Baked Mac and Cheese With Ground Beef Recipe

Cheeseburger macaroni baked into a wholesome, comforting hamburger casserole. This ground beefiness casserole is the perfect lightened-up comfort food recipe.

cheeseburger macaroni baked in the oven until hot and bubbly.

This post contains affiliate links. I am an chapter for Amazon Associates and other brands and earn a minor commission on qualifying purchases. Yous're by no ways obligated to apply my links but, if you practice, thanks for supporting Organize Yourself Skinny.

There'south zilch improve than a proficient old-fashioned mac and cheese when it comes to comfort food! Am I right? Now add some juicy hamburger to information technology, and OMG, we got cheeseburger macaroni! This macaroni bake is also called basis beef casserole, but any it's called, trust me, y'all need this healthy comfort nutrient recipe.

Of course, homemade cheeseburger macaroni isn't the first on the list of recipes we think of when trying to eat healthier clean foods. Withal, you lot don't need to entirely right it off either.

The key to fitting comforting casseroles into your healthy lifestyle is portion control and preparing information technology with more nutritious ingredients.

Reasons you'll honey this recipe

Good for you comfort food. Clean wholesome ingredients are the stars in this classic cheesy goulash recipe.
Family-friendly. Yous won't hear any complaints when this cheeseburger macaroni is on the carte du jour!
Feed a crowd. Brand this like shooting fish in a barrel and delicious cheeseburger mac for your next party!
Make-ahead. Make on Sunday for dinner during the week or freeze for an easy dinner later on. This hamburger casserole is also a bully freezer repast to give a new mom.

Ingredients

Ground beef. I utilise a lean 90/10 organic ground beef for this recipe.
Hamburger Seasoning. Hamburger spice gives the meat a "hamburger" flavor. Yous tin find this spice blend in the grocery stores with other spices.
Granulated garlic, onion pulverisation, salt, and pepper. These spices add another layer of season.
Worcestershire Sauce. One of my favorite ingredients when making footing beefiness recipes to enhance the flavour.
Whole grain elbow macaroni or shells. Whatsoever short pasta volition piece of work in this recipe.
Butter and flour. This is for making the roux to thicken the sauce for the casserole.
Milk and chicken stock. To reduce calories, I use 1% milk and chicken stock. You can besides use unsweetened kokosnoot milk for a dairy-free substitute, and beef broth or any stock will piece of work.
Shredded cheddar cheese and grated Romano. What's a cheeseburger without cheese? We dearest precipitous cheddar cheese in this recipe for creaminess, and the romano adds a lilliputian more cheesy flavor.

Cooking Tips

Simply cook the pasta for 5 minutes. The pasta will even so take a seize with teeth to it simply, don't worry, it will cook as it bakes in the sauce.
Any short pasta will piece of work fine. I've used everything from shells, corkscrew, elbows, fusilli, and bow ties. Use whatever you want.
You can brand this gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta, tapioca flour, and gluten-free spices.
I've made this with gluten-gratis pasta earlier, and information technology turned out dandy.
If yous don't want to use dairy milk, and then unsweetened kokosnoot milk works bang-up. I oasis't made this with vegan cheese, but if you endeavour it, let me know.
Precipitous cheddar works perfectly in this recipe but experiment with all of your favorite cheeses.
Speaking of cheese, if y'all accept fourth dimension, shred your cheese. I know it's easier to buy numberless of shredded cheddar, and I do more often than non, simply shredding sharp cheddar fresh brings this dish over the acme.

Healthy Substitutions

In my feel, the college quality of the meat, the better your recipe will be. For the beef, I used 90% lean organic ground beef. I've as well made this with basis turkey – this brings the saturated fat content way down. Nonetheless, my family unit prefers beef in this recipe, so I utilize lean organic grass-fed beefiness.
Go far gluten-free past using gluten-free flour and pasta. Likewise, make sure to cheque all of the other ingredients to ensure at that place is no cross-contagion.
You lot tin use low-fat cheese. I use whole-fat shredded cheese because information technology melts improve and is healthier because depression-fat cheese is filled with fillers and junk. All the same, if you want to cut calories and fatty, you lot can use light cheese.

