Cheeseburger macaroni recipe makes easy, cheesy hamburger mac in about 30 minutes. This one-pot dish couldn’t be easier!
Forget boxed cheeseburger macaroni when you’re craving a comforting, cheesy meal! This cheeseburger macaroni recipe whips up a satisfying hamburger mac in just about 30 minutes.
It’s incredibly easy to make, using just one pot. The best part? You can customize it to your liking—throw in some extra veggies or experiment with different cheeses.
“Delicious!!” – Sesilia
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ground beef: I like to use lean ground beef. If you use ground beef with higher fat content, drain it before adding in the onion. You could also use ground turkey or ground chicken. If using either of those, increase the seasoning.
- Onion: White onion or yellow onion works well.
- Broth: I recommend using reduced-sodium broth so you can better control how much salt there is in your dish.
- Italian diced tomatoes: Or use regular diced tomatoes + 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Cheese: You can use any shredded cheese that you’d like. Shredded cheddar cheese works especially well.
How to make cheeseburger macaroni
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe is given below.
Step 1: Add ground beef to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly, until the ground beef is no longer pink.
Step 2: Stir in the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until softened.
Step 3: Add broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
Step 4: Once at a boil, lower the heat to medium-low.
Step 5: Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.
Step 6: Remove from heat.
Step 7: Add the cheese, and stir until melted and combined. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Tips!
- Scaling: You can halve or double this recipe. The recipe does keep well in the fridge, though, so you may want to make the full recipe if you like having leftovers.
- Customizing: Feel free to change up the recipe according to your tastes! You can add in some diced bell pepper with the onion or change up the seasoning to make it your own.
Serving suggestions
Cheeseburger macaroni goes well with fresh veggies on the side to help lighten up the meal. I like to serve it with either a green salad or raw veggies like carrots and broccoli.
Storage
Store any leftover cheesy hamburger macaroni in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored.
More cheesy pasta recipes!
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Cheeseburger Macaroni Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth or chicken broth
- 14 ounce can diced Italian tomatoes
- 1 cup milk
- 16 ounces dry macaroni noodles
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
Instructions
- Add ground beef to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly, until the ground beef is no longer pink.1 pound lean ground beef
- Stir in the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until softened.1 cup diced onion
- Add broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta, and black pepper.4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth or chicken broth, 14 ounce can diced Italian tomatoes, 1 cup milk, 16 ounces dry macaroni noodles, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Bring to a boil.
- Once at a boil, lower the heat to medium-low.
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat.
- Add the cheese, and stir until melted and combined.4 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Ground beef: I like to use lean ground beef. If you use ground beef with higher fat content, drain it before adding in the onion. You could also use ground turkey or ground chicken. If using either of those, increase the seasoning.
- Onion: White onion or yellow onion works well.
- Broth: I recommend using reduced-sodium broth so you can better control how much salt there is in your dish.
- Italian diced tomatoes: Or use regular diced tomatoes + 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Cheese: You can use any shredded cheese that you’d like. Shredded cheddar cheese works especially well.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Willow says
I made this, and it was good. However, I think it’s a little bland. Do you have any suggestions on how to spice it up a little bit? I thought maybe using Rotel or Italian sausage.
Kate Dean says
It’s going to depend on what sort of flavor you’re looking to add to it. If you’re looking to add heat to it, you could use Rotel and sub grated pepper Jack cheese for part of the cheese. If you want more Italian flavor, you could use Italian sausage and add Italian seasoning. It will just depend on how you want to change it up.
Sesilia says
Delicious!!
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Sesiliab says
Can you freeze the leftovers?
Kate Dean says
You can! However, you may find that the noodles are a bit softer after freezing.