This Beefaroni is one of the most comforting weeknight dinners you can make. Itโs tomatoey, creamy, and super delicious. I made the sauce 100% from scratch using ground beef, tomato sauce, beef broth, sour cream, and cheddar cheese!
I have been on a binge lately for casseroles and hearty pasta dishes. Theyโre super simple to put together, and everyone always loves them. Last week, I made a broccoli rice casserole with roasted chicken, and it was a huge hit.
If youโve never had beefaroni before, it's essentially mac and cheese but with beef and tomato sauce! This recipe is already super simple as is, but if youโre looking for something even simpler, I have a Tex-Mex-style mac and cheese recipe that uses even fewer ingredients. Go check it out!
Another benefit of this recipe is it only uses 2 pots (one for the pasta and one for the sauce), so no spending an hour cleaning up afterward!
Key ingredients
Macaroni: Any brand of macaroni will do. And, of course, make sure you salt the cooking water so the macaroni actually has flavor. I usually add about 1 tablespoon of salt per 8 cups of water. Some say it should be as salty as the sea, but I actually find that too salty. One tablespoon to 8 cups is the perfect ratio.
Ground beef: You can use regular ground beef or lean ground beef. I generally err on the healthier side for home cooking, so today, I'm using extra lean.
Tomato sauce: Any canned tomato sauce will do. Mine had no additional seasonings, but you can use ones that have spices added as well. I saw some other beefaroni recipes add their own Italian seasoning, so it should work.
Tomato paste: This is really important to bring up the overall tomato flavor in the sauce. Tomato sauce alone does not have enough flavor. Tomato paste is much more concentrated.
Beef broth: For this, I just combined Better than bouillon roasted beef base with water.
Heavy cream: I really like using heavy cream because it makes the resulting texture very creamy. But feel free to use half and half instead. Source cream and full-fat greek yogurt would also work.
Seasonings: Ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. The ketchup is mainly used for sweetness; you can add sugar instead if you don't have ketchup.
How to make it
STEP 1. Cook the pasta according to the package's directions. Mine took about 8 minutes.
STEP 2. Cook the ground beef, onions, and garlic until the beef is no longer pink. This usually takes around 8 minutes. If your stovetop is weak, you might need to increase the heat to high for a bit.
STEP 3. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes.
STEP 4. Stir in the cheddar cheese and heavy cream.
STEP 5. Mix with the drained pasta. If you find the sauce is too thick, feel free to add some water or milk to thin it out.
๐ Recipe
Beefaroni
Ingredients
- ยฝ lb uncooked macaroni
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 ยฝ cups beef broth/stock
- ยผ cup tomato paste
- ยผ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
- ยผ cup heavy cream (or half n half or full-fat sour cream)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I used 1 tablespoon of salt for 8 cups of water). Cook the macaroni according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onions. Cook for 8 minutes until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir until evenly incorporated.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream, followed by the cheddar cheese. Finally, stir in the drained macaroni and mix until well combined. If you find the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of water to thin it out. Enjoy!
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