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Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni is the perfect weeknight meal! It’s ready in less than 30 minutes, and it’s so easy to make, you’ll never buy the boxed stuff again!
I originally shared this recipe back in 2015, and it has been one of my most popular recipes! Although it’s not quite the healthiest recipe there is, it’s delicious, and everyone is going to love it – even picky eaters! I never actually had Hamburger Helper until I started dating D.J., and he made it for dinner one night. I was wondering where it had been my whole life – we never ate anything like this growing up. It was really just meat and potatoes in my house, so he was opening me up to a whole new world!
He was making it for us one day, and I looked at the box, and realized that it really wasn’t that healthy, and for what the ingredients actually were, we could make it homemade, and I knew it would taste A LOT better. So, the next time he wanted Cheeseburger Macaroni, it was my time to cook, and I made this version. We’ve never bought a box since!
How To Make Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni
Gather Tools & Equipment
- Large pot
- Large non-stick pan
- Cheese grater
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
Gather Ingredients
- elbow macaroni or shells
- ground beef
- velveeta
- mozzarella cheese
- cheddar cheese
- butter
- dijon mustard
- milk
- salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder
Boil Pasta
Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Drain and set aside. Elbow macaroni, mini shells and radiatore pasta work best for Cheeseburger Macaroni.
Cook Ground Beef
In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add ground beef to pan, and season with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Cook, breaking up the ground beef, until no longer pink – about 8-10 minutes.
Make Cheese Sauce
In the same skillet, add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add dijon, and milk to pan. Bring up to a low simmer and add velveeta. Stir until almost completely melted, and add remaining cheeses. Stir until completely melted.
Add Pasta Back To Pan
Add drained pasta to pan, and stir to fully combine. Let cook 1 minute to warm pasta through
Serve
Serve Cheeseburger Macaroni immediately, and enjoy!
Cheeseburger Macaroni
Equipment
- Cheese Grater
- Large Pot
- Non-Stick Pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb elbow macaroni or mini shells
- 8 oz velveeta 2 cups
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 4 tbsp butter ½ stick
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Drain and set aside.
- In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add ground beef to pan, and season with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Cook, breaking up the ground beef, until no longer pink – about 8-10 minutes.
- In the same skillet, add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add dijon, and milk to pan. Bring up to a low simmer and add velveeta. Stir until almost completely melted, and add remaining cheeses. Stir until completely melted.
- Add drained pasta to pan, and stir to fully combine. Let cook 1 minute to warm pasta through
- Serve Cheeseburger Macaroni immediately, and enjoy!
