Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese

5 from 1 rating

Combine two kid favorites into one easy recipe and you get this cheeseburger mac and cheese! With seasoned ground beef and lots of cheese, the only thing that’s missing from this one-pot pasta is the sesame seed bun.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ground beef mac and cheese, hamburger macaroni and cheese, mac and cheese with ground beef

Servings:

Author: Sarah Cook

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef {I used 85/15}
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dry mustard {optional}
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce {optional}
2 tbsp tomato paste {or ketchup}
2 cups shell or elbow noodles {feel free to use any preferred pasta}
2 cups beef broth
1.5 cups water
2 tbsp butter
12 oz evaporated milk {1 can}
2 cups extra sharp cheddar {or up to 3 cups because cheese should be measured with your heart}

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine brown ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
1 lb lean ground beef, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Cook over medium heat until the ground beef is no longer pink (~6-8 minutes).
Drain any grease and add dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.
1 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp tomato paste
Add beef broth, water, butter, evaporated milk, and noodles, and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Pro tip: use a new cooking utensil that didn't touch the raw ground beef from here on out.
2 cups shell or elbow noodles, 2 cups beef broth, 2 tbsp butter, 12 oz evaporated milk, 1.5 cups water
Reduce the stove temp to medium, and stir the mixture so that it doesn't stick or burn until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed by the pasta (~10-15 minutes depending on brand/noodle size).
If the mixture is thickening too quickly before the noodles have finished cooking, add water or additional beef broth 1/4 cup at at time to keep it from burning.
Add the cheese, and stir gently until all the cheese has melted.
2 cups extra sharp cheddar

Notes

If your ground beef is not lean (85/15), you may wish to add the seasonings in step 1 AFTER you have drained the grease.
Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are NOT the same thing. Only evaporated milk will work in this recipe.
If you don’t have evaporated milk, you can sub in regular milk, half-and-half, or cream. Just make sure you heat it before adding it to the hot pasta. This prevents the milk from curdling, resulting in a grainy cheese sauce.

Nutrition