Cheesy Beef and Macaroni Casserole
A cozy, cheesy family dinner with seasoned ground beef, creamy macaroni, and a golden layer of melted cheese on top. This casserole is easy to double when you want leftovers for another night!
Quick Notes
I doubled this recipe for our family. The ingredient amounts below are for a single batch, so double each amount if you’d like to do the same. If you’re using a smaller baking dish, divide the casserole between dishes or bake it in batches. I’m cooking in our RV kitchen, so oven temperatures and baking times may vary. Start checking early, and loosely cover the dish with foil if the cheese browns before the center is hot.
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
8 oz dry elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1½ cups Fairlife fat-free milk
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic, breaking up the beef, until the beef is cooked through. Drain any excess fat.
While the beef cooks, cook the macaroni in a separate pot according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
Stir the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper into the beef. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Spread the beef mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat as needed and cook, whisking frequently and reaching the bottom and corners of the pan, until the sauce thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon but still pour easily; it should no longer look as thin as milk. This may take several minutes. Avoid a hard boil, and lower the heat if the sauce begins sticking to the bottom.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese until melted and smooth.
Fold the cooked, drained macaroni into the cheese sauce until evenly coated. Spread the macaroni mixture over the beef layer.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar and the mozzarella evenly over the top.
Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until heated through and the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden. If the topping browns before the center is hot, loosely cover with foil and continue baking.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.
