Prairie Californian
Recipes

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Cheeseburger Macaroni
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One of my favorite podcasters and bloggers, Kendra at The Lazy Genius, regularly talks about a simple step that changes meal planning forever. And that simple step is called Brainless Crowdpleasers. Brainless Crowdpleasers are meals that a. you can cook on autopilot and b. you know your family loves. Including these in your meal plan will not only simplify, it also takes a lot of stress out of figuring out what to cook and actually cooking it. 

This Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe is one of our family’s Brainless Crowdpleasers. I can cook it without needing to look up a recipe, it is quick which means I can easily whip it up after work on a weekday or for a quick lunch on the weekend, it contains ingredients that I typically already have on hand, and the best part my entire family loves it. 

It is basically like a homemade version of hamburger helper, but wayyyyy better. And depending on the version you want to make, it can also be a one pot meal. Sometimes I will even double the recipe so we have leftovers for Levi’s lunch throughout the week. 

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Cheeseburger Macaroni

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A homemade version of Hamburger Helper the whole family will love

  • Author: Prairie Californian
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 30

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning mix or equivalent (we like to use Spiceology)
  • 1 – 10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies (we use Rotel)
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
  • Cheese Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1–2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

OR

  • 4 ounces Velveeta
  • 1/3 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Brown ground beef and drain off grease.
  2. Stir in taco seasoning, tomatoes with green peppers, beef broth, and uncooked macaroni and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to low. Cover pan and simmer 12-14 minutes or until macaroni is tender.
  4. Cheese Sauce
  5. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  6. Whisk in the flour. Whisk for 4-5 minutes until it becomes fragrant and starts to turn a light brown color.
  7. Slowly add the milk, whisk to fully combine. Whisk until smooth and mixture starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. OR In a microwave safe measuring cup, combine cubed Velveeta and milk. Heat 1-2 minutes until mostly melted. Stir to combine.
  8. Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture. Stir gently to combine.
  9. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 6

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