This big batch cheeseburger mac and cheese recipe combines two classic childhood meals into one creamy, cheesy dish you won’t be able to resist!
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Cheeseburgers and mac n cheese are two things most of us love indulging in from time to time. But have you ever tried combining these kid-friendly classics into one cheesy, savory, comforting dish? Introducing our cheeseburger mac and cheese, a budget friendly, big batch recipe that’ll instantly bring you back to childhood.
Our cheeseburger mac and cheese is made with all the classics – ground beef, ketchup, Velveeta – and gets baked in the oven for that finishing touch of gooey, creamy, cheese-soaked pasta we all know and love. A bowl of this hearty mac and cheese will warm your insides on a cold day and comfort your soul when you’ve had a difficult week. It’s the most decadent, indulgent big batch meal you can make to feed your family dinner or serve to a crowd at potlucks and parties.
Big Batch Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese Recipe Ingredients
To make a big batch of cheeseburger mac and cheese, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Pasta shells
- Butter
- Ground beef
- Red onion
- Minced garlic
- Velveeta
- Milk
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Paprika
- Salt
One pound each of pasta shells, ground beef, and Velveeta is enough to make about 6 servings of cheeseburger mac and cheese – which easily fills an entire 9×13 baking dish. Additionally, you’ll use onion, garlic, milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and salt to season the ground beef and make the cheese sauce.
You’ll notice there’s no tomato sauce in this hamburger inspired mac and cheese – just creamy, cheesy goodness! Making cheeseburger mac and cheese with ketchup instead of tomato sauce keeps this recipe a true “mac and cheese” while adding in the familiar flavor of a savory, juicy cheeseburger.
How To Make Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese
To make big batch cheeseburger mac and cheese, you’ll first prepare the three components (pasta, ground beef, and cheese sauce) and then combine everything and bake it in the oven. Here’s how to make our cheeseburger mac and cheese recipe:
- Boil the pasta shells, then drain and stir in butter until melted.
- Brown the ground beef with diced onion and garlic in a frying pan over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up into small chunks.
- In the meantime, add Velveeta and milk to a saucepan over medium heat and stir occasionally until melted. Then lower heat and add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and the cooked ground beef with onions and garlic.
- Add the cheese sauce to the cooked pasta and stir to combine well, making sure the pasta shells are fully coated.
- Transfer cheeseburger mac and cheese to a lightly greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
If you start cooking the ground beef and cheese sauce while the pasta boils, you can time this recipe to have everything ready to combine at the same time. Just make sure the ground beef finishes cooking before the cheese is fully melted so that you’re not waiting around to add the beef to the cheese sauce.
The final step of letting the cheeseburger mac and cheese bake in the oven helps the gooey Velveeta cheese sauce soak into the pasta shells. This is what makes our mac and cheese so good – every bite is infused with as much cheese as possible, plus tons of savory cheeseburger flavor. Yum!
Serving, Storing, and Reheating
Serve this mac and cheese immediately or let it cool and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat single servings, microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Our oven baked cheeseburger mac and cheese is wonderfully creamy, cheesy, hearty, and decadent – perfect for when you’re craving something savory and comforting. Whether you’re meal prepping for yourself for the week, cooking dinner for your family, or looking for a big batch dish to make for your next football party, this Velveeta cheeseburger mac and cheese fits the bill. Just be prepared to feel pretty full after chowing down on a bowl of this stuff, because we guarantee you won’t want to stop eating it 🙂
Try the recipe below for big batch cheeseburger mac and cheese and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share! We can’t wait to hear what you think.
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Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta shells
- ½ tbsp butter
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ medium red onion diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 16 oz Velveeta cubed
- 1 cup milk
- 1½ tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and transfer shells to the prepared baking dish, then stir in the butter until melted.
- Next, add the ground beef, diced red onion, and minced garlic to a frying pan and cook over medium-high heat until beef is browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Break the beef up into small chunks as it cooks.
- In the meantime, add cubed Velveeta and milk to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Then turn heat to low and stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and cooked ground beef with onions and garlic.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta shells in the baking dish. Stir to combine until the shells are thoroughly coated in cheese sauce. Then bake in the oven for 10 minutes to help the sauce soak into the pasta.
- Serve hot or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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