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Cheeseburger Macaroni

Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni

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5 from 89 reviews

This homemade version of that classic hamburger helper we all ate as kids is all grown up! Fresh garlic and onion and an easy to make cheese sauce really elevate this dish. It will take you right back to your childhood!

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground beef (I used 85/15)
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
  • 2 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 Tbsp plain yellow mustard
  • 3 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 8 oz large elbow macaroni (about 2 1/4 cups measured out)

Instructions

  1. In a dutch oven or other large stock pot, brown the ground beef on medium high heat while you dice the onion.
  2. Once the onion is chopped, add it to the pot and continue cooking until the beef is well browned and the onions are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
  3. If you dont have much grease in your pot, add the unsalted butter. If you have what appears to be at least 2 Tbsp of fat you should not need the butter. If you used beef with a rather high fat content, you may need to drain some of it off at this point.
  4. Add the all purpose flour and stir, cooking about 3 to 5 minutes, until you no longer smell flour and it has absorbed the grease.
  5. While the flour and meat mixture is cooking, put a large pot of water on to boil for the macaroni.
  6. Add the milk, salt, pepper, chopped garlic, and plain yellow mustard and to the flour and meat mixture and stir until mixture begins to thicken and reaches a slow simmer.
  7. Turn the heat to medium and while the sauce is simmering shred the cheese.
  8. Once the water in the other pot is boiling, add the macaroni and cook to al dente or according to package directions, whichever you prefer.
  9. While the macaroni is cooking, add the shredded cheese to the sauce and turn down to medium low, stirring until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce.
  10. Once the macaroni is cooked, drain and add to the sauce and stir well, allowing the cheese sauce to thoroughly coat the pasta and serve.

Notes

If you use ground turkey, you will probably want to add another 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper to this recipe to add a little extra seasoning.

Don't skip the plain yellow mustard! It takes the cheeseburger flavor of this to a whole other level!

For ways to jazz this recipe up a little, be sure to check out the blog post for tips!

If you did not use 15% fat ground beef and you find yourself with quite a bit of grease, be sure to add the garlic, salt, and pepper after draining the excess fat from the pan. This way you won’t accidentally pour all of your flavor down the drain.

If you use lean ground beef, you may find you need a tablespoon of unsalted butter to help add some fat to make the cheese sauce. All you need to do is add it in and melt it before you put the flour in the pot.

  • Author: Amy at The Copper Table
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Main Dishes and Sandwiches
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 904
  • Sugar: 1
  • Sodium: 862
  • Fat: 62
  • Saturated Fat: 33
  • Unsaturated Fat: 21
  • Trans Fat: 2
  • Carbohydrates: 25
  • Fiber: 1
  • Protein: 59
  • Cholesterol: 212

Find it online: https://thecoppertable.com/cheeseburger-macaroni-from-scratch/