This home made Beefaroni recipe is filled with savory floor beef and macaroni noodles tossed in a wealthy, flavorful tomato sauce with cheese. It’s the last word family-pleaser for a weeknight dinner!
I really like nostalgic consolation meals like Beefaroni, home made alphabet soup, and mac and cheese. For an additional simple one-pan dinner, do that tacky hen and broccoli pasta!
Relying on the place you’re on this planet, you may know right this moment’s mixture of floor beef and macaroni noodles in tomato sauce as American goulash, chop suey, or slumgullion. In our home, we name it Beefaroni! I LOVED consuming this tacky beef and tomato pasta as a child! And since I stay in a home of pasta fiends, it’s nonetheless certainly one of my household’s favourite consolation meals.
Why I Love This Beefaroni Recipe
- The sauce is simply too good. The sauce on this home made Beefaroni is unmatched. Creamy, tomatoey, and filled with savory seasonings. To not point out CHEESE!
- Superfast. This Beefaroni recipe is fast to prep and cooks in simply 25 minutes. Plus, it’s a one-pan pasta recipe, so that you cook dinner all the things aside from the noodles in a single skillet.
- Household-friendly. In case your kiddos love Hamburger Helper, this recipe could be very comparable. One foremost distinction is that Beefaroni has tomatoes, whereas Hamburger Helper doesn’t. In addition to, my beefaroni recipe has a lot taste that the entire household begs me to make it at the very least twice a month.
What You’ll Want
Who else grew up consuming Chef Boyardee Beefaroni from a can? Nicely, making it at residence means understanding precisely what goes into it. Which when you ask me is approach higher! These are some notes on the substances. Scroll right down to the recipe card for a printable record with the total recipe particulars.
For the Sauce
- Beef Broth – This may be home made inventory or store-bought low-sodium beef broth. Rooster broth additionally works right here.
- Milk – I like to recommend entire milk. Milk with decrease fats content material could curdle. You would use heavy cream for a richer sauce.
- Tomato Sauce – Select your favourite tomato sauce or tomato passata from the shop. Or, in case you have a household recipe, go forward and use it. You’ll additionally want tomato paste.
- Worcestershire Sauce – That is my secret ingredient for including a kick of umami to all the things from chili to Bolognese and meatloaf. It’s also possible to use soy sauce.
- Brown Sugar – Or use granulated sugar, to offset the tanginess of the tomatoes.
For the Beefaroni
- Elbow Macaroni – Macaroni places the “roni” in Beefaroni! However that doesn’t imply you may’t make this recipe with one other short-cut pasta. Different good selections are penne, rigatoni, rotini, ziti, shells, or bowtie pasta.
- Onion – Yellow onion, or one other gentle selection, diced up.
- Floor Beef – I like to recommend lean floor beef because it gained’t make the dish too greasy.
- Seasonings – You’ll want salt and pepper, garlic powder, mustard powder, dried oregano, and dried basil.
- Butter and Flour – To make what’s known as a roux, used to thicken the tomato gravy. The butter might be salted or unsalted.
- Cheese – I exploit shredded cheddar, however nearly any delicate, melting cheese will work. Monterey Jack is one other good possibility, or you may even use Velveeta. Make sure that to grate the cheese contemporary from the block, because it melts a lot smoother.
Easy methods to Make Beefaroni
This simple recipe comes collectively shortly on the stovetop; all you’ll want is a skillet and a big pot for the pasta.
- Make the sauce. First, whisk collectively the sauce substances (broth, milk, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar) whilst you boil the macaroni in salted water. Put aside a cup of the pasta water earlier than you drain the noodles.
- Sauté. In the meantime, sauté the onion in olive oil, then add the bottom beef. Season after which cook dinner the meat till it’s properly damaged up and browned. Transfer the meat to a plate with a slotted spoon afterward.
- Make a roux. Subsequent, you’ll whisk flour into the pan with melted butter. Let that cook dinner off a bit earlier than including the tomato paste.
- End the sauce. Whisk the ready sauce into the roux. Sprinkle in some dried oregano and basil, and maintain simmering till the sauce thickens. Lastly, take the pot off the warmth and soften within the shredded cheese.