Serving Suggestions

This cheeseburger macaroni bake recipe makes near eight (1 one/4 cup) servings. I know that might non seem like a lot per serving, especially when you lot desire to eat the whole pan but, trust me, it's plenty.

Yous tin too bulk upwards your plate with some of these good for you vegetable side dishes:

Roasted asparagus
Roasted broccoli
Roasted carrots
Greenish or Caesar salad

Shop the recipe

5 i/two Quart Dutch Oven
Large skillet
Whisk
9 x xiii Ceramic Casserole Dish

My Favorite Dutch Oven!

5 i/2 Quart Dutch Oven

Buy Now →

How to Make the Cheeseburger Macaroni

step by step collage showing how to make cheeseburger macaroni bake

Bring to a boil a large pot of salted water. Add together the macaroni and melt for 5 minutes. The macaroni volition withal have a bite to it. Drain and place into a 9 x 13 goulash dish. Set up aside.
In a large skillet, melt the footing beef over medium oestrus. Break the meat into pocket-sized pieces as it cooks when there's a little flake of pink left; stir in the hamburger seasoning, granulated garlic, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
Place the cooked seasoned ground beefiness into the casserole dish with the macaroni.

a second collage showing the last 6 steps to making this hamburger casserole bake.

Employ the same pot that you used to make the macaroni to brand the sauce. Start by melting the butter over low heat.
Quickly whisk in the flour until it forms a paste, and and so whisk in the chicken stock and milk.
Stir in the granulated garlic, onion, and black pepper.
Cook sauce over medium until information technology becomes bubbly and starts to thicken. This can accept 10 minutes; whisk every few minutes and then the flour or milk doesn't stick and burn at the bottom.
Once the sauce begins to bubble (not boil), remove from estrus and slowly stir in cheddar and romano cheese.
Taste for salt. Add 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you lot get the desired season.
Add the sauce into the casserole dish with the pasta and beef and stir until pasta and beef coats with sauce.
Encompass with foil and bake for fifty minutes. Remove the foil and broil for another ten minutes.
Let sit down for about 5 minutes and then serve.

overhead view of the cheeseburger macaroni

Storage tips

To meal prep for the week

Bake it entirely ahead of time and so shop it in the refrigerator to relish. Reheat in the microwave on the night you lot eat it. I prefer using glass meal prep containers because information technology helps keep this recipe fresh longer.
Get together the ingredients ahead of time (without baking), cover the casserole, and shop in the refrigerator until you want to broil information technology during the calendar week. I recommend blistering inside a couple of days of preparing the ingredients. Keep in mind; you might need to add on a lilliputian more than cooking time because the recipe will be cold.
Prepare components of the recipe alee of time. For example, you can cook the beef and pasta in advance. Then on the day y'all're going to consume, all you need to do is melt the sauce, put it together, and bake.

To freeze

Broil the hamburger casserole and freeze it into portions for quick lunches or dinners. Store in glass containers or use a silicone tray (similar Souper Cubes) to freeze into individual portions. Reheat in the microwave using a microwave-safe dish
Gather the ingredients into a casserole dish or disposable dish, cover with foil, and freeze. Identify the casserole into refrigerate to thaw for 1-ii days earlier continuing with the recipe. Yous will probably need to add extra cooking time if the cheeseburger macaroni bake still seems a piffling frozen.
Freeze casserole components separately. For case, cook the footing beef and sauce and place them into bags or containers and freeze. Thaw in the microwave or on the stove, brand the pasta, assemble the goulash, and bake.

For more tips, see my tutorial on freezing casseroles.

