Beefy Mac Dinner made with pantry ingredients & served topped with plenty of cheese in 35 minutes! Macaroni combined with a flavorful beef tomato sauce is the perfect weeknight dinner!
This hearty, comforting homemade Hamburger Helper-type dish tastes amazing! This macaroni and beef is packed with delicious flavors and is a filling dish that everyone is sure to enjoy.
What is Beef & Macaroni?
I have a large family and sometimes pleasing everyone at mealtime can be a bit challenging. Thankfully, everyone always enjoys a cheesy, beef pasta dish. This recipe is very similar to a Hamburger Helper style dish, a classic, an easy and inexpensive meal that will fill your family up and leave everyone satisfied. My family devoured it and I’m sure yours will too!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS EASY BEEF PASTA RECIPE
- It is SO easy to make. We use great ingredients in this beef & cheese pasta recipe to make it taste truly perfect. From the ground beef and marinara sauce, to the simple seasonings, some or most of the ingredients may already be in your kitchen!
- 30 minute recipe. With little prep work and a fast cook time, you can easily have this recipe completed in about 30 minutes. This is a perfect dish for a fast paced night or one where you don’t want to be standing for too long.
- Full and delicious meal. This recipe is packed with ingredients that are so tasty and will not leave you hungry. Each ingredient provides flavor and comfort, this makes for a fantastic meal plan for your busy week.
INGREDIENTS FOR EASY BEEF & MAC
Macaroni: You will need one 16-oz elbow macaroni pasta, cooked according to package directions.
Butter: Using 5 tablespoons of butter, divided, will give this delicious dish a nice rich taste.
Onion: Add ½ cup of chopped onion, white or red (whatever your preference) to flavor the meat mixture well.
Beef: To ensure every bite has some protein, you need 1 pound of ground beef, cooked and broken into chunks.
Flour: Help thicken the sauce up a bit by adding in ¼ cup of all-purpose flour.
Broth: Use 1 cup of beef broth to make the sauce the perfect consistency.
Garlic powder: Add in 1 teaspoon of garlic powder for a great addition of taste in this meat mixture.
Onion powder: You will want to use 1 teaspoon of onion powder to this dish.
Paprika: Take the seasoning up a notch with ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Salt: Adding in ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of ground pepper will help balance all the flavors in this dish nicely.
Marinara sauce: For the base of the sauce, use one 24-oz jar of marinara pasta sauce.
Cheese: A pasta dish isn’t complete without this ingredient, add 2 cups of shredded Italian cheese blend (or mozzarella, or Colby Jack).
How to make Beefy Mac Dinner
Prep
Get started by chopping the onion, you want small pieces that will mix well into the meat mixture.
You will need to pasta cooked before assembling this meal completely, cook the macaroni according to the package directions. The meat will take about 20 minutes, you can multitask and cook the pasta while you are getting the meat started.
Cook meat
Next, in a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt 1 TBSP of butter, over medium heat. Then add the chopped onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
After that, add the ground beef and break the meat into pieces. Stir and cook until the ground beef is no longer pink, this typically takes about 8 minutes.
Assemble
Proceed to add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melt. Now, sprinkle the flour on top of the cooked beef and stir.
While stirring, add the beef broth, seasonings, and pasta sauce. Stir to combine, then simmer the mixture for 7 to 10 minutes, on low heat.
Lastly, add the cooked macaroni to the sauce and top with cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Beefy Mac Dinner
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni pasta cooked according to package directions
- 5 TBSP butter divided
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 lb ground beef
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 24 oz marinara pasta sauce
- 2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzarella, or Colby Jack
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.
- While the pasta water is heating, melt 1 TBSP butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the ground beef and break the meat into pieces. Stir and cook until the ground beef is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melt. Sprinkle the flour on top of the cooked beef. Stir.
- Add the beef broth, seasonings and pasta sauce. Stir to combine. Simmer for 7 to 10 minutes on low heat.
- Add the macaroni to the sauce and top with cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Want to make this dish a little different?
If you are looking to kick this dish up a notch, here are a few ideas! Consider making it a bit spicy, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or chili powder (¼ teaspoon) to the meat when cooking. Or sprinkle some pepper jack cheese or add some Rotel tomatoes with green chilies to the sauce. Looking to make this more kid-friendly? Easy, add more cheese. Melt the cheese in the oven so it is nice and golden or even use an alternate type of pasta you know they like. Want to make it Deluxe: Sprinkle some Parmigiano or fresh-cut herb when serving. Yum!
HOW LONG IS BEEF & MAC PASTA GOOD FOR?
For best results, eat leftovers within 7 days. Reheat before eating and keep the leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for safekeeping.
HOW TO COOK PASTA PERFECTLY EVERY TIME
Pasta is pretty simple to cook, but there are a few little tricks to making sure it turns out perfect every time!
- Make sure you use a large enough pot to boil your noodles in. If it is too small, you may find that your noodles stick together and you may run out of water before the noodles are completely cooked. To cook one pound of pasta, you should be using at least 4-6 quarts of water. Make sure your pot is big enough to hold the water and the pasta and be able to boil without boiling over. Remember, pasta expands as it cooks!
- Add some salt to the water. Adding salt increases the boiling point of the water, meaning that the water will boil faster and also helps the pasta cook a little bit faster too! I usually add about a tablespoon of salt.
- Test the pasta. Even though there are recommended cooking times for each type of pasta, the only fool-proof method I have found to make sure pasta is done perfectly is to taste test it! About a minute before the recommended cooing time, I use a slotted spoon to get a noodle out of the pot. Rinse with cold water to avoid burning your tongue! If it is still a little crunchy, let it boil another minute or two before testing again.
- Drain the pasta well and rinse with cold water immediately. The cold water will prevent the pasta from continuing to cook and will also prevent the noodles from sticking together.
Try more of our great pasta recipes here:
- Creamy Lemon Pasta with Chicken
- Mexican Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Summertime Pasta Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Pasta Caprese
- Easy Zucchini Pasta
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Fresh From the Garden Pasta Salad
- Creamy Lemon Pasta with Chicken
- Mexican Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Summertime Pasta Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Pasta Caprese
- Easy Zucchini Pasta
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Fresh From the Garden Pasta Salad
Beefy Mac Dinner is made with basic ingredients & served with lots of delicious cheese, ready in 35 minutes! Macaroni noodles combined with an incredible beef tomato sauce is a wonderful and easy weeknight dinner.
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