Name: One-Pan Bacon-Cheeseburger Pasta
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 12 ounces (3 cups) elbow macaroni; 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef; Salt and pepper; 3 cups water; 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce; ⅓ cup chopped dill pickles; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 teaspoons dry mustard; 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; 4 slices bacon; 6 slices American cheese; ½ cup finely chopped onion (optional)

Why This Recipe Works

Tomato sauce, with its smooth texture and long-cooked flavor, provided the perfect base for our sauce, which we seasoned with Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard. Combining chopped dill pickles with brown sugar gave the sauce the same sweetly pungent flavor of pickle relish but with more crunch. Slices of American cheese, bits of crispy bacon (precooked in the microwave), and a sprinkling of chopped onion made the perfect toppings. To preserve the flavor and texture of the bacon and onions, we didn’t add our toppings until just before the end.

Before You Begin

Make sure to crumble the beef into pieces that measure ½ inch or smaller in step 1.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Spread macaroni into prepared dish, crumble beef into ½-inch pieces over top, and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk water, tomato sauce, pickles, Worcestershire, mustard, sugar, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Pour into dish with macaroni and stir gently to combine. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave bacon on plate until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate to drain, then crumble into ½-inch pieces.

Remove dish from oven and stir macaroni thoroughly, scraping sides and bottom of dish. Lay cheese slices over top and sprinkle with crisped bacon. Return uncovered dish to oven and continue to bake until macaroni is tender and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove dish from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with onion, if using, before serving.