Impossible Cheeseburger Pie is impossibly easy because it forms its own crust as it bakes! This savory, crustless dinner pie is filled with ground beef, savory onions and an easy homemade version of Bisquick biscuit mix and topped with melty cheddar cheese.
What is an Impossible Pie?
The Impossible Pies were popularized by Bisquick in the 1970s. They were pies that were “impossibly easy” because they don’t require a crust to be made. You mix together all the ingredients and bake them in a pie plate and a crust forms during the cooking process.
Betty Crocker has since changed the name to Impossibly Easy Pies to eliminate confusion, but die hards still refer to these as Impossible Pies.
No need to make a pie crust for a pie? Impossible!
What’s in Impossible Cheeseburger Pie?
I like to lay out all of my ingredients before I start cooking. This recipe contains ground beef, all purpose flour, shredded cheddar cheese, eggs, fresh diced onion, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, baking powder, butter and milk. Easy so far!
I like to select a 90% or leaner ground beef for this recipe. I don’t drain off the fat because that means I’d be draining off the extra flavors. Selecting 90% lean or more (this was a 93% lean beef when I shot these photos) is my go-to for casseroles like this.
How to make Impossible Cheeseburger Pie without Bisquick
The original version of this recipe obviously called for Bisquick. But, you know me, I prefer to put in a little bit of effort in the name of better flavor and less processed ingredients.
Bisquick is essentially a simple biscuit mix made into a shelf-stable product. To make my own Bisquick, I combine flour, baking powder and salt. Then I add butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with a pastry cutter.
When I say “cutting it in” I mean, taking the pastry cutter and busting up the butter until it’s in a ton of little gravely pearl-sized pieces. Making the butter small like that helps create a tender but slightly crisped crust.
If you want to skip the pastry cutter and make things even easier, just toss the dry ingredients and butter into your food processor and let it whirl a few times until the butter comes to that same gravely pearl-sized consistency.
Next, I add in the wet ingredients and stir until it’s all fully combined. It’s okay if it’s a little lumpy.
If you’re not into the DIY biscuit mix method, just skip the 1/2 cup of flour and 1 tsp baking powder and salt and substitute in 1/2 cup of Bisquick and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Add the prepared biscuit mixture to the ground beef in the pie plate and then top it with cheese.
One important note about cheese. I highly recommend grating your own for this situation. You’ll get the best melty factor when you grate the cheese at home. The pre-grated / pre-shredded stuff is convenient, but it’s treated with potato starch to prevent clumping in the package. That starch messes with the melting and turns what could be a beautiful cheese topping into a less appetizing stringy topping.
What to Serve with Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
A non-negotiable condiment for Impossible Cheeseburger Pie is ketchup. That certainly helps make this recipe a winner with my kids. Pickles are also appropriate to add. I have seen other people top their pie with fresh avocado slices, tomatoes and even bacon.
Remember, it’s Cheeseburger Pie, so what you put on a cheeseburger will work on Impossible Cheeseburger Pie.
Other Impossible Pies
Many of the Impossible pies are sweet, but this one is savory. Check out these other awesome Impossible Pies.
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Impossible Cheeseburger Pie is impossibly easy because it forms its own crust as it bakes! This savory, crustless dinner pie is filled with ground beef, savory onions and an easy homemade version of Bisquick biscuit mix and topped with melty cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (90% lean or leaner)
- 1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic salt or Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbs Butter
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F
- Combine 1 lb ground beef, 1/2 diced onion, 1 tsp garlic salt, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce in a large skillet or saucepan over medium high heat and sauté, breaking up the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for approximately 8 minutes until the beef is cooked and browned and the onion is softened. Once cooked, set to the side.
- To make the biscuit mixture, in a mixing bowl, combine the 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt and mix to combine. To the dry ingredients, add 2 Tbs of butter and using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is broken up into small gravely pearl-sized pieces.
- Add the 2 eggs and 3/4 cup of milk to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and butter mixture and stir using a fork or a whisk until fully incorporated. This mixture will be a little lumpy.
- Put the cooked ground beef mixture into a 9” pie plate and then pour the biscuit mixture over the top of the beef to fill the pie plate.
- Sprinkle 6oz of shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the pie.
- Place the pie in the oven uncovered at 375F and bake for 25 minutes. The pie should be cooked through and bubbling around the edges. The cheese will be melted on top and slightly browned.
- Allow the pie to rest about 5 minutes before slicing.
- Enjoy hot with your favorite hamburger condiments.
Keywords: cheeseburger pie, impossible pie, beef, ground beef, onions, cheddar, cheese, biscuit, Bisquick
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