Beef and Macaroni is a pasta dish made with seasoned ground beef and macaroni pasta cooked in a flavorful tomato-based sauce that’s made with simple ingredients. It’s a one-pot meal that’s easy, budget friendly, and will please the whole family.
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This easy peasy dish is reminiscent of the childhood favorite, beefaroni. It’s fun, simple, and comforting. This is one of my family’s favorite ground beef dinners as is this ground beef stroganoff that’s like the old school hamburger helper.
This is a great recipe for weeknight dinners because it’s delicious and is easy to prepare. Even picky eaters can’t resist. If you are looking for another simple beef macaroni recipe, try this cheeseburger macaroni that’s comfort food at its best.
Ingredients
- Oil – Use an oil with a high smoke point, we use canola oil
- Ground beef – Choose lean, or something with a little fat for flavor (we use ground chuck 80/20 lean to fat ratio)
- Seasoning – The ground beef is seasoned with Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Then, the sauce gets an extra kick from Worcester sauce (aka Worcestershire sauce). If you don’t have Worcester sauce substitute soy sauce.
- Vegetables – Onions and garlic are used to flavor the sauce and give it a “homemade” taste.
- Pantry – Tomato paste, diced tomatoes (we use petite dice), pasta sauce, and beef broth make this soup as easy as it is delicious.
- Pasta – Elbow macaroni is the pasta traditionally used for beefaroni. But if you are in a pinch use another short tube pasta.
- Cheese – For serving, if desired. Shredded cheddar cheese is a great option. Jack, Colby, and mozzarella also make good choices.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot, or deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with the seasonings.
- Arrange the beef in one layer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Give it a good stir and arrange it in one layer again. Cook an additional 1-3 minutes until browned.
- Lower to medium heat and add the onions to the beef mixture, cook for 3 minutes, stir often.
- Next, add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute, stir frequently.
- Add the spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes (with the tomato juices), beef broth, and Worcester sauce to the pot while stirring and gently scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Finally, add the macaroni to the pot, raise the heat to high and let the sauce come back to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium to medium-low. Keep the sauce simmering, not boiling.
Cover the pot and cook macaroni in the sauce for 12-15 minutes or until it is tender. Stir often, especially in the beginning, because pasta tends to sink and will stick to the bottom of the pot.
Taste the macaroni and beef and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours. Serve with shredded cheese, or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe tips
- Let the beef and macaroni sit in the pot for a few minutes before serving to give the macaroni noodles some time to soak up the tomato sauce.
- Finely dice or mince the onions so they just about dissolve in the sauce, especially if you are making this recipe for kids.
- Use a meatless variety of pasta sauce because we are adding ground beef. Also, try to choose a sauce that is not too thick to begin with.
Frequently asked questions
Ground beef. You can use lean ground beef like sirloin or use something with a little bit of fat for flavor, like ground round or chuck.
No. The beauty of this recipe is that it is a one-pot meal. The macaroni is cooked in the sauce.
They are the same, ground beef and macaroni cooked in tomato sauce. The names are often used interchangeably.
Yes, it can be made into a beef and macaroni casserole. If you are going to a potluck, or serving buffet-style, a casserole makes serving easy. Prepare the recipe as directed then place it in a large baking dish. Add cheese (if desired), cover with aluminum foil, and bake until hot all the way through.
Variations and substitutions
- If you do not have Worcester sauce use soy sauce.
- If you do not have elbow macaroni substitute another small pasta shape. Other short tube pastas include, cavatappi, rigatoni, penne, and ziti.
- Eliminate the crushed red pepper from the recipe if you do not like spicy food. Use paprika instead of chili powder to make this dish even milder.
- Use reduced sodium broth, canned tomatoes, and/or pasta sauce if you are sensitive to salt.
- Lean ground turkey (not turkey breast) can be substituted for the ground beef and add chicken broth instead of beef.
Storing and reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat the pasta in the microwave (use a microwave safe plate) until hot all the way through. To reheat it in the oven, place the desired portion in an oven-safe baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake on 350°F until hot. Leftovers need to be reheated to at least 165°F.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Beef and Macaroni
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point – we use canola oil
- 1 pound Ground Beef we use ground chuck 80/20 lean to fat ratio
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper optional, leave it out if you don’t like spicy
- 1 medium Onion finely diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 2 14.5 ounce can Petite Diced Tomatoes, do not drain
- 1 (24 ounce) jar Meatless Pasta Sauce (marinara sauce or other meatless variety use your favorite brand)
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- ½ tablespoon Worcester Sauce substitute soy sauce if needed
- 12 ounces Elbow Macaroni
- Shredded Cheese for serving optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot, or deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper, if using.
- Arrange the beef in one layer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir well, arrange in one layer again and cook an additional 1-3 minutes until browned.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute, stir often.
- Add the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth and Worcester sauce to the pot while stirring and gently scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 10-12 minutes to let the flavors develop and come together.
- Finally, add the macaroni to the pot, raise the heat to high and let the sauce come back to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium to medium-low to keep the sauce simmering, not boiling.
- Cover the pot and cook the macaroni in the sauce for 12-15 minutes or until it is tender. Stir the macaroni often (especially in the beginning) because it tends to sink and will stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Taste the macaroni and beef and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
- Let the beef and macaroni sit in the pot for a few minutes before serving to give the macaroni noodles some time to soak up the tomato sauce. Serve with shredded cheese, or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- If you do not have elbow macaroni substitute another small pasta shape. Other short tube pastas include, cavatappi, rigatoni, penne, and ziti.
- Eliminate the crushed red pepper from the recipe if you do not like spicy food.
- Use paprika instead of chili powder to make this dish even milder.
- Use reduced sodium broth, canned tomatoes, and/or pasta sauce if you are sensitive to salt.
- Lean ground turkey (not turkey breast) can be substituted for the ground beef and add chicken broth instead of beef.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Cherie Jensen
Delicious recipe that my family loved. The list of ingredients is a little lengthy but I had everything needed already in my pantry. My only suggestion would be to have some sour cream waiting on the side. The goulash stayed so hot we all had to mix in a dab of sour cream to bring the temperature down enough to eat.