An absolute classic! Not to mention a big favorite around our house. It’s an awesome tasting and super easy to make dish which only takes about 20 minutes! But the best thing about this Cheeseburger Macaroni is that it’s made from simple, real ingredients…not from a box. Enjoy on a busy evening, or Saturday home with the kids. Make some for a potluck, or Sundays big game.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of lean ground beef (you can substitute ground turkey if you prefer)
- About ½ lb. or 8 oz. of any shaped pasta
- 2 ¾ cups of water
- ½ cup of ketchup
- 1 tsp. of black pepper
- 1 tsp. of onion powder
- About 2 ½ – 3 cups of grated Colby Jack cheese
- A squirt of yellow mustard (optional, gives it a little kick)
Preparation:
- In a large, deep skillet brown the meat and drain
- Stir in the black pepper and onion powder
- Add in the ketchup and optional mustard
- Pour in the water and the pasta
- Bring it to a boil, stirring all the ingredients together
- Reduce the heat to medium and cover
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, until all the water is absorbed and the pasta is tender. About 15 minutes
- Turn off the heat and add in the cheese, stirring thoroughly until the cheese is melted and incorporated
That’s it! Serve and enjoy! Goes well with some green beans on the side, and for the Dads, a nice tall cold one.
What do you think of this recipe?
Also, find this recipe and many more at Kitchen Stewardships Make it from Scratch Carnival!
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this recipe!! As many others said, this sounds like Hamburger Helper – only SO much better! I am going to try it tonight and I’ll add some bacon to give it an extra little kick! Thanks for the healthy and quick alternative to a box of powdery mix! Can’t wait for dinner!!
@Jennifer!
Awesome! I’m really glad you and your fiance’ liked it! It’s a favorite around our house as well! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
I am so fortunate for stumbling upon the recipe! It was quick and easy, I had it on the table within a half hour. My fiancée LOVES hamburger helper and this was so much better than the box stuff! He agreed
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
Good blog! I like it.
Thanks for the recipe, we are trying it tonight. My husband loves Cheeseburger Macaroni, but we try to eat “real food” instead of weird stuff from a box. Thanks for posting this, we are looking forward to it!
Thanks Katie!
Glad they liked it! Your changes sound like a good healthier compromise too. Thanks again for posting me in the carnival, and for the continued support and comments!
Hope to contribute again soon!
John
Yay! Hubby and son tried it and said “Mmmmmmm, this is GOOD!” We’re hooked! I did delete the ketchup and sub in 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce + 2 tsp sugar and decreased the water by 3/4 cup, mostly because I had already opened the tomato sauce the other day thinking I was going to have them try a different recipe, partly because it’s a bit healthier than ketchup. Great success!
Thanks Jen!
That does sound good! I’ll have to give that a try myself. I’m with you, it’s always better when you make something yourself using real and fresh ingredients. And I know myself, I feel a slight sense of pride doing it that way too
I’m hoping to get some more recipes up here in the near future.
Thanks again!
I also meant to say that I had to add additional water when I used the whole wheat pasta, in addition to the longer cooking time. Thanks again!
Hi John. Homemade ketchup is easy! I came to you through the Kitchen Stewardship site, so I use “interesting” ingredients
but you can substitue regular ingredients and it will still be great, and better than store bought! I make a double batch to have plenty on hand. I’ve never had a batch go bad before we used it up (up to about a month). It only takes about five minutes to whip it up.
6 ounce can tomato paste
1/3 C water
2 T vinegar (I use raw apple cider vinegar)
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/8 C brown sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)
Mix all ingredients with a wisk, and store in the fridge (how easy is that?).
It does taste different than store bought ketchup, but we love it! It actually tastes “gourmet” to us. I hope you give it a try, and like it.
Hi Jen!
I’m so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed it! Sounds like you made some yummy changes too. Whole wheat pasta is great isn’t it? I haven’t used it in this recipe before, but I’ll have to give it a try.
I’d be really interested to know how you make your own ketchup! That sounds like a much better alternative to the usual stuff. If you wouldn’t mind sharing of course
You are most welcome for the recipe, and thanks alot for your feedback!
John
I made this two days ago, exactly as written. I used my homemade ketchup, raw cheddar cheese (it’s what we had), whole wheat penne pasta, and a squirt of mustard because we like the kick.
It took longer to cook because of the whole wheat pasta, I think. I was SO GOOD though! We loved it. Thanks for the simple, but yummy recipe!
Thanks Jen!
Let me know how it turns out! And thanks for visiting and commenting!
John
YUM!!! This is one of my favorite Hamburger Helper’s, except I don’t eat that anymore… and I miss it! Thanks for the recipe. I’m trying it very, very soon.
Perfect for my husband and son’s next “boys’ night”! I don’t buy Hamburg Helper anymore on account of all the additives, but this sounds easy enough for my guys. I’ve bookmarked it!
Thanks for joining the Make it from Scratch Carnival!
–Katie