Mac 'n Cheddar Beef Bake

Wow! It has been a crazy last couple of weeks, hasn’t it? Between holidays, vacation days, and sick days, Mike and I haven’t made one big meal to split for lunches for a while. We’re starting up again this week. We are making Mac ‘n Cheddar Beef Bake. It’s another one of those classic childhood recipes my mom would make when I was growing up that she got off the side of a noodle box. As we enter a busy season at work, it is nice to have a comforting, home-cooked meal to eat each day.

With the rising prices of ground beef, I’ve been trying to find tasty ways to stretch it a bit further. For this recipe, I doubled everything from the original recipe except for the ground beef. Since the ground beef is the most expensive component of the dish, doing this cuts the price per serving almost in half. Since I am a pasta lover, I don’t mind having the ratio of meat to pasta a little less in order to save a few dollars. At $1.50 per serving, this is a great dish to add to the recipe box. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

2 boxes mac ‘n cheese, prepared
½ onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 cup milk

Instructions

1. Prepare mac ‘n cheese per directions on the box.
2. Brown the ground beef and onion. Drain the excess fat.
3. On low heat, in the same pan, combine soup and milk until creamy.
4. Add beef mixture and mac ‘n cheese.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Bake in a 9 x 13” pan for 25 minutes at 350 F.

Notes

• This recipe makes 6 (2-cup) servings.
• Use generic soup to help reduce the price of the meal.
• Mac ‘n Cheddar Beef Bake is a great meal to give to someone who has just had a baby or is ill. The baking instructions are simple, and it keeps well in the fridge or freezer. 

Cost per serving: $1.50
Cost per batch: $8.97
Calories per serving: 477
Calories per batch: 2,863