Skillet Cheeseburger Noodles

Savory beef and pasta, tossed in a cheeseburger-inspired sauce and smothered in cheese. Everything is cooked in one skillet, in about 20 minutes. Quite possibly one of my favorite creations. Plan on the crowd wanting seconds and thirds.

No joke, I was amazed by this dish (and I've seen a lot in the culinary genre). I thought the flavors would be simple, but they were incredible. We devoured every morsel of the beefy, cheesy mixture, and almost licked the bottom of the skillet. OK, we DID mop up every last drop of sauce.

About the noodles: I wanted something light and fun to go with the "cheeseburger" theme, so I chose no-yolk egg noodles. As they simmered in the sauce, they softened and wove in and out of the beef mixture like little scrumptious waves. That said, you can use any pasta variety and/or shape you want.

About the minced dried onion: We like onions on our burgers, so I definitely wanted to incorporate that flavor - as if you were eating a cheeseburger with onions. To get more of a sauteed, caramelized onion flavor (without actually caramelizing onions), I used minced dried onion, which is sold right next to the onion powder in the spice aisle. If you want to substitute onion powder, use half as much because it's more intense (use 1 teaspoon instead of 2).

About the lettuce: I added lettuce to the dish because we like lettuce on our burgers. Add your favorite toppings (tomatoes, pickles, raw onion, cabbage) and have some fun!

Skillet Cheeseburger Noodles

3/4 pound lean ground beef
2 teaspoons minced dried onion
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups beef broth or beef stock
15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 cups egg noodles or yolk-free egg noodles (about 6 ounces)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce, optional

Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the dried onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and stir to coat. Add the broth, tomato sauce, water, ketchup, and mustard and bring to a low boil. Add the egg noodles and cook for 10 minutes, until the noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle the cheese over top, cover and remove the pan from the heat. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Top with lettuce if desired.

Serves 4