Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner Recipe
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This cheeseburger skillet has ground beef cooked in a delicious creamy tomato sauce then topped with melty cheddar cheese. It has all the comforting flavors of a cheeseburger but without the carbs! Ready in just 20 minutes, you’ll have an insanely tasty dish that’s sure to satisfy your cravings for comfort food.
Who has time to spend making an elaborate dinner every night? Not me! I need it to be as simple as possible. Skillet dinners like this one are quick and easy to make, yet they’re filling and satisfying. They’re something my mom taught me growing up!
They’re perfect for busy nights when you need something on the table fast or when you’re running out of dinner ideas. With this cheeseburger skillet, you only need a few simple ingredients and minimal time in the kitchen to whip up a healthy, hearty meal.
This recipe is also extra special to me because hamburgers are a long-time favorite of mine.
In this recipe, I get to enjoy everything good about cheeseburgers without the mess and long cook times.
It’s worth noting that this recipe is best fresh, not frozen. I doubt you will run into a problem, though – the whole family will like it so much there won’t be much leftover!
Table of Contents (click to view)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: This simple skillet dinner uses familiar, everyday ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen or pantry.
- Short prep and cooking time: With only 5 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of active cooking time, you’ll have a delicious dinner on the table fast.
- Amazing flavors: This cheeseburger skillet is packed with beefy goodness, a rich, creamy sauce, runny and gooey cheese, and flavorful toppings.
- Family-friendly and kid-approved: Who doesn’t love a classic cheeseburger? If there’s a recipe that kids will love, it’s definitely this.
- Easy-to-follow directions: In just 3 easy steps, you can have this comforting meal ready to serve.
- Minimal cleanup: Since it’s a one-pan dish, you can spend less time washing dishes and more time enjoying your meal.
How to Make Cheeseburger Skillet
Gather 9 simple ingredients, and you’re halfway to making a cheeseburger skillet dinner. In 20 minutes or less, you can enjoy the mouth-watering layered goodness of this dish in no time!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with a full list of ingredients, measurements, and step-by-step instructions to make cheeseburger skillet.
Ingredients You Need
- Butter: Butter adds richness and enhances the overall flavor of the dish. It also helps create a creamy base for the sauce, providing that indulgent texture while keeping it low-carb. No need to choose dairy-free butter or cooking fat since we’re adding other dairy foods to this recipe.
- Ground beef: 80/20 ground beef is perfect for this; it has a higher fat content that keeps recipes moist and delicious.
- Onion: I prefer yellow onion, sliced in rings (a la onion rings). However, if you like the spicy tang of red onion, go for it!
- Bone broth: Honestly, I cheer to myself every chance I get to add bone broth to a recipe. It’s exceptionally good for you and imparts such a great flavor to any dish. Make homemade beef broth or buy a high-quality bone broth (chicken or beef are both suitable).
- Cream cheese: This thickens the sauce and makes it extra creamy and delicious.
- Tomato paste: Check the label to make sure you have a sugar-free paste, if that is important to you.
- Mustard: Add any mustard you like: yellow, stone-ground or dijon.
- Garlic powder and salt: Give a little extra oomph of flavor to the dish.
- Cheddar cheese: It’s best to shred the cheese yourself. Did you know pre-shredded can have cellulose or starch to prevent the cheese from clumping together? Not only are they potentially unwanted ingredients in your diet, but they can also significantly affect the final texture of a recipe.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Who knew that such a delicious, comforting dinner can be made so quickly and easily? One-pot meals are the best! Just follow along with these simple step by step directions and you can’t go wrong.
Step 1: Cook the ground beef
Warm the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the ground beef and onion.
Step 2: Make the sauce
Stir in the bone broth, cream cheese, tomato paste, mustard, garlic powder, and salt until a sauce forms. Bring to a simmer; maintain for 2 minutes until the liquid reduces slightly.
Step 3: Melt the cheese
Next, reduce the heat down to low. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the meat. Cover the skillet with a lid and continue warming until the cheese melts completely. Serve warm as is or with your favorite cheeseburger sides.
Substitutions & Variations
Want to make this mouth-watering dish but have incomplete ingredients on hand? Try these substitutions!
- Butter: I like butter because it tastes amazing. If you don’t have some or prefer to use another cooking fat, you can also use olive oil, ghee, or tallow.
- Ground beef: Looking for a leaner protein option? Use lean ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken instead.
- Cream cheese: No cream cheese or prefer another ingredient? Thick strained yogurt, sour cream, ricotta, cottage cheese, or fresh goat cheese are ideal substitutes.
- Cheddar cheese: If cheddar cheese isn’t available, you can use any cheese you’d serve on a burger. Mozzarella, Swiss, Gouda, or Monterey Jack cheese are great options. Pick what suits your taste and dietary needs.
This homemade version of a cheeseburger skillet is already a winner, but a few simple tweaks can make it even better. Try these fun variations to this comforting classic!
- Veggie Overload: Feel free to add your favorite veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, or bell peppers.
- Smoky Sausage: Mix in some sliced smoked sausage for added protein and a burst of smoky flavor.
