Tonight's Dinner Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

A Burger Rain Or ShineCheeseburgers are great summer dinner fare. But if you're hit with a summer thunder storm, the last thing you want to do is be grilling outside. So take the same ingredients and mix them with pasta. Same great taste without getting wet.

I'm always up for a cheeseburger. I don't care what time of day or year. If you put a cheeseburger in front of me, I'm going to eat it. The cheeseburger is actually why I'll never be a vegetarian. I just can't imagine going the whole summer (or year for that matter) without eating one. And as much as I love eating them, I enjoy making them even more. There's just something about grilling a thick juicy burger on the barbecue. I don't know if it's the delectable smells or watching the cheese bubble on the meat that makes me go all mushy inside, all I know is I can never get enough. Only one thing can deter me from that cheesy, meaty deliciousness -- a rain storm.

I know I could just make the burgers in the oven or worse on the stove, but they don't taste the same. There really is no comparison to a perfectly cooked burger on a grill. So when I have my burger fixings all ready to go and it starts to rain, I improvise. One such improvisation is this delicious bacon cheeseburger pasta, adapted from Taste of Home. I still get all that cheesy meaty goodness, but I don't end up looking like a drowned sewer rat.

Bacon cheeseburger pasta recipeIngredients:8 ounces uncooked pasta1 pound ground beef6 strips of bacon, diced2 cups jarred marinara sauce1 cup shredded cheddar cheeseDirections:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside.In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Discard drippings. Drain pasta and add to the skillet. Stir in the marinara, beef and bacon and heat through. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand of 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve with mustard if desired.

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