One-Pan Cheeseburger Macaroni Recipe Will Make You Toss the Box (20 Minutes) Pasta Beef High Protein Recipes Dinner Budget Recipes Lunch

You know what chili mac box we're talking about. Not knocking it, but if you can make this easy homemade chili mac recipe almost as fast, why do you need help from a box? Think about it. After you make this simple, high-protein ground beef recipe once, we bet you'll never go back to the box. And you'll be chillin' with a big bowl of it in about 20 minutes, getting the health benefits of protein in every cheesy bite.

The simple cheeseburger macaroni recipe is made with ground beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, brown sugar, tomato sauce, elbow macaroni and shredded cheddar cheese. The ground beef is cooked with the onion, garlic, chili powder and ground cumin in a skillet until cooked through. Water, brown sugar and tomato sauce are added, then comes the pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender, then add half of the cheese. Stir until melted and add the remaining cheese on top. Done!

Serve this budget dinner with a fresh vegetable or salad for a complete meal. Reheat the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 15 ounces (1 can) tomato sauce
• 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Cook the ground beef along with the onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin in a skillet until meat is browned. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (Try this recipe with ground turkey or ground chicken instead of beef.)
2. Add the water, brown sugar and tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Add the pasta, stir, cover and cook until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. 
3. When pasta is tender, stir in 1 cup of the cheese until melted. Top with the remaining cheese and cover until melted. (Freshly grated cheese melts better than pre-shredded bagged cheese.)
4. Garnish with the parsley before serving, if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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