon, melty cheddar-jack, and creamy tomato soup. Comfort food doesn’t get easier than this.

Ingredient Substitutions

Short on elbows? Any short pasta shape works—rotini, penne, shells.
No cheddar-jack? Use colby-jack, or even plain cheddar—but shred your own. Pre-shredded cheese can make the sauce grainy.

Recipe Highlights

✅ Cheeseburger flavor, one skillet: You brown the bacon first so the beef cooks in that smoky fat—then bring it all together with soup and cheese.

✅ Sauce soaks in as it rests: This isn’t a runny pasta. It clings to every elbow with cheesy, beefy richness.

Dinner magic in one pan: Stir together pasta, beef, bacon, and tomato soup—then blanket it in cheese and let it melt into gooey perfection. Easy comfort food the whole family will love.

Serving Suggestions

This is weeknight comfort food—no need to get fancy. Serve it hot, straight from the pan, with a big spoon and hungry people.

A caesar salad with ranch dressing balances the richness. Or serve it with coleslaw for a classic diner-style plate.

Close-up of gooey bacon cheeseburger pasta lifted from a skillet with melted cheese stretching.

Storage Instructions For Cheesy Pasta

This dish thickens as it cools—great for leftovers. Refrigerate up to three days or freeze for two months.

Too thick after reheating? Add a splash of water or broth in the pan and stir gently over medium-low heat.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

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This bacon cheeseburger pasta combines smoky bacon, juicy ground beef, and a rich tomato-cheddar sauce for a hearty meal.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

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Ingredients

½ pound elbow pasta, cooked and drained according to package directions
½ pound center cut smoked bacon, cut into ½ inch diced pieces (approximately 6-7 slices)
1 pound lean ground beef, 93%-7% fat
21.50 ounces condensed tomato soup (two 10.75-ounce cans)
2 cups shredded cheddar-jack cheese blend, Sargento brand

Instructions

Cook the elbow pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
To a large skillet (10-12 inches) over medium heat, add the diced bacon pieces and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Stir often to ensure the bacon does not burn.
Using a large slotted spoon, remove the crispy bacon from the skillet and place it onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess fat. Discard the excess rendered fat from the skillet, but do not clean it.
Increase the heat to the skillet to medium-high. Add the lean ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink.
Add the condensed tomato soup, cooked bacon pieces, and drained elbow pasta to the skillet with the ground beef. Stir to combine.
Top the bacon cheeseburger pasta mixture with the shredded cheddar-jack cheese (do not stir the cheese into the mixture yet) and cover the skillet with a lid. Allow the mixture to heat through, and melt the shredded cheese, for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the lid to the skillet, stir the melted cheese into the rest of the mixture and remove from the heat.

Notes

Be sure to use a good quality brand of condensed tomato soup for this recipe as you are getting most of your flavor from the soup. You can taste the mixture before adding the shredded cheese to the skillet and add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Cheddar jack cheese is a wonderful cheese to you for its melting quality and flavor it adds to a recipe. A great alternative would be colby-jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese.
Any short pasta can be used as a substitute for the elbow macaroni noodles.
Be sure to use a very lean ground beef, or a ground sirloin, to avoid having too much excess fat in the skillet when cooked. If you are using a higher fat blend of ground beef, and have a good amount of rendered fat in the skillet when cooked, you will want to drain off most of the excess fat before adding the remaining ingredients to the skillet.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta