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Top down of baked cheeseburger helper in a yellow dutch oven. It is sitting on a wooden cutting board, and there is a white and blue striped linen draped to the left side.
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4.56 — Votes 18 votes

Cheeseburger Macaroni Recipe

Cheesy and uber comforting, this homemade cheeseburger macaroni is a leveled-up version of the boxed version.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 pounds ground beef 85/15 or 90/10
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1½ teaspoons sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 3½ cups beef broth
  • 3 cups milk
  • 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Add the olive oil to a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
  • Add the ground beef to the pot with the onion and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes, crumbling as you cook, until browned. If you’re short on time or have a fattier beef, drain the excess fat from the pot. Otherwise, let the beef continue to cook until most of the liquid cooks off.
  • To the ground beef mixture, add the tomato paste, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
  • Add the broth and milk to the pot and increase the heat to high. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the pasta to the pot, then reduce the heat slightly to medium-high to maintain a low boil. Cook for 12 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta has softened.
  • Turn off the heat, then stir in half the the cheese and top with the remaining half, and cover with a lid to let the cheese melt.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Use ground turkey - if ground beef isn’t your thing (or you just don’t have any on hand), feel free to substitute it for ground turkey or chicken.
  • Use less cheese - if you’re looking for a less cheesy variation, use our recipe for hamburger helper instead of this one.
  • Switch up the cheese - feel free to get creative with the cheese here – gouda and gruyere would be really delicious here.
  • Use a different noodle - you aren’t bound to elbow macaroni! Feel free to use any short paste (penne, fusilli, rotini, farfalle, etc.) here.

Nutrition

Calories: 876kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 71.2g | Fat: 35.9g | Saturated Fat: 18.7g | Cholesterol: 190.2mg | Sodium: 1676.8mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 11.2g