Cheeseburger pie was not something my mom ever made -- it existed back in the 1950's and 60's, she just never made it. As I recall, the recipe moms across America were using then was made popular by Bisquick. Mom probably didn't make it because dad wouldn't eat anything "casserole-ish". A cheeseburger pie or quiche was not something I thought I would ever make -- it existed in the 1970's and 80's, I just never felt like making it. That said, when you're a mom of three boys in the 1970's and 1980's and one of them comes home after a sleepover bragging about the great cheeseburger pie his best friend's mom made, you rethink things. I, of course, went straight to the source. I called up the kids mom and asked her for her recipe. While, admittedly, it was indeed tasty, it did require a few changes (on my part). Read on:
Wouldn't put it in or on a cheeseburger? Don't add it to this recipe.
This isn't a taco pie, nor, for that matter, a pizza pie. It is a cheeseburger quiche (formerly known as a cheeseburger pie). If you wouldn't put an ingredient in or on your your cheeseburger, it has no place in this recipe. Zero. I have seen recipes that add chopped bell peppers to the mix and season it with hot pepper sauce. Really? I have seen recipes that season the ground beef mixture with oregano and top the pie with Parmesan cheese. Seriously? And, as for garlic? When was the last time you added garlic to a cheeseburger. Sigh, oh my. That said, if you adore bacon on your cheeseburger, feel free to add 1/2 cup crisply-fried, finely-chopped bacon bits.
Mel's version of the cheeseburger quiche (cheeseburger pie):
For my version of the cheeseburger quiche:
1 7 1/2-ounce boxed, refrigerated pie pastry, at room temperature, fitted into a 9" quiche dish and decoratively edged
1 pound lean ground beef (90/10)
1 cup diced onion
1 packet granulated beef bouillon (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
4 tablespoons dill or sweet pickle relish, your choice (Note: I use sweet relish.)
8 ounces shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons Wondra Quick-Mixing Flour for Sauce and Gravy
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 jumbo eggs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
For the lettuce-tomato garnish:
1-1 1/2 cups lettuce chiffonade
1/2-3/4 cup diced tomatoes
For my secret-sauce drizzle:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup each: ketchup, and, dill or sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon each: garlic and onion powder and paprika
Whisk all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
~Step 1. In a 10" nonstick skillet, place the ground beef, diced onion, granulated beef bouillon, salt and pepper. Over medium-, medium-high heat, sauté for 9-11 minutes, using a spatula to break up and stir the meat, until meat is cooked through, onions are soft, and, almost no liquid remains in the bottom of skillet. Turn the heat off and stir in the pickle relish. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to the touch, 20-30 minutes.
~ Step 2. In a large bowl place the cooled beef mixture, shredded yellow cheddar cheese and Wondra flour. Using two forks or two spoons, toss, as you would a salad, until all ingredients are evenly coated in the flour. Spoon meat-and-cheese mixture into pie pastry. Distribute it evenly throughout, and, mound it towards the center, but, do not compress or press down on it. You want it to remain light and airy.
~ Step 3. In a 2-cup measuring container, use a fork to whisk together the cream, mayonnaise, eggs, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Using a back and forth motion, slowly drizzle the cream-and-egg mixture over and around the surface of the quiche. Go very slowly, so as to give the liquid all the time it needs to slowly drizzle down into the cracks and crevasses of the ground beef mixture.
~ Step 4. Bake on center rack of 325º oven for 50-55 minutes, stopping to give the quiche a quarter-turn every 15 minutes so it browns evenly. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack 30-60 minutes prior to slicing and serving warm or at room temperature. Leftovers reheat great in the microwave (which makes lunch 45-seconds away), but, do not freeze well.
Cool at least 15 minutes, & up to 30-45-60 minutes before serving hot, warm or at room temperature:
Slice & serve each wedge of quiche garnished w/shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes & a drizzle of special sauce:
Yes. It does taste just like a well-appointed cheeseburger:
Mel's Cheeseburger Quiche w/Special Sauce Salad: Recipe yields 8 hearty servings.
Special Equipment List: 9" quiche dish; cutting board; chef's knife; 10" skillet, preferably nonstick; spatula; 2 forks or 2 spoons; 2-cup measuring container; wire cooling rack
Cook's Note: When my foodie friends start talking about a yummy salad made in the style of McDonald's iconic Big Mac, I listen. I listen because these are friends I listen to, and, because I've been known to indulge in an occasional Big Mac. Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun is perhaps the yummiest cheeseburger in the takeout-lane. Try my ~ The McDonald's-Style Big Mac Cheeseburger Salad ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2020)
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