Cheesy Beefy Mac

Cheesy Beefy Mac – Get your kids to eat their vegetables! Serve them this beefy mac and cheese dish that is chock full of vegetables.

I imagine there are as many variations of macaroni and cheese as there are cooks. And, of course, that’s exactly what this is. Another macaroni and cheese recipe. Or is it? Hmmm. You might want to look a little deeper because this beefy mac and cheese is low-fat and full of vegetables! And you could pack even more in there if you wanted.

I’ve used lean ground sirloin, nearly 4 cups of vegetables and low-fat or fat-free dairy products in this special macaroni and cheese. If you have trouble getting your kids to eat their vegetables, then this may be just the dish for you.

All you need to accompany this hearty, low-fat macaroni and cheese is some bread and a salad. Let’s get started!

How to Make Cheesy Beefy Mac

Preheat oven to 350.

Go ahead and start the macaroni cooking while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe. Just cook it according to the package directions. When it is cooked, drain and hold it while you proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray and add the onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic (if using). I didn’t have a bell pepper when I was making this, so I used several of these little sweet peppers. You use what you have on hand, you know? Besides I like the variety of colors.

Saute 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Add the ground beef and cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain the ground beef (if needed) and return it to the pan along with the reserved vegetables. Add the tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Add the cooked macaroni into the beef/vegetable mixture and stir to combine well. Spoon the beef and macaroni mixture into an 11×7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place milk, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Stir with a whisk until well blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour the cheese mixture over the macaroni mixture and stir together. Top evenly with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like

• Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Grapes
• Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (BLT) Pasta
• Classic Macaroni and Cheese
• Italian Sausage and Rotini

Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

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Cheesy Beefy Mac

Cheesy Beefy Mac – Get your kids to eat their vegetables! Serve them this beefy mac and cheese dish that is chock full of vegetables.

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Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 280kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

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Ingredients

• ▢ 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• ▢ cooking spray
• ▢ 1 cup chopped onion
• ▢ 3 ribs celery chopped
• ▢ 1 red or green bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic optional
• ▢ 1 cup shredded carrots
• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 cup tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt divided
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup low-fat milk
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese grated

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and hold while you proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray and add the onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots and garlic (if using). Saute 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add the ground beef and cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain ground beef and return to pan along with reserved vegetables, tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
• Add cooked macaroni to beef/vegetable mixture and stir to combine well.
• Spoon the beef and macaroni mixture into an 11×7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• Place milk, flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Stir with a whisk until well blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk.
• Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth.
• Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture and stir together.
• Top evenly with remaining 1 cup cheese.
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 280kcal | Carbohydrates 31g | Protein 25g | Fat 6g | Saturated Fat 3g | Trans Fat 1g | Cholesterol 43mg | Sodium 701mg | Potassium 576mg | Fiber 3g | Sugar 6g | Vitamin A 3045IU | Vitamin C 17mg | Calcium 189mg | Iron 2mg

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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