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Combine two kid favorites into one easy recipe and you get this cheeseburger mac and cheese! With seasoned ground beef and lots of cheese, the only thing that’s missing from this one-pot pasta is the sesame seed bun.
Okay, I’ll be the one to say it first: some recipes, they’re just not lookers. This cheeseburger mac and cheese is beige on beige on beige, and no matter how much parsley we add to jazz up the photos, it’s still hopelessly, utterly, unarguably boring to look at.
So close your eyes and enjoy this mac and cheese with ground beef for exactly what it is: a one-pot pasta that is meaty, carby, creamy, and cheesy. Which is to say: this is definitely going to be a hit with your kids.
Ingredient Notes
- Lean ground beef – I used 85/15.
- Pasta – I have tested this with both shell or elbow noodles, but you can swap in any similarly-sized shape you like.
- Evaporated milk – Using evaporated milk allows us to create a cream sauce without heavy cream and without a roux. Not the same as sweetened condensed milk.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- If you notice that the liquid is almost absorbed but the noodles aren’t yet tender, add more water or beef broth to the pot—about 1/4 cup at a time.
- Add the garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper after draining the grease if you use ground beef that’s fattier than 85/15. This will keep you from draining off all that flavor!
- You can swap in regular milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream for the evaporated milk, but make sure it’s warm when you add it to the pasta to keep it from curdling.
- Although I haven’t tested this recipe with ground turkey, I think it would work just fine. Add a generous glug or two of olive oil to the pot before browning the turkey to keep it from sticking since it’s leaner.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine brown ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
1 lb lean ground beef, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
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Cook over medium heat until the ground beef is no longer pink (~6-8 minutes).
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Drain any grease and add dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.
1 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp tomato paste
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Add beef broth, water, butter, evaporated milk, and noodles, and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Pro tip: use a new cooking utensil that didn’t touch the raw ground beef from here on out.
2 cups shell or elbow noodles, 2 cups beef broth, 2 tbsp butter, 12 oz evaporated milk, 1.5 cups water
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Reduce the stove temp to medium, and stir the mixture so that it doesn’t stick or burn until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed by the pasta (~10-15 minutes depending on brand/noodle size).
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If the mixture is thickening too quickly before the noodles have finished cooking, add water or additional beef broth 1/4 cup at at time to keep it from burning.
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Add the cheese, and stir gently until all the cheese has melted.
2 cups extra sharp cheddar
- If your ground beef is not lean (85/15), you may wish to add the seasonings in step 1 AFTER you have drained the grease.
- Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are NOT the same thing. Only evaporated milk will work in this recipe.
- If you don’t have evaporated milk, you can sub in regular milk, half-and-half, or cream. Just make sure you heat it before adding it to the hot pasta. This prevents the milk from curdling, resulting in a grainy cheese sauce.
Serving: 1cupCalories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 27gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 559mgPotassium: 513mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 534IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 333mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
