One of our family’s favorite ground beef dinners, this Beef and Macaroni Skillet is made with simple ingredients and is ready in just 30 minutes! So easy and so good!
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A friend introduced me to this simple beef macaroni recipe about 10 years ago and it’s been a favorite ever since!
It’s reminiscent of the Hamburger Helper we sometimes ate when I was a child, but with more flavor and in my opinion, much tastier! Plus, it’s made from scratch which I always prefer.
Watch Video: Learn How to Make this Recipe
Easy Beef Macaroni Skillet Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients that you’ll need to make this recipe. Chances are, you already have them on hand!
- Ground Beef – you can use ground turkey instead if you prefer
- Diced Onion
- Tomato Juice – add lots of rich tomato flavor
- Worcestershire sauce – this essential ingredient adds robust flavor
- Vinegar – I use apple cider vinegar because I love the flavor
- Brown Sugar – helps balance the acidity of the tomato and vinegar just a bit
- Salt and Black Pepper
- Dry Mustard – this ingredient gives just a hint of spiciness to this dish, not enough though to bother children or people with sensitive palates
- Macaroni – regular elbow macaroni works best since quick-cooking pasta tends to get done before all the liquid cooks away
- Shredded Cheese – I generally use cheddar (sharp is our favorite!) but Mozzarella could work as well.
How to Make Macaroni and Beef
One of the things that I love about this recipe is that it’s so incredibly simple to make.
STEP 1: Fry the ground beef and onion together in a large skillet until the meat is no longer pink. You can also use a big kettle if you don’t have a large skillet.
STEP 2: Add the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt and pepper, tomato juice and macaroni. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the macaroni is fully cooked.
STEP 3: Sprinkle cheese over the top and let sit for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
That’s all there is to it! Easy peasy.
While the pasta is cooking, you can prep a salad or other side dish and just like that, you’ll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes!
Do you see why this is one of my go-to recipes for busy days?
More Ground Beef Dinner Ideas
Need more recipe ideas that use ground beef? Here are a few of my favorites that are easy and made from simple ingredients.
- Easy Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
- Speedy Spanish Rice and Ground Beef Skillet
- Super Easy Sloppy Joes from Scratch
- 30 Minute Vegetable Beef Soup
- Deep Dish Taco Squares
- Cheeseburger Casserole
- Easy Ground Beef and Potatoes Skillet
Easy Macaroni and Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 medium onion
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. dry mustard powder
- 1 cup macaroni
- 2/3 cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a skillet, fry hamburger and onion until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add all the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Cover and simmer until macaroni is tender (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the burner and sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the macaroni and beef. Let set for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted.
Marlene
Thanx. Will try bi have tried to find the green ingredient I see mixed in the macaroni. Please advise what the green is.
Lydia Beiler
That is just a bit of dried parsley that was used as a garnish, Marlene. So it’s not important unless you want to add it to look nice. I hope you enjoy the recipe!