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.

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.

You’ll need milk, elbow macaroni noodles, butter or margarine, two eggs, cheese, and paprika. Easy, right?

First you’ll need two cups of macaroni noodles. I enjoyed playing with them… in fact, I just had to keep playing with them until I managed to get a picture with some of the noodles falling into the bowl. What? Water? Oh, right…

Boil salted water…

Cook the macaroni noodles according to package directions.

When the noodles are done, drain them well and return them to the pan.

Add 4 tablespoons, or 1/2 stick of margarine or butter and stir until melted.

Stir in 2 cups of your cheddar cheese.

In a separate bowl, combine 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of milk.

whisk them together…

Then add the mixture to your noodles and cheese in the pan.

Stir it all together until well combined.

Spoon your macaroni and cheese mixture into a greased 8×8 pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese on top (or however much you feel like!)

Sprinkle paprika on top of the cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and the casserole is cooked through. And forever be annoyed that I didn’t notice my camera strap was in the picture.

The Recipe
Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

2 cups uncooked macaroni
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain well, return to the pot. Add butter and stir until melted. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with the milk. Add milk mixture to the macaroni and stir until well combined. Spoon into greased pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned and the casserole is cooked through.

First up, brown the two pounds of ground beef with 2 cloves minced garlic (or the equivalent from a jar of pre-minced garlic as I have done).

Steam makes pictures blurry too!

Meanwhile, cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. I snuck in about half a cup extra of the pasta because it just didn’t look like enough. Once my meat was finished cooking, I added the rest of the ingredients.

Stir them all together.

Add in the cooked macaroni and transfer to a 13×9 baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Don’t be like me. Cover it the first time, don’t put it in the oven, take it back out, cover it, and return it to the oven.

Remove from the oven, carefully uncover, and sprinkle on two cups of reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or so until the cheese melts. Eat, and enjoy!!

I wasn’t too sure how this was going to turn out, and Sarah who was the guinea pig for this particular meal, and I were both kind of nervous. In fact, we had back up plans to head to Taco Bell for dinner if it wasn’t too good. But I dished it up with some corn on the side, and it was delicious! We were both pleasantly surprised by how much flavor it had!

The Recipe
Chili Mac Casserole

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

DIRECTIONS

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, chilies and seasonings. Drain macaroni; add to beef mixture.
Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-8 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 10 servings

Next you’re going to take your two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast and dunk them into the egg/milk mixture, and then into your bread crumb mixture. Make sure the chicken gets nice and coated and then transfer it to a 13×9″ baking pan.

There were four of us, so I made five chicken breasts so that we’d each have one and I’d still have some leftover. There were plenty of bread crumbs left so this could be easily scaled up or down. When you’ve got all your chicken ready, slide your pan into the oven and back at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, combine two cans of cream of mushroom soup, and 1/2 cup of milk. (You can add more milk if your sauce is too thick).

After your chicken bakes for thirty minutes, remove it from the oven, pour your mushroom soup mixture on top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the whole thing, and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

While you’re waiting, you can cook up some spaghetti, and I always mix up some extra soup and milk mixture to spoon over the top. I also made more parmesan cheese available to sprinkle over the finished product, and served salads on the side.

I only wish I’d have gotten a picture of my plate made up with the chicken and spaghetti on it, but I was eager to sit down with my family and start enjoying what I’d been working on!!

The Recipe:
White Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
4 tbs parmesan cheese
1 tsp of oregano
dash of garlic power
dash of pepper
1 egg
2 lbs of boneless / skinless chix breasts
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of milk

In one bowl, combine egg and 1/2 cup of milk. In separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder and pepper. Dip chicken into egg mixture, and then into dry mixture to coat. Place in 13×9″ pan and bake at 400F for 30 minutes.
Combine two cans of soup, and 1/2 cup of milk. May add up to an additional 1/2 cup milk if sauce is too thick. Pour over chicken, and return to oven for another 30 minutes. Serve over spaghetti, and enjoy!

The Ingredients

Lasagna noodles, 1.5 lbs of ground beef, 1lb of Italian sausage, minced garlic, parsley flakes, dried basil, cottage cheese, 2 eggs (not pictured), parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese slices, whole tomatoes and tomato paste. And no, the amaretto in the background was not in the ingredient list.