- Cheeseburger Casserole: Double the recipe and layer it in a casserole dish, adding extra cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden for a satisfying, family-style meal. Perfect for a party crowd, too!
- Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet: Boil and add some elbow macaroni or any pasta noodles of your choice to make this skillet dinner even heartier.
Expert Tips
- Don’t overcook the beef: Cook the ground beef just until it’s tender and no longer pink. Overcooking can make the beef tough and dry.
- Drain excess grease: If your beef is particularly fatty, drain off some grease before adding other ingredients to prevent the dish from becoming overly greasy while keeping the flavor intact.
- Melt the cheese gradually: To get that perfectly gooey and melted cheese topping, add the cheese in small portions, allowing each bit to melt fully before adding more.
- Add some heat: If you like some heat, mix in a bit of hot sauce or add sliced jalapeños, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes for a kick.
- Add your favorite toppings: Aside from pickles or dill pickle relish, tomatoes, and lettuce, you can add any toppings you like. My kids love adding cooked bacon bits for an extra burst of flavor or a sprinkle of fresh parsley, green onions, or diced onion for a fresh touch. You can also try a drizzle of sugar-free or regular ketchup for that classic cheeseburger taste.
How to Store This Recipe
Transfer leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To keep longer, place in a freezer-safe airtight container and keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. You can also reheat in the microwave or oven. Warm it at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, checking every 2 minutes until it’s as hot as you like. If frozen, thaw overnight before reheating.
What to Serve with Keto Cheeseburger Skillet
What are your favorite burger sides? Chances are they would be great with this recipe too!
Add extra toppings like lacto-fermented pickle relish and tomato slices, then serve with a side of French fries, low-carb onion rings, raw sauerkraut, sautéed mushrooms, shredded lettuce, or keto flatbread.
Take a look at this easy cheeseburger pie or cheeseburger omelette for other cheeseburger recipes.
More Ground Beef Recipes To Try
Ground beef is a staple I always have around. It’s so easy, versatile, and affordable. Particularly when you save money by buying ground beef in bulk.
- Cheesy ground beef taco skillet
- 10 bunless burger recipes
- Vegetable and ground beef skillet
- Ground beef philly cheesesteak skillet
If you make this cheeseburger skillet, please leave a review to share your experience with others!
Keto Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup bone broth beef or chicken
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Optional Toppings
- lacto-Fermented Pickle Relish
- shredded lettuce
- tomato slices
- keto Flatbread
Instructions
- Warm the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the ground beef and onion.1 tablespoon butter, 1 pound ground beef, ½ cup onion
- Stir in the bone broth, cream cheese, tomato paste, mustard, garlic powder, and salt until sauce forms. Bring to a simmer; maintain for 2 minutes until the liquid reduces slightly.½ cup bone broth, 2 ounces cream cheese, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the meat. Cover the skillet with a lid and continue to cook for a few minutes until cheese melts completely.1 cup cheddar cheese
- Serve warm as is or with optional toppings and flatbread.lacto-Fermented Pickle Relish, shredded lettuce, tomato, keto Flatbread
Notes
- Cook the ground beef just until it’s no longer pink. Overcooking can make the beef tough and dry.
- If your beef is particularly fatty, drain off some grease before adding other ingredients to prevent the dish from becoming overly greasy.
- To get that perfectly gooey and melted cheese topping, add the cheese in small portions, allowing each bit to melt fully before adding more.
- Mix in a bit of hot sauce or add sliced jalapeños, chili powder, cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes to add heat.
- Aside from pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce, you can add other toppings like crispy bacon bits, a sprinkle of green onions, or a drizzle of sugar-free ketchup for that classic cheeseburger taste.
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
We made this with ground chicken (instead of beef) in order to make this dish alpha-gal friendly. It was delicious! It reminded me of a dish my mom made when I was kid, only better!
Thanks for the review, Sage. I’m so glad you’re confident enough in the kitchen to take a recipe like this and make it your own. That’s the idea! We craft our recipes with the basics in mind and hope readers enjoy them and see alternative ways to spin off with different modifications that work best for them.
This cheeseburger skillet dinner is bursting with flavors! Brought it to a potluck dinner and everyone loved it! Another addition to my go-to recipes!
Thanks for the review, Sharina! I haven’t brought this to a potluck before but will remember the suggestion for the next one I go to.
This was a great weeknight meal that was super simple and easy to make. I diced the onions instead of cutting them into rings as the pictures showed because that’s how my kids prefer it. We had this with salad and we’ll be making it again soon!
Thanks for the review, Shay. Sounds like the perfect meal.
This was such an easy recipe and the flavors were incredible and it satisfied my burger cravings while keeping to my keto diet.
Oh yeah, satisfy those cravings while staying on track to your goals! That’s what our delicious recipes are all about. Thanks for the review!
I made this recipe for my family and it was a hit! We all loved the flavor, and it was easy to make. I would recommend adding more cheese though—I think the cheeseburger part of this recipe could use more cheese!
Score! More cheese is never a bad idea. Thanks for the review, Jane.
This recipe is so easy and my whole family loves it. We make it all the time now.