Give your family healthy homemade beefaroni for a delicious one-pot meal.

Ground beef and macaroni are cooked in a creamy, cheesy tomato sauce to make a wholesome, hearty new family favorite!

Make extras for the refrigerator and freezer, and reheat for easy lunches and dinners.

Homemade Beefaroni in bowls

Homemade Beefaroni

  • Beefaroni is a one-pot easy peasy kind of dish and ready to eat in about 20 minutes!
  • This kid classic has been given a flavor makeover using just a few fresh and wholesome ingredients!
  • Once you’ve tried this homemade beefaroni recipe, it’ll be one of your favorite comfort foods!

Ingredients For Beefaroni

Ground Beef – Use lean ground beef and be sure to break it up finely as it cooks. Other ground meats to use are chicken or ground turkey.

Sauce – For a flavor upgrade this recipe uses crushed tomatoes, feel free to add in your favorite spices and seasonings or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Cheese – Use finely shredded cheddar cheese. Pre-shredded cheese works fine in this recipe too.

Pasta – Think beyond elbow macaroni noodles, any medium-sized pasta shape will do. Ridges or tubes grab all that tasty sauce, penne, ziti, and bow tie are great choices.

Variations – Pump up the nutrition and sneak in some veggies like shredded zucchini, diced bell peppers, or chopped mushrooms. Swap the cheddar for shredded mozzarella cheese if you’d like.

broth , beef , tomatoes , sugar , cheese , cream cheese, tomato paste ,seasonings and macaroni with labels to make Homemade Beefaroni

How to Make Beefaroni

  1. Cook ground beef per the recipe directions below.
  2. Stir in the remaining ingredients except for the cheese. Cook until the macaroni is tender, adding more broth as needed.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheddar. Cover and rest for 5 minutes.
Homemade Beefaroni ingredients in the pot

Got Leftovers?

  • Double up the recipe and serve all week as the flavors will continue to blend!
  • Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
  • Portions can be frozen in zippered bags, but the pasta won’t be as firm once thawed but it’ll still taste yummy. Add freshly cooked pasta to refresh the texture.
close up of Homemade Beefaroni

Easy One-Pot Dinners

Did you make this Homemade Beefaroni? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

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4.79 from 23 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Homemade Beefaroni

Homemade beefaroni is a hearty, savory one-skillet meal that takes only minutes to prep and cook!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 5 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4

Equipment

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Ingredients  

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 can
  • 2 ½ cups beef broth up to 3 cups
  • 8 ounces ziti or large elbow macaroni
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 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, macaroni, cream cheese, tomato paste, sugar, onion powder, and garlic powder.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer. Cook for 14-20 minutes*, stirring occasionally. Add more broth as needed 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 very fine texture, break it up 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 additional broth or water as 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. 
4.79 from 23 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 537 | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 801mg | Potassium: 1554mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 871IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, Dinner, Pasta
Cuisine American
Homemade Beefaroni in the pot and plated with a title
easy cheesy Homemade Beefaroni with a title
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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.79 from 23 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 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.5 stars

  2. 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 .

  3. 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:)5 stars

  4. 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 Employee5 stars

  5. 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.4 stars

    1. 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!

  6. 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!1 star

    1. 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!

    1. 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.

    1. 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!

      1. I love all your recipes. your site is my go too when I’m looking for something delicious. Thanks for the yummy ideas!!

  7. 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