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My grandsons ask me for the cheeseburger macaroni out of the box, and I have to tell them that the box is a pale copy of what my mother made in one skillet on a Tuesday night. Hers had no envelope and no powder. It had ground beef browned properly, a chopped onion, elbow macaroni, and a big handful of real sharp cheddar, and it came together in the same pan in about half an hour. The first time I made it for the boys they ate three helpings each and stopped asking for the box.
The secret is that the macaroni never sees a pot of boiling water. It goes into the skillet raw, right on top of the browned beef, and cooks in a mixture of beef broth and milk with the lid on. As it cooks, the pasta drinks up the liquid and gives off its starch, and that starch thickens everything into a creamy sauce by itself. When the macaroni is tender, the skillet comes off the heat and the cheddar is stirred in until it melts smooth and glossy. Off the heat, my mother said, or the cheese turns grainy. The exact amount of liquid is what makes it work, so it is written out below.
Why this cheeseburger macaroni works
- Pasta cooked in the sauce. The macaroni releases starch into the broth and milk, which thickens the sauce naturally with no flour.
- Beef browned, not grey. Letting the beef sit in the hot skillet until it browns gives the deep flavor the box only imitates.
- Tomato paste. A spoonful cooked into the beef adds the savory, slightly sweet cheeseburger note.
- Cheese off the heat. Cheddar melts smooth into a hot sauce that is no longer boiling. Boiling makes it oily and grainy.
- One skillet. Everything happens in one pan, which means a real supper on a busy night and one pan to wash.
Ingredients
Serves 6 from a 12 inch skillet. The measurements are in US cups with grams and milliliters in brackets.
- 1 pound lean ground beef (450g), 85% or 90% lean
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup, 150g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (32g)
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth (480ml)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (360ml)
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni (8 ounces, 225g)
- 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar (8 ounces, 225g)
- Chopped green onion, to serve (optional)
Grate the cheddar from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated to stop it clumping in the bag, and that coating keeps it from melting into a smooth sauce.
How to make cheeseburger macaroni
- Heat a 12 inch skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, breaking the beef up, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the beef is well browned and the onion is soft. Let the beef sit undisturbed for a minute at a time so it browns, not steams.
- Spoon off and discard most of the fat. Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and mustard powder and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more, until it darkens slightly.
- Pour in the beef broth and milk and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring it to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in the dry macaroni. Cover with the lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes so nothing sticks, until the macaroni is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed into a creamy sauce.
- Take the skillet off the heat. Stir in the cheddar a handful at a time until melted and glossy.
- Taste and add salt if needed. Let it stand for 5 minutes to thicken a little, then serve topped with green onion if you like.
Tips that make the difference
- If the sauce looks dry before the pasta is tender, add a splash more milk or broth. If it looks thin at the end, let it stand a few more minutes; it thickens as it cools.
- Keep it at a gentle simmer. A hard boil can curdle the milk.
- Stir often enough to keep the macaroni from settling and sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
- Use a sharp cheddar. A mild cheese melts fine but tastes like nothing next to the beef.
- Season at the end. The broth and cheese are both salty, so taste before adding more.
Variations
- Burger toppings. Serve with diced dill pickles and a squeeze of ketchup and mustard on top, like a burger.
- Tomato. Stir in a can of diced tomatoes with the broth, and use a little less milk.
- Extra creamy. Stir in 2 ounces of cream cheese with the cheddar.
- Baked. Spoon it into a baking dish, top with more cheddar and bake at 375 degrees until bubbling and brown at the edges.
Storage and make-ahead
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring, or in the microwave with a spoonful of milk stirred in. The sauce thickens in the refrigerator and loosens again with the milk.
It freezes for up to 2 months, though the sauce is a little less smooth after freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat with extra milk.
Frequently asked questions
How much liquid does the macaroni need in the skillet?
For 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni, 2 cups of beef broth plus 1 1/2 cups of milk. The pasta absorbs most of it and the starch turns the rest into a creamy sauce.
Can I use a different pasta?
Small shapes work best: small shells, rotini or ditalini. Check them a couple of minutes early, as cooking times differ.
Why did my cheese sauce turn grainy?
The cheese was added while the sauce was boiling, or pre-shredded cheese was used. Take the skillet off the heat first and grate the cheddar from a block.
Can I use ground turkey?
Yes. Add a little oil to the skillet first, since turkey is lean, and season it well.
Brown the beef, cook the macaroni right in the skillet, stir in real cheddar off the heat, and see how long anybody keeps asking for the box.
One-Skillet Cheeseburger Macaroni (Homemade, No Box)
Homemade cheeseburger macaroni in one skillet: browned ground beef and onion, dry elbow macaroni simmered in 2 cups beef broth and 1 1/2 cups milk for 12 to 14 minutes, then 2 cups sharp cheddar stirred in off the heat.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef (450g), 85% or 90% lean
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar
- Chopped green onion, to serve
Instructions
- Heat a 12 inch skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, breaking the beef up, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the beef is well browned and the onion is soft. Let the beef sit undisturbed for a minute at a time so it browns, not steams.
- Spoon off and discard most of the fat. Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and mustard powder and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more, until it darkens slightly.
- Pour in the beef broth and milk and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring it to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in the dry macaroni. Cover with the lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes so nothing sticks, until the macaroni is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed into a creamy sauce.
- Take the skillet off the heat. Stir in the cheddar a handful at a time until melted and glossy.
- Taste and add salt if needed. Let it stand for 5 minutes to thicken a little, then serve topped with green onion if you like.
