This do-it-yourself Beefaroni recipe is full of savory floor beef and macaroni noodles tossed in a wealthy, flavorful tomato sauce with cheese. It’s the final word family-pleaser for a weeknight dinner!
I like nostalgic consolation meals like Beefaroni, do-it-yourself alphabet soup, and mac and cheese. For one more simple one-pan dinner, do this tacky hen and broccoli pasta!
Relying on the place you’re on the earth, you may know immediately’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 reside in a home of pasta fiends, it’s nonetheless one among my household’s favourite consolation meals.
Why I Love This Beefaroni Recipe
- The sauce is simply too good. The sauce on this do-it-yourself Beefaroni is unmatched. Creamy, tomatoey, and full of 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 prepare dinner every little thing other than the noodles in a single skillet.
- Household-friendly. In case your kiddos love Hamburger Helper, this recipe could be very related. One principal distinction is that Beefaroni has tomatoes, whereas Hamburger Helper doesn’t. Moreover, 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? Effectively, making it at dwelling means realizing precisely what goes into it. Which should you ask me is means higher! These are some notes on the substances. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for a printable listing with the complete recipe particulars.
For the Sauce
- Beef Broth – This may be do-it-yourself 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 possibly can use heavy cream for a richer sauce.
- Tomato Sauce – Select your favourite tomato sauce or tomato passata from the shop. Or, when you’ve got 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 every little thing from chili to Bolognese and meatloaf. You can even 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’ll be able to’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 delicate 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 referred to as a roux, used to thicken the tomato gravy. The butter could be salted or unsalted.
- Cheese – I exploit shredded cheddar, however nearly any gentle, melting cheese will work. Monterey Jack is one other good possibility, or you’ll be able to even use Velveeta. Be sure that to grate the cheese contemporary from the block, because it melts a lot smoother.
Make Beefaroni
This simple recipe comes collectively rapidly 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 prepare 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 prepare 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 every 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 accordance with the instructions on the bundle. 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 prepare dinner the pasta. Salted pasta water is vital to flavorful pasta. Don’t neglect to put aside a few 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. Ensure that the sauce isn’t nonetheless simmering if you add the cheese. If it’s too scorching, the dairy can separate and make the sauce grainy.
- Swap out the meat. Substitute floor beef for lean floor turkey or hen as an alternative.
- 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 purple pepper flakes or add a pinch of cayenne when seasoning the bottom beef. You can even add a touch of your most popular scorching sauce.
What to Serve With Beefaroni
I like Beefaroni with Cheddar Bay biscuits or garlic breadsticks on the facet 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.
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. You can even 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 fashion, 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. Carry a big pot of water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Prepare dinner the macaroni in boiling water per the bundle’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 means of, crumbling it with a picket 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 prepare dinner for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Whisk within the tomato paste and prepare dinner for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
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Add the sauce. Whisk the sauce into the roux and prepare dinner, whisking all of the whereas, till clean. Season with oregano and basil, and prepare dinner till thickened.
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Make it tacky. Flip off the warmth and stir within the cheese. Hold stirring till it has totally 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 data is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could range in accordance with the substances and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.