I don’t know what took me so long to make this. I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a year, easy. I made something similar a few years ago, called Creamy Taco Mac, which I wasn’t crazy about. The cheeseburger macaroni I’m sharing today is really similar, only better. It is everything that I wanted the Creamy Taco Mac to be that it wasn’t.

This is a slightly spicy flavored homemade hamburger helper. Making this is slightly more hands-on than Hamburger Helper, because you have to make the roux and the cheese sauce separately and add it, but it really isn’t any more complicated to make. It was delicious, and I served it with bread and butter on the side. Yum.

This would be a quick and easy weeknight dinner, for sure. The only thing I had to buy specifically for this recipe was the beef broth, and the ground beef. I had everything else already in my pantry. I will definitely be making this one again. Though, I just realized I forgot to add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce when I made it… oh well, it was still good!

Cheeseburger Macaroni
Source: Kevin and Amanda

1 lb lean hamburger meat
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (or petite diced tomatoes)
2 cups beef broth (or water) [I used 1 can of beef broth and added enough water to bring it up to a full 2 cups]
1 cup elbow macaroni
2 Tablespoons butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Brown and drain hamburger meat. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, beef broth, and macaroni. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 12-14 mins until macaroni is tender.Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 5 minutes until fragrant and light brown in color. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture. Stir gently to combine.

I made this awhile ago… I’m not really sure why it’s taken me so long to write about it (outside of the usual laziness, of course). I guess it’s probably because I just wasn’t that impressed. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t BAD, it just wasn’t what I expected. This recipe, which I found at Sing for your Supper, certainly made its way around the food blogs earning rave reviews. Everyone commented on how it was exactly like Hamburger Helper… which led me to expect it to taste just like Hamburger Helper.

It didn’t. I think that’s why my main reaction was “Hmmm…” Maybe it tastes like a flavor of Hamburger Helper I don’t usually buy? I don’t know. I think if I made it again, with my flavor expectations firmly in check, I might like it a little more. Though, I tend to prefer my cream cheese in sugary baked goods, so that may be some of the issue as well.

In any case, it was easy and flavorful, so if you’d like to make it yourself, read on! I have my eye on another cheeseburger mac recipe that I think may be more of what I was after. In the meantime…

You’ll need: Ground beef, macaroni, taco seasoning, cream cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, salt and pepper.

Start out by cooking 8 oz of pasta according to the package directions. When the pasta is done, set aside 1 cup of the water you boiled it in before you drain it.

Next you are going to brown one pound of ground beef, drain off the fat, and return it to the pan.

Add 1 packet of taco seasoning mix (or 4 Tbsp if you are a rockstar that makes your own)

Add one can of petite diced tomatoes. Give it a quick stir to combine and then allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Then you are going to add the cooked pasta that you set aside in the first step,

followed by the cup of pasta water that you reserved,

3 oz. of cream cheese,

and one cup of sour cream.

Stir until the cream cheese is melted, and then simmer the whole thing for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, if you wish, and top with some shredded cheddar cheese.

Dish it up, and serve! You can also add a little more cheese to your bowl if you’d like. That’s what I did after I snapped this picture.
Creamy Taco Mac
Source: Sing for your Supper

1 lb. lean, ground beef
8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
4 Tbsp mild taco seasoning (one packet)
3 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
salt & pepper
cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground beef and drain off fat. Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese and sour cream. Give it a good stir until cheese is melted and incorporated. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

There are a LOT of recipes out there for stuffed shells! I was trying to figure out what to make for Mother’s Day dinner when everyone was coming over to my apartment. I had a box of stuffed shells languishing in the cupboard, so I decided to use them. I didn’t realize it would be so hard to pick a recipe! I searched and searched, and eventually chose this one that I found at Taste of Home. I could have looked all day, but I needed to get the grocery store. I chose this recipe because I wanted one that had meat *and* cheese, and didn’t need too many additional ingredients from the store. In the end, it went over very well with the family, and you wouldn’t go wrong with these!

Jumbo pasta shells, onion, Italian sausage, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, egg, salt, pepper, cinnamon (optional), dried minced onion, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, sugar, tomato sauce.

Put your diced onion in a large skillet. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of onion. After I took the next picture, I decided this was too much onion and took some back out of the pan.

Add one pound of Italian sausage.

Cook the sausage and onions until the sausage is no longer pink.

Drain the sausage, and transfer to a large bowl.

Add 8 oz of cream cheese, cubed up. It will combine easier this way.

and 1 egg.

Stir until the cream cheese and the egg are well combined with the sausage.

To this mixture, add 1 cup of the mozzarella

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1 cup grated parmesan. Yes, I used the stuff in the green can.

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 /4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. This is supposed to be the optional “secret” ingredient. I probably wouldn’t bother with it the next time.

Mix it all up until it’s well combined.

Meanwhile, cook the shells according to the package directions. Drain, and then rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Cooling them off will also make them easier to handle!

Stuff each pasta shell with a generous spoonful of the meat and cheese mixture. I ran out of the stuffing mixture at the same time I ran out of room in my 9×13 pan, but I still had some shells left over. I did use more than the 24 shells called for in the recipe.

In a separate bowl, dump in your 29 ounce can of tomato sauce.

Add 1 Tbs dried minced onion

1 1/2 teaspoons basil

1 1/2 teaspoons parsley

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon of sugar

and 2 cloves minced garlic (1 teaspoon of the stuff in the jar)

Stir it all up.

Spoon the sauce over the shells in the pan. Cover with foil. At this point, I put the pan in the fridge because I wasn’t expecting my dinner guests for several hours yet. When you’re ready, bake (still covered) at 350F for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, remove the foil. Sprinkle a cup of mozzarella cheese on top, and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes for the cheese to melt.

Cheese Stuffed Shells
Taste of Home

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup 4% cottage cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
24 jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
SAUCE:
1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Domino® or C&H® Granulated Pure Cane Sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the spinach, cream cheese and egg. Add 1 cup mozzarella, cheddar, cottage cheese, Parmesan, salt, pepper and cinnamon if desired; mix well.
Stuff pasta shells with sausage mixture. Arrange in two 11-in. x 7-in. baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Combine the sauce ingredients; spoon over shells.
Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.