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Make a batch of homemade beefaroni with ground beef simmered in a thick, cheesy tomato sauce and mixed with tender pasta for a hearty comfort dish.
Holly’s Hearty Highlights
- Flavor: Rich and hearty with a creamy, cheesy tomato-beef sauce that clings to every bite of tender pasta.
- Skill Level: This dinner goes from the stovetop to the table in one pot. Perfect for busy weeknights or game day gatherings.
- Recommended Tools: A meat chopper quickly and easily breaks ground beef into a finer, more even texture.
- Swaps: For a lighter sauce, swap out the cream cheese for plain Greek yogurt.
Ingredient Tips for Homemade Beefaroni
- Beef: Lean ground beef works best in this recipe, but medium or regular can be used; just drain off the fat.
- Pasta: Large elbow or ziti noodles are the classic shapes for homemade beefaroni, but you can use any sturdy, medium-sized pasta like penne, cavatappi, or rotini. Or try something fun like these Cresti de Gallo noodles! Adjust cooking times as necessary for tender pasta.
- Cheesy Sauce: Nothing tastes as good as a homemade tomato sauce made with pantry basics. The secret to the cheesy sauce is using cream cheese that melts into the sauce, making a rich and velvety mixture.
Deliciously Easy Variations
- This kid-approved dish is a cinch for sneaking in some healthy shredded zucchini or carrots, sliced mushrooms, or even spinach.
- Cheddar can be swapped out for mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican blend.
- You can add some Italian seasoned ground pork for a juicier meat sauce if desired. Ground chicken or turkey works too.
Second-Day Success
Beefaroni tastes better the next day when all the flavors have blended even more! Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat portions on the stove or in the microwave.
Leftover beefaroni is delicious piled onto a bun, sloppy joe-style, for a hearty work or school lunch.
Easy One-Pot Dinners
Did you make this Homemade Beefaroni? Leave a rating and comment below!
Homemade Beefaroni
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 can
- 2 cups beef broth or more if needed, up to 3 cups
- 8 ounces ziti or large elbow macaroni
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a 12-inch saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until no pink remains. Drain excess grease.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, 2 cups of beef broth, ziti or macaroni, cream cheese, tomato paste, sugar, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer. Cook for 14-20 minutes*, and stir occasionally. If necessary, add more broth to keep it saucy.
- Once the pasta is tender, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Cover and rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and season with salt & pepper.
Notes
- The beef should be a fine texture; break it up or crumble with a fork as it cooks.
- This recipe works best with a medium sized pasta like ziti, penne, or large elbow macaroni. Cook the pasta until tender, adding in extra broth or water if needed. Different varieties of pasta will have different cooking times and may require more or less water.
- The resting time is important as the pasta will continue to soak up the sauce and the sauce will thicken.
- Leftovers can be stored in a covered container for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until heated through.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Pasta
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I added some onion and bell peppers for added flavor
Sounds like a delicious idea, Betty!
Quick, easy, only 1 dirty pot to clean. Really good, rich sauce. Followed the recipe exactly & turned out amazing. Hubby even loved it and he’s super picky about his tomato sauces. Will definitely add to the regular rotation.
Im a Montana boy and like cooking and casserole, married a wonderful wife from Southern California. learned new dishes . But miss my casserole. I will try this one .
Let us know how it turns out, Kurt!
I just made this last week and for a recipe that was on the table in approximately 35 minutes it was delicious! Whole family loved it and asked to have it added to the weekly rotation:)
So glad you enjoyed it!
So saucy and delicious. I made it with gluten free pasta which doesn’t need to cook as long so it was extra saucy which we loved over here! SWP Employee
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing.
This recipe was okay. The kids didn’t really like it. However, I think that with a few modifications they would like it a lot more. The tomato/acidity was too strong and so I would omit or reduce the tomato paste. Or I might swap for ketchup for a bit more sweetness. I’d also leave out the extra shredded cheese at the end. Thanks for the idea! I’ll try it again with some changes.
Those substitutions sound delicious, Jo! Thanks for sharing.
Did the ketchup idea and it was so good. Was skeptical at first but my Bf likes the canned beefaroni and adding the ketchup more closely mimics that flavor. Perfect!
Glad you enjoyed it, Avery!
I don’t know what I did wrong, I followed the amounts and method as is, but my end result was mostly sauce. I used the 28 oz of crushed tomatoes and 2 1/2 cups broth. Will have to pour it over rice to soak it up. I used two cups of rotini, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Help!
Different pastas can require more or less broth when cooking. For this recipe we use large macaroni noodles or ziti. Rotini might have needed a bit less broth to be the right consistency of sauce. But this is a saucy recipe!
Thanks for your answer, Holly, I really appreciate it. will try the Beefaroni recipe again.
Looks delish and will try.. where do you buy that type of cool looking macaroni I have never seen that kind
Hi Renee, isn’t it neat! It’s called “Creste di Gallo” and you can sometimes find it on Amazon or if you have a local Italian Market that is a great place to look or some speciality grocery stores carry it. A regular macaroni noodle works great in this recipe too.
Can you use ricotta instead of cream cheese?
Hi Marcia, we have only made this recipe as listed but it should work with ricotta cheese. The sauce may not be as thick as when using cream cheese but only slightly!
I love all your recipes. your site is my go too when I’m looking for something delicious. Thanks for the yummy ideas!!
Thanks you so much Nancy! I am so happy you are enjoying our recipes.
This looks soooooo delicious!!! I can’t wait to make this new recipe!!! I love all of your recipes and I am so very happy that I signed up to receive your emails!! Thank you very very much!!
Stephanie
Thank you, Stephanie! We are glad to have you here. I hope you enjoy this recipe!