- Put all of it collectively. Now, add the cooked macaroni and floor beef. Stir that each one along with the tacky tomato sauce and a splash of pasta water, and dig in! I prefer to garnish my Beefaroni with contemporary parsley.
Recipe Ideas and Add-in Concepts
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Boil the elbow macaroni al dente in keeping with the instructions on the package deal. Watch out to not overcook the pasta or it’ll be mushy.
- Salt the pasta water. Toss a few heaping spoonfuls of salt into the boiling water you’ll use to cook dinner the pasta. Salted pasta water is essential to flavorful pasta. Don’t neglect to put aside a number of the water earlier than draining the pasta, too! The starches leftover are nice for emulsifying the tomato sauce.
- Add the cheese off the warmth. Be sure that the sauce isn’t nonetheless simmering whenever you add the cheese. If it’s too sizzling, the dairy can separate and make the sauce grainy.
- Swap out the meat. Substitute floor beef for lean floor turkey or hen as a substitute.
- Add veggies. Add diced bell peppers, carrots, celery, pan-fried or roasted mushrooms, broccoli florets, or inexperienced peas. You’ll be able to sauté quick-cooking veggies alongside the onions on this recipe.
- Make it spicy. To provide this Beefaroni some warmth, sprinkle over crushed pink pepper flakes or add a pinch of cayenne when seasoning the bottom beef. It’s also possible to add a touch of your most well-liked sizzling sauce.
What to Serve With Beefaroni
I really like Beefaroni with Cheddar Bay biscuits or garlic breadsticks on the aspect and a sharing-size Caesar salad or roasted vegetable salad for the desk. I’ll additionally serve it with simple veggie sides like steamed broccoli, or roasted asparagus and Brussels sprouts. It’s such a comfortable, comforting weeknight dinner!
Sweeten issues up afterward with this chocolate mug cake or a slice of German marble cake for dessert.
Easy methods to Retailer and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer any leftover Beefaroni in an hermetic container within the fridge and reheat inside 3 days.
- Reheat. Heat leftovers on the stovetop or within the microwave. It’s also possible to cowl the Beefaroni with foil and heat it within the oven. I like to recommend sprinkling the Beefaroni with somewhat water or broth to loosen the sauce up.
- Freeze. Beefaroni freezes nice for as much as 3 months. I’ll typically switch the cooled Beefaroni to a casserole dish earlier than double-wrapping it with plastic wrap or foil, and place it into the freezer. This manner, it’s able to thaw within the fridge and go proper into the oven to reheat.
Extra Floor Beef Recipes
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Make the sauce. Whisk collectively the broth, milk, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar. Put aside.
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Prepare dinner the pasta. Convey a big pot of water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Prepare dinner the macaroni in boiling water per the package deal’s directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Put aside.
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Saute the onion. Set a big, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high warmth and add the olive oil. Add the onion and saute till translucent.
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Brown the meat. Add the meat to the pan with the onions and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and mustard powder. Prepare dinner the meat till it’s properly caramelized and cooked by, crumbling it with a wood spoon as you go. Switch the meat and onion to a plate with a slotted spoon. Drain all however 1 tablespoon of grease.
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Make a roux. Scale back the warmth to medium and add the butter to the pan. As soon as the butter has melted, whisk within the flour and cook dinner for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Whisk within the tomato paste and cook dinner for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
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Add the sauce. Whisk the sauce into the roux and cook dinner, whisking all of the whereas, till clean. Season with oregano and basil, and cook dinner till thickened.
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Make it tacky. Flip off the warmth and stir within the cheese. Preserve stirring till it has absolutely melted into the sauce.
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Put all of it collectively. Stir the macaroni and cooked floor beef combination into the tacky tomato sauce. If the sauce isn’t adhering to the pasta effectively, stir in a little bit of the reserved pasta water.
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Serve. Serve the beefaroni heat, garnished with contemporary parsley.
Energy: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 33g | Fats: 27g | Saturated Fats: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 8g | Trans Fats: 0.5g | Ldl cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1484mg | Potassium: 652mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1079IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 340mg | Iron: 4mg
Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could fluctuate in keeping with the substances and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.