Super Easy Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

This easy macaroni and cheese beef casserole is the no-pretense weeknight dinner that turns a box of mac and cheese into a hearty meal. Browned ground beef and onion get folded into the prepared mac, then loosened with a can of cream soup and a splash of milk. Done in 30 minutes, no fancy cheese sauce, no roux to worry about.

The layering option in the directions is the better choice if you have an extra five minutes. Alternating soup-meat mixture with mac and cheese gives you visible stripes when you scoop, and the layers stay distinct in the bake instead of all blending together. Stirring everything together works fine but loses some of the visual appeal.

Drain the beef well after browning. Rendered fat pooling in the casserole makes the dish greasy and dilutes the cheese flavor. Use lean ground beef (90/10 or 93/7) if you want to skip the draining step entirely.

Any cream soup works as the binder. Cream of mushroom adds savory depth, cream of chicken keeps it neutral, cream of celery adds aromatic background. The recipe doesn’t specify, leaving you to pick what’s in the pantry.

Pro Tips

• Brown the beef and onion together so the onion picks up the meat’s juices and browns properly. Cooking onion separately leaves it bland.
• Cook the macaroni a minute under package directions. It will continue cooking when warmed with the soup mixture and end up just right.
• Sprinkle extra shredded cheddar on top for the last 10 minutes of bake time. It crisps up into a golden crust that elevates the whole dish.
• Let rest 5 minutes before serving. The casserole sets up just enough to scoop cleanly.

Variations

• Stir in a cup of frozen peas or steamed broccoli florets before baking for a one-dish meal with vegetables.
• Add a packet of taco seasoning to the beef and top with crushed tortilla chips for a Tex-Mex version.
• Substitute Italian sausage for the ground beef and use cream of tomato soup for an Italian-leaning casserole.