This delicious bacon cheeseburger casserole is everything you love about a good cheeseburger with the ease of a casserole. It is completely customizable with your favorite toppings and can even be made keto-friendly and gluten-free.
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It doesn't get much better than a nice juicy bacon cheeseburger. They are the epitome of comfort food. This recipe takes all the flavors that you would expect from any good bacon cheeseburger and combines them with the ease of a casserole for what is sure to be a new family favorite!
Ingredients and substitutions:
For the bacon cheeseburger filling:
- Ground beef can be swapped with any ground meat that you like including turkey, chicken, or even a vegan ground beef substitute. I like to use 85/15 ground beef.
- Cooked and crumbled bacon - to save time I like to use precooked bacon crumbles (usually found in the aisle with salad dressing) but any bacon will do including turkey bacon and vegan bacon substitute. Also, if bacon isn't your thing (who are you?) you can leave it out completely.
- Milk - Any unflavored milk that you like will do just fine. We usually use unsweetened almond milk.
- Onion powder
- Yellow Mustard - I am not a huge mustard fan, but this seriously adds so much flavor that I don't recommend skipping it. If you don't like mustard try adding just half! You can sub some or all of the yellow mustard with any mustard that you like.
- Dill pickle juice - again this is something that I am not a huge fan of, but it totally works in this recipe!
- Cheddar Cheese is the classic burger choice, but feel free to swap this with any shredded cheese that you would typically enjoy on your cheeseburger including vegan cheese.
- American cheese - I know, I know - it's not really cheese. But honestly, it is the perfect burger topping imo! You can leave it off or swap with the sliced cheese of your choosing.
Optional additions:
My goal was to keep this casserole as basic and picky-eater friendly as possible. Additional toppings can be added when serving (similar to a traditional cheeseburger) but if you would like, you can also add them right into the filling. Here are some of my favorite add-ins:
Minced mushrooms are a great way to stretch ground beef without anyone noticing a thing. I almost always add about a cup of minced baby Bella mushrooms per pound of ground beef and no one in my family is the wiser.
If you like onions in your burger, you can cook a diced onion along with the ground beef. It adds a ton of flavor to the end result! You can also stir in diced tomato (fresh or canned) and/or chopped dill pickles with the sauce if you like.
For the keto crust:
This is a variation on a basic fathead dough. If you are allergic to almonds, feel free to substitute the dough with your favorite almond free fathead dough.
I find it easiest to mix the dough with an electric mixer, then use wet hands to spread it on top of the casserole. For the method, I use you can check out my video for upside-down pizza casserole.
For the traditional crust:
This dough is SO forgiving and easy to make. You can substitute the butter or oil, and the all-purpose flour can be swapped with whole wheat flour if you prefer.
The dough does not require time to rise, just be sure that you only use warm water and not hot so that you don't kill the yeast.
The amount of flour needed will vary slightly each time depending upon many factors such as humidity and the brand of flour etc. So start by adding 1 cup of flour and then gradually knead in more until you have a smooth dough that forms a nice ball.
In addition to this, you can swap the entire crust with Rhodes dinner rolls (or something similar) just follow the rising instructions on the roll's packaging and then transfer them to the top of the casserole.
Can this casserole be frozen?
YES! This may be my favorite thing about this casserole. It can be frozen before or after baking.
If you freeze before baking, then the casserole will need to thaw completely before baking. Once thawed, just follow the baking instructions in the recipe card.
If you freeze the casserole after baking, you can bake it straight from the freezer. Bake the casserole covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until it is heated through.
Be sure to check out these other great recipes:
- Bacon Cheeseburger Dippers
- Upside Down Pizza Casserole | Keto
- Low Carb Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders
- Keto Hot Brown Casserole
- Poppyseed Chicken Casserole
- Low Carb Tuna Casserole
📖 Recipe
Upside Down Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Ingredients
For the cheeseburger filling:
- 2 lb Ground Beef
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoon Yellow Mustard
- 2 tablespoon Dill Pickle Juice
- 1 ½ cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Bacon cooked and crumbled
- Salt and Pepper
- 6 slices American Cheese
For a keto/gluten free crust:
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 ¾ cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
- 1 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 ¼ cup Almond Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Sesame Seeds
For a Traditional Crust:
- ½ cup Warm Water just lukewarm, NOT hot
- 2 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Butter melted
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Cook the ground beef and drain the grease. Set aside.
- In the same skillet used to cook the beef, combine the milk, onion powder, mustard, and pickle juice. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. When the mixture begins to boil remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the ground beef and cooked bacon pieces back into the skillet with the cheese sauce. Stir to combine, then transfer to the prepared baking dish. Spread into an even layer and then top with the American cheese slices.
For the traditional crust:
- Pour the warm water into the bottom of a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and allow it to dissolve (this should just take a minute or two. Add the sugar, salt, and melted butter.
- Add 1 cup of all purpose flour and mix it into the liquid. This is a great time to use an electric mixer with a dough hook if you have one. Continue kneading in additional flour by the ¼ cup or less until the dough is not very sticky and begins to easily form a nice smooth ball.
- Allow the dough to rest for about 5 minutes, then use your hands to form the dough into a 9x13" rectangle. place the formed dough on top of the meat and cheese mixture. I usually find it easiest to form the dough on a lightly floured counter then transfer it to the casserole.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl, then brush the beaten egg on top of the unbaked dough. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the dough is baked through and browned.
For the keto/gluten-free crust:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, mozzarella cheese, and cream cheese. Microwave for 30-second increments until the cheeses are completely melted and combine easily.
- Add the almond flour, baking powder, and egg and mix until uniform.
- Spread this mixture on top of the hamburger in the prepared dish. It helps to use wet hands or a greased spatula when working with this dough. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Serve topped with your favorite burger toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
Betty says
Not as pleased with the recipes now. Not low carb and more like KETO. Sorry not happy.