You all wanna hear about one of the first things I ever made? (If not, don’t tell me. Just scroll to the recipe. It takes like two seconds and it won’t hurt my feelings.)
I distinctly remember the first time my aunt brought over Betty Crocker’s cheeseburger pie in the early aughts. The recipe was on the back of the Bisquick box and titled “Impossible Cheeseburger Pie” because no one had to worry about SEO back then – it really was a different world. When she explained the concept to us, my mom and I were intrigued. When we tasted it, we were sold.
My mom and I took turns making it from then on as written in the recipe linked above. It became a staple in our house – we didn’t make it all the time, but it was tasty, we enjoyed it, and it was easy to make.
Since it was something I could make basically from memory, I used to make it all the time in college. Then, when I moved into an apartment, I would occasionally throw one together for my roommates. I periodically made it for houseguests. The reactions across the board have been the same: confusion upon describing the concept and then delight upon eating it.
I don’t blame anyone for being baffled at first. It’s objectively weird to cook up ground beef and onions, put it in a pie plate, and then pour what is essentially an off-ratio pancake batter on top, but once you put it in the oven, it bakes to fluffy perfection.
Last week I decided it was time to revisit this recipe for the first time in a few years, and I was going to make it a banger. Sure, the original is good and provides that nostalgia factor, but Rob didn’t grow up with cheeseburger pie, so the idea of seasoning it, adding some toppings, and making it a little more indulgent appealed to us greatly.
I looked up homemade seasoning mix because I wanted to see if it tasted better than just using regular taco seasoning, but no shade if you have a ton of seasoning packets on hand and would rather just use one of those. It’s probably easier. The bonus is that this homemade southwest seasoning blend from Simply Scratch makes half a cup, so we have plenty of taco seasoning for the future. It’s an ~investment.~ And yes, I did use a recipe for a spice blend, because ratios are completely out of my wheelhouse and if I was making it on my own, I’d probably accidentally burn my house down even though it involves no cooking at all.
The result: a flavorful and texturally satisfying dish that tastes even better as a leftover on day 2, when the spices have had a chance to really set in and make their presence known even more strongly.
The idea of exploring some more of my childhood favorites brings me joy, so stay tuned. If you’ve ever done that, leave a comment and let me know what you made and how it turned out!
Southwestern Cheeseburger Pie
A well-seasoned take on an old favorite. Enjoy this leveled-up recipe from when I was a kid!
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
- 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
- 2 1/2 tbsp Southwestern seasoning or taco seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 C shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend
- 1/2 C Bisquick™ Original Pancake & Baking Mix
- 1 C 2% milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- Avocados (1 sliced avocado will top 2 slices, so however many you need for serving)
- French’s Crispy Fried Onions, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch pie plate or cake pan with cooking spray.
- In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add in the onion and seasoning.
- Stir occasionally, until beef is brown (about 7 more minutes); drain.
- Stir in salt.
- Spread in pie plate and sprinkle with cheese.
- In medium bowl, stir Bisquick, eggs, oil, and milk with fork or wire whisk until blended. (Note: it won’t be smooth. I have made this for over 20 years and it’s never smooth. DON’T PANIC.)
- Pour into pie plate or cake pan on top of beef.
- Bake 29 to 33 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
- While the cheeseburger pie is standing, slice as many avocados as you need.
- Cut the pie into six slices and top with avocado slices and crunchy fried onions to taste.
Next up is the batter:
Finally, bake this thing:
Notes
The batter mixture will not be smooth. I have been making this for over 20 years and the batter has never been smooth. Just power through it! It all comes together in the end!
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