Impossible Cheeseburger Pie without Bisquick is a wholesome, from-scratch twist on the classic recipe featuring seasoned ground beef, grated cheddar cheese, and a homemade topping made with whole wheat flour!
Today, I'm excited to be sharing a classic, quick and easy dinner recipe. Impossible Cheeseburger Pie was a meal that I remember my mom making when I was a kid, and it was actually one of the first recipes I ever learned to cook.
Of course, the traditional recipe relies on Bisquick for its yummy, bread-y topping, so I decided to do away with the store-bought baking mix and control the ingredients myself, thereby updating the recipe with a real food spin...Cheeseburger Pie WITHOUT Bisquick!
Ingredients
All you need to make this from-scratch Cheeseburger Pie recipe are ingredients that you likely already have on hand:
- Ground beef. Browned and drained. Feel free to use ground turkey instead.
- Minced garlic. I always add extra. 🙂
- Garlic salt + freshly ground black pepper. To season the ground beef.
- Ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, + Dijon mustard. For further flavoring of the meat, and in keeping with the "cheeseburger" theme.
- Grated cheese. I prefer using sharp cheddar, but really, just about any cheese will work...use your favorite!
And now for the Bisquick-replacement, from-scratch, batter ingredients:
- Whole wheat pastry flour. To up the wholesomeness of this Impossible Cheeseburger Pie recipe even further! That being said, you may certainly use regular all-purpose flour instead.
- Baking powder + baking soda. To give the batter its rise.
- Milk + eggs. To transform dry ingredients into batter.
- Honey. Just a touch, but feel free to omit, if you wish.
How to Make Cheeseburger Pie without Bisquick
- Brown the ground beef, stir in the minced garlic, and drain the grease. Mix in the garlic salt, pepper, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon.
- Transfer the mixture to a pie plate.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend in the milk, eggs, and honey until smooth.
- Top the dish of cooked ground beef with grated cheese, then pour the batter over the top. (If you've never made this type of recipe, it might seem a little strange to pour a runny batter all over a foundation of beef and cheese. But trust me…it all turns out quite tasty in the end.)
- Bake until the topping is golden and puffy. Just don't be surprised when the impressive dome deflates once the Cheeseburger Pie comes out of the oven...that just means it's time to slice it up and dig in!
Suggested Garnishes
I like to garnish this recipe with sliced pickles and diced tomatoes, alongside ketchup and/or mustard for dipping, but feel free to jazz it up with your favorite cheeseburger toppings.
Or enjoy it perfectly plain, if that suits your fancy.
Variations
Impossible Cheeseburger Pie is easy to dress up or dress down! A few ideas...
- Sautee diced onions and/or bell peppers before adding the ground beef.
- Mix cooked, diced bacon into the ground beef (for a bacon cheeseburger twist!).
- Add your favorite frozen veggies or chopped fresh tomatoes to the ground beef.
- Season the ground beef with taco seasoning and stir in drained canned black beans and frozen corn.
- Season the ground beef with Italian seasoning and stir in sliced mushrooms and diced pepperoni.
- Change up the grated cheddar to your favorite type of cheese!
Perfect for Reheating
Aside from its versatility, another great thing about this recipe is that it reheats nicely.
I've actually been known to bake it early in the day and pop it in the fridge. Then when we get home late from, saaaaay, baseball (FOR THE FIFTH NIGHT IN A WEEK), it's easy to heat up individual slices.
Cheeseburger Pie without Bisquick is a hit with picky kids...and adults happen to love it, too. It's simple, with flavors that are comfortingly familiar in a slightly different form. It's a quick and easy-to-assemble dinner for those busy weeknights.
So the next time you have a pound of ground beef hanging out in the fridge with nary a purpose in life, transform it into this real food version of a retro classic!
Your family will gobble it up.
You'll feel good about what you're feeding them.
And nobody will even miss the -- well, you know. 😉
More Ground Beef Recipes
- One-Pan Asian Beef & Rice Skillet
- Beefy Cheesy Tortellini Bake
- One-Pot Taco Pasta Skillet
- Hawaiian Meatballs
- Tamale Pie
- The BEST Homemade Sloppy Joes
- Hamburger Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Cheeseburger Pie without Bisquick
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Ketchup, mustard, sliced pickles, diced tomatoes, diced onions, & other cheeseburger toppings, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Arrange oven rack in center position and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease (or spray with nonstick cooking spray) a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate.
- Set a skillet, pot, or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart and stirring as the meat cooks. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two until fragrant. Drain the grease from the pot and stir in the garlic salt, pepper, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon.
- Transfer the beef mixture to the prepared pie plate. Sprinkle the beef with the grated cheddar and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend in the milk, eggs, and honey until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated. Evenly pour the batter over the cheese in the pie plate.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the center tests done with a toothpick or knife. Serve warm with optional garnishes.
Video
Notes
Post originally published on August 17, 2017, and updated on September 26, 2022.
Melissa
Yum - this is was such a huge hit with my family that I'm making it again soon! Great recipe, thanks!
Jessica
This is now a new favorite for my family! So easy to make and so much flavor. Thank you!
Abby
My kids and husband love this! We devoured it. Loved how easy it was to make.
Sarah
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour?
Samantha Skaggs
I haven't tried it, but I'm sure you can. The texture just might be slightly different than if using whole wheat pastry flour. 🙂
Virginia
Could I use cornmeal in place of the whole wheat flour?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Virginia! I'm sorry, but I don't think cornmeal will work as a straight substitute for flour in this recipe. However, if you'd like to adapt this recipe to having a cornbread topping, you could follow the directions for this beefy Cheeseburger Pie base and then top it with the cornbread topping from this recipe. Just keep in mind that the cornbread topping is going to sit on top and not sink down into the meat like the original topping for this Cheeseburger Pie. Hope that helps!
Pam Bowen
i made this tonight for dinner and wanted to let you know its delicious! thank you for the recioe.
Vicki
Made with gluten free flour, 1 tsp. Baking powder, no soda and coconut milk. Turned out great. I am so happy that my health required substitutions worked.
Jess
Made tonight with gluten free flour blend and our family ate the whole thing. All 3 kids even ate it up. I added pickles before the cheese and they were so excited!! Love the depth of flavor with the condiments added to the meat. Thank you!!
julie
I've made this twice this week already! so good, thanks for the recipe!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
You're very welcome, Julie...so happy to hear that! 🙂
Debbie Caraballo
Wow, I like this! I make the old school cheeseburger pie quite often, but will definitely try this one. It sounds great!
Julie Bussis
So excited to try this!! I loved Impossible Cheeseburger pie growing up! I'm on a health challenge and can only have whole wheat flour so I'm excited to be able to make Cheesburger pie that I can have!! Thanks so much for the recipe!