Making Lasagna
The first step was to brown the 1.5 pounds of ground beef with the one pound of sausage, and 1/2 tsp. minced garlic. The original recipe called for Hot breakfast sausage, but I’m a wimp, so I went for Italian instead as it’s slightly less “Oh my goodness, my mouth’s on FIRE!” It also called for 2 cloves of garlic, minced, but I’m lazy and bought a jar of ready to use minced garlic instead. In the pan it went.

In the original, she begs everyone not to drain all of the fat off, for PETE’s sake, but I couldn’t help it. I’m usually a “rinser” so I resisted doing that before returning the meat to the pan. That has to count for something, doesn’t it? Right?
Well anyways, then it was time to continue making the meat sauce, so to my cooked meat, I added 28 oz. of whole tomatoes, 12 oz. of tomato paste, 2 tbs. parsley flakes, 2 tbs. dried basil, 1 tsp. salt.

You’re supposed to let it simmer, uncovered for about 45 minutes. This is what mine looked like about 35 minutes in.

Then it was time to make the cottage cheese mixture that gets layered in the lasagna. 3 cups of cottage cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 2 tbs. parsley flakes, and 1 tsp. salt. A few people had complained in the comments of Ree’s recipe post that it was too salty, so I was skimpy on that teaspoon of salt, thinking some could be added later, if need be.

For the life of me, I can’t believe that I didn’t get a picture of the mixed up cottage cheese mixture, or of the first layer of noodles in the pan. Oh well… the noodles were my second cheat. Instead of attempting to cook them myself, I opted for Oven-ready lasagna noodles. Those went down first. Then, half of the cottage cheese mixture was spread evenly on top.

Following that, one pound of mozzarella cheese slices was layered on top.

Followed by one half of the meat mixture.

At this point, I didn’t find it necessary to photograph each additional layer. You simply rinse and repeat: another layer of lasagna noodles, then cottage cheese mixture followed by mozzarella cheese, and the remaining meat sauce. Finally, you sprinkle a generous amount of parmesan cheese on top.

Then it goes in the oven at 350 degrees for “20-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.”

Very good. So how was it?

The Verdict
Well, my Oven Ready Lasagna noodles did not finish cooking in the 30 minute time frame, so the lasagna went back in the oven while we all ate our salads. For this, I was very disappointed since I had envisioned a lovely photograph of a plate with a piece of lasagna, garlic bread, and a serving of my favorite salad. Alas, that was not to be. Oh well. I was mostly concerned about the fact that the noodles hadn’t cooked thoroughly. Novice, nervous cookers do not like anything to go wrong.
In the end, we all agreed that the lasagna turned out very nicely. Everyone gave it a thumbs up, but we all held back from calling it the best lasagna ever. Good? Yes. But the best? We still have our reservations. My mom did say, though, that it was a recipe worth making again.

What I’d do differently
I think next time, I’ll actually cook my lasagna noodles. It will be a good, non-frightening experience, and then my lasagna will actually be done on schedule!
I’d also add more cheese, and a layer of noodles on top. I felt like the cheese/noodle/meat ratio was way off. But that’s probably exactly what makes this lasagna so appealing to everyone else.

Johnny Marzetti

1 lb. ground hamburger
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of water
1 lb. Velveeta
12 oz. Egg Noodles

First you are going to cook your egg noodles according to the package directions. While you are waiting for them to cook, brown your hamburger. Drain your hamburger, and return it to the pan. You are going to combine the cooked hamburger with the can of cream of mushroom soup, and the can of water.
When your noodles are cooked, and drained, layer them in the bottom of a 13×9 pan.
.

On top of this, you’re going to add your ground beef, soup and water mixture.

Finally, add the one pound of Velveeta that has been cubed.

Give everything a good stir, and then put it in the oven. You’re going to bake it in the oven at 350 degrees “until done.” This is usually about 20 minutes… you’re basically just waiting for the cheese to melt, and the sauce to thicken up a bit.

This is after I got it out of the oven, and gave it a bit of a stir.

If you don’t want to wait an extra 20-30 minutes for your Johnny Marzetti to bake, you can combine all of the ingredients and cook it on the stove top. This is what I usually do, and actually, this is the first time I ever actually baked my Johnny Marzetti. We always serve this dish with corn, and sometimes we sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top to add some extra flavor.