Cheeseburger macaroni mix

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cheeseburger macaroni, dinner mix in a jar, hamburger helper copycat, pantry meal mix

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings 6 servings

A pantry jar mix of pasta, cheddar powder and seasonings that cooks up with ground beef in one skillet. Keep the jar on the shelf for quick weeknight dinners.

Ingredients

Jar mix

1 cup Copycat Hamburger Helper Base Mix
1 cup powdered cheddar cheese
1 tsp paprika
2 cups dried elbow or shell pasta

For cooking

1 lb ground beef
4 cups water or 3 cups water plus 1 cup milk for a creamier sauce

Base mix (yield 4 batches)

2 1/3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/8 cups cornstarch
1/3 cup beef bouillon powder
2 1/2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
1 1/4 tsp dried basil
1 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 1/4 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/4 Tbsp garlic powder

Directions

Mix the jar mix ingredients together.

Notes

To cook: brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Stir in the jar mix and the water (or water and milk). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 12 to 15 minutes until pasta is tender and sauce has thickened.

Tip: if the sauce thickens before the noodles are cooked, simmer the pasta until about 70 to 80 percent done, then stir in the sauce mix and simmer 2 to 4 more minutes.

Storage: vacuum seal the mix to keep it up to 12 months.

Safety: cheese powder and milk powder can go rancid.

Nutrition

Nutrition is an estimate per serving from USDA FoodData Central, as cooked, 6 servings from the whole mix with 1 lb ground beef, 4 cups water, or 3 cups water plus 1 cup milk for a creamier sauce; Copycat Hamburger Helper Base Mix counted as baking mix (as the base mix), dried elbow or shell pasta (the first choice counted), dried onion flakes counted as dehydrated onion, ground beef counted as beef, 85% lean, raw. Brands and portions vary, so use it only as an approximation.