When my husband and I were first married we bought Hamburger Helper boxed meals because they were easy. As the years went by I realized those were not the healthiest meals. So, I learned to make my own versions from scratch. Now I can make our favorites with whole food ingredients without much more effort than making a boxed meal. For example, one of our favorites is hamburger mac & cheese.
I usually serve this meal with a vegetable like green beans and a fruit. While my son with allergies can’t eat this, I have been making him a creamy noodle version that doesn’t include cheese but does use non-dairy milk and rice noodles.
While ground beef is fine to use, we generally use ground venison. To speed up the process of making meals that require ground beef, I always keep packages of browned burger in my freezer.
If you would like to make a big pot of hamburger mac & cheese, here is my recipe. This makes a lot, so you may want to cut it in half if you have a small family. On the off chance that we have leftovers, I reheat them in a pan on the stove and add a little milk.
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Cooked & Drained Ground Beef
- 2 Cups Macaroni (uncooked)
- 4 Tbsp. Butter
- 4 Tbsp. Flour
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 2 Cups Milk
- 2 Cups Cheddar or Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- Boil the macaroni in 10-12 cups of water until tender.
- Drain.
- Add the hamburger to the macaroni and stir.
- In another pot melt the butter.
- Whisk in the flour and cook until bubbly (only a minute or two).
- Add the milk, salt, onion powder and paprika.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Add the cheese and cook on low until thick.
- Pour over macaroni and stir.
Notes
You may need to add additional milk to this recipe if it isn't creamy enough for you. I usually don't measure the milk any more, so I am not sure 2 cups will be enough. I also sometimes have to add additional salt to taste.
This recipe makes a large amount. You can cut it in half if it is too much for your family. If you do have leftovers, add a little milk when reheating.