Overhead picture of two bowls of cheeseburger macaroni

Other Healthy Casseroles

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Craven Broccoli Broil
Healthy Baked Ziti
Quinoa Broccoli Bake
Cajun Chicken Quinoa Bake

v 1/two quart dutch oven
Whisk
9 10 13 goulash dish

ane lb whole grain elbow macaroni or shells

For the basis beef

1 lb 90% lean basis beef
i teaspoon hamburger seasoning
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

For the sauce

1 tablespoon butter salted or unsalted
i/4 loving cup flour can use gluten-gratis
3 cups 1% milk
ii cups chicken stock
i teaspoon granulated garlic
ane teaspoon black pepper
4 cups shredded cheddar
1/two cup grated romano cheese
salt every bit needed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring to a boil a large pot of salted water. Add the macaroni and cook for 5 minutes. The macaroni will however have a bite to it.
Drain the pasta and place it into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Set aside.
In a big skillet, cook the basis beef over medium heat. Break the meat into pocket-sized pieces equally information technology cooks when there'southward a picayune fleck of pinkish left; stir in the hamburger seasoning, granulated garlic, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, table salt, and pepper.
Place the cooked seasoned footing beef into the casserole dish with the macaroni.
Utilize the same pot that you used to brand the macaroni to brand the sauce. Starting time by melting the butter over low estrus.
Quickly whisk in the flour until it forms a paste, and so whisk in the craven stock and milk.
Stir in the granulated garlic, onion, and black pepper. Melt sauce over medium until it becomes bubbly and starts to thicken. This tin take x minutes; whisk every few minutes so the flour or milk doesn't stick and burn down at the bottom.
Once the sauce begins to chimera (not boil), remove from heat and slowly stir in cheddar and romano cheese. Taste for salt. Add together 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you get the desired flavor.
Add the sauce into the casserole dish with the pasta and beef and stir until pasta and beef is coated with sauce.
Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove the foil and broil for some other 10 minutes.Allow sit for virtually five minutes and then serve.

Serving size is ane and 1/4 cups

Storage tips

To meal prep for the calendar week

Bake it entirely ahead of time and and then store information technology in the refrigerator to relish. Reheat in the microwave on the night you eat it. I adopt using glass meal prep containers because it helps keep this recipe fresh longer.
Get together the ingredients ahead of time (without baking), cover the casserole, and store in the refrigerator until you want to bake information technology during the week. I recommend baking within a couple of days of preparing the ingredients. Keep in mind; you lot might need to add on a fiddling more than cooking fourth dimension because the recipe volition be cold.
Set up components of the recipe ahead of fourth dimension. For example, you tin cook the beef and pasta in advance. Then on the solar day you lot're going to eat, all you need to do is cook the sauce, put it together, and broil.

To freeze

Bake the hamburger casserole and freeze information technology into portions for quick lunches or dinners. Store in glass containers or employ a silicone tray (like Souper Cubes) to freeze into individual portions. Reheat in the microwave using a microwave-condom dish
Assemble the ingredients into a casserole dish or disposable dish, comprehend with foil, and freeze. Identify the casserole into refrigerate to thaw for 1-two days before standing with the recipe. You will probably need to add together actress cooking fourth dimension if the cheeseburger macaroni bake nevertheless seems a piddling frozen.
Freeze casserole components separately. For example, cook the footing beef and sauce and place them into bags or containers and freeze. Thaw in the microwave or on the stove, make the pasta, assemble the casserole, and broil.

Did you make this recipe?

Have you tried this Cheeseburger Macaroni? If so, I'd dearest for you lot to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. Nosotros all learn from each other'south experiences. As well, it would be awesome if you could share a moving-picture show on Instagram and tag information technology #organizeyourselfskinny. I can't wait to run into it!

Hi, I'm Tammy Overhoff, a busy mom, married woman, and entrepreneur. I am the possessor, author, and recipe programmer here at Organize Yourself Skinny. Since 2011 Organize Yourself Skinny has become a trusted resource for clean eating recipes to repast prep, reviews, and lifestyle hacks to assist you fit healthy habits and routines into your busy schedule. I'm the writer of the Organize Yourself Skinny eBook & 30-day Workbook Bundle.

stanleypadmings.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/cheeseburger-macaroni/