The other day I had what was to be a major fail. The day prior I set out some frozen salmon fillets to thaw for the next day’s dinner… and TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT IT! Talk about a palm to face. Have you ever left out food, like some deliciousness that you intended for leftovers or intended to cook that day?
Thank goodness I remembered that I had some ground beef thawing out in the fridge from my deep freezer! Whenever I can afford it, I like to purchase ground beef in bulk. Then I cut it up into approximately one pound portions and freeze them in separate freezer bags for an easy grab ‘n go.
Typically when in a pinch I make either spaghetti and meat sauce or tacos with ground beef. Of course, on this particular day, I did not have all of the ingredients to make either meal. I had all types of pasta, but no sauces. I had all types of cheeses, but no sour cream or salsa.
That’s when I realized that I could make some type of macaroni and cheese dish! And so I went to work in the Test Kitchen, and wala, One-Pot Taco Mac ‘n Cheese was born! I’ve never made this dish from scratch before, but I’ve had my bellyful of Cheeseburger Helper back in the day. So that was the inspiration for this dish.
I definitely winged it, but the end result was an absolutely yummy, kid-friendly, Hubby-approved, one-pot, stovetop meal that’s now part of my meal rotation. (So much for that fail!) Here are all the deets so that you can try it out too!
Stir and bring to a boil.
then give it a good stir and let melt.
(Optional: Garnish with scallions.)
If you give this recipe a try, I would love it if you come back and let me know how it turned out. What other dishes do you like to make with ground beef/turkey/chicken?
One-Pot Taco Mac ‘n Cheese
Equipment
- 1 pot with lid Dutch ovens are great!
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tbsp garlic minced or powder
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- salt to taste
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth
- ½ bag macaroni noodles uncooked
- 2 cups shredded cheeses Cheddar Jack, Mexican, Italian, or a mixture of cheeses
Instructions
- Cook ground beef and onions. (Add minced garlic here, if using.)
- Drain the fat once the ground beef is browned.
- Add the milk into the pot.
- Add the chicken or beef broth into the pot.
- Add in the seasonings.
- Give it a good stir, and then bring to a boil.
- Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Add cheese(s). Give it all a good stir to melt the cheese.
- Serve in bowls. (Optional: Garnish with scallions.) Enjoy!
