Shipwreck Dinner

This was surprisingly good. (I didn't expect it to be.) It did need more cooking time and liquid than called for. I added beef broth I had open - cooked until the noodles were done. Reminded me of Hamburger Helper but so much better. A nice flash back to the comfort food of my childhood.

I was in a pinch for a quick dinner and this fit the bill. I didn't have all the ingredients so had to do some substituting. I only had individual servings of Mac and cheese so used 3 of them. Had left over peas and carrots so used them and a can of corn, drained. No diced tomatoes so I used a can of hot ro tel. My husband is a meat and potatoes man and generally doesn't like dishes like this, but he liked this one! His suggestion- next time make it with diced potatoes instead of macaroni!! And I think I might. Good meal and very quick and easy. Will definitely make again.

Everyone loved it as is from the 60 year old to the 3 year old, it was a win all over!

We loved it! Made it more Southwestern style by browning the meat in Taco seasoning packet and then adding black beans and cornas the vegetables. Had a smaller package of Mac and Cheese but will make it with larger size next time. Added extra cheese as I plated it. Made six nice size servings -- froze enough for my husband and I to enjoy later.

I definitely will try making it again. I've found the best way to change this recipe to put your own spin on it, is one ingredient at a time. My first suggestion would be adding fresh garlic, or changing or adding something else in addition to fresh garlic, as opposed to garlic powder or salt.

My whole family loved this! It's delicious and super easy to make. We even substituted the mac'n'cheese for a Gluten Free version.

Used a bag of mixed vegetables instead of just peas and corn. Also used Annie’s GF Mac n Cheese as my little one is a Celiac. Turned out great, kids loved it and took leftovers to school the next day because I told them no seconds at dinner.

Made as recipe specifies. Everyone enjoyed it.

Added 1.5 cups of cheese to the pan and topped off with Sriracha sauce and it was fantastic!

This got rave reviews at my house! I made exactly as directed except I used another recipe on here for the seasoning salt as I thought I had some and didn’t. Also used a Cracker Barrel mac and cheese, and Colby jack as I didn’t have straight cheddar on hand. This was so, so yummy! I will be making again., soon!

I definitely will try making it again. I've found the best way to change this recipe to put your own spin on it, is one ingredient at a time. My first suggestion would be adding fresh garlic, or changing or adding something else in addition to fresh garlic, as opposed to garlic powder or salt.

Nice simple comfort food. I added Smoked Paprika for a little kick

I really loved it.

This recipe was easy to follow and it came out great! I only omitted the peas because they're not my favorite in dishes. My boyfriend liked it so that's a plus since he's pretty picky and critical of recipes. I would make this recipe again. There's plenty for two with lots leftover.

Wow this was delicious! Thank you!

I used Annie’s Gluten Free Mac and cheese. Plus I sautéed onions and garlic and added red pepper flakes. So good!

This was SO easy to make. My kids loved it. I switched out the corn & peas for 2 cups of a vegetable medley. I also used more cheddar cheese. I will absolutely make this again & have shared the recipe with my friends!!

Family thought it was terric!

I am giving this five stars because of its simplicity, it’s easy to make personal adjustments and because even my picky eaters liked this meal. It’s rare I get my whole family to like something. I followed some other reviews by Adding diced onion and garlic when frying my hamburger meat and used the Velveeta shells and cheese, Rotel, and Tony Chancery seasoning because we do like spicy. I omitted the peas only because my family doesn’t care for them and I used canned corn. adding diced onion and garlic when frying my hamburger meat and it’s easy to make personal adjustments it’s rare I get my whole family to like some thing.

I just made this and it was so easy! I used taco seasoned ground turkey, added a can of diced green chilies, lots of garlic, cilantro, frozen mixed veggies, and the Kraft Mac and cheese with the cheese sauce pouch. I omitted the diced tomatoes, so I added an additional 1/2 cup of milk. After about 15 minutes, most of the liquid was absorbed, but the noodles were still hard, so I added a half of a can of chicken broth and that was perfect! I will definitely be making this again and trying new flavor combinations! LOVE this easy dinner!

Apologies, I didn't like this. It was filling but the flavor was bland and monotone. To me it really didn't taste like anything. I think it might have been the peas which overcame the flavor of the corn and mac and cheese. Like cooking lima beans with anything. They cover up flavor. I really wanted to like this as it looked and sounded so good. I did use the Rotel tomatoes and taco seasoning, but I guess not enough as I only used 1 teaspoon like the seasoned salt. If you would please update with suggestions on seasoning amounts as that would be helpful. Spice it up! Chef Charlie (Dallas Texas)

I loved this dish!! I used creole seasoning and Rotell. It was delicious even my picky kids loved it.

It was good. Added Monterey Jack cheese.

This is an old family recipe. My mom used to serve this to us as kids in the 70's. And I served it to my kids in the 90's. Good flavor, fast and simple to make. And variations are easy to work in.

I used Rotel in place of the tomatos, Frozen Green beans in place of Peas, and added extra cheese and it was Delicious and for a lil extra I added sour cream to mine.

Easy peasy to make. The family loved it!

We made this dinner tonight upon the behest of our kids. Even our most pickiest eater gave the meal a thumbs up. We did use about 250g of velveta and added a couple of splashes of chicken broth (half cup to add some more liquid for the boil). We also used frozen corn, peas, and beans which added a bit to the flavour. While I had feared that we didn't have enough pasta it worked perfectly. Can only recommend, the flavours come out beautifully and this meal will be on our regular meal schedule.

Husband and I did not care for this. Reminded me of hamburger helper. Not much flavor and "box dinner" type thing. We like all the individual items but was just BLAH. With some revamping- maybe green chilies and or more seasoning--i don't know. It was SUPER EASY and QUICK but just not something we will be making again.

I have been making something very similar for forty plus years. I have not added corn, but will do that next time. My method is significantly different. I make the Mac and cheese according to package directions. Then brown the ground beef, drain. mix all ingredients including some extra cheese. Put in casserole dish, bake at 350 until bubbly. I add extra cheese to the top for about the last ten minutes

Other than reducing seasoned salt to 1/2 ts., made as written. It was delicious on this old night. It’s a great way to get veggies in. Will make again.

This is pretty good! I used mixed vegetables because that's what I had on hand. I cooked it a bit longer than the recipe said, but I had no trouble with the amount of liquid. Quick, easy, all stuff I already had in the pantry, we'll definitely have this again some time.

A little more vegetables and stir well I would make it again

I followed the directions to a tee. I had plenty of juice to cook the noodles, but the flavor for me was just blah. My husband and I tolerated it and finished - my son couldn't do it, despite the fact that he likes all ingredients. I wouldn't make it again.

Easy and good flavors. My wife even are peas for the first time. Of course you don't need the boxed macaroni and cheese. Simply use 6 oz of small elbows. It keeps well in the fridge, too.

yay

We have been making this for years and years. We do not add the peas as not a favorite for us. We saute a medium onion until translucent. And, we make a rue (butter & flour) and then add Velveeta for our cheese and use a can of Rotel and a small can of diced tomatoes. Usually use small shells but ziti or penne or any cut macaroni will do. Once everything is combined, we top with shredded cheese and then bake for about 45 min at 350.

I thought the ingredients sounded like a great combination and it was!!! I used the Kraft Deluxe Mac n Cheese. Instead of shredded cheddar I used a packet of Velveeta cheese sauce. Loved it!

great quick meal, much better than hamburger helper

Wow..I made this as a 10 year old for my sister and me when we were home alone.(parents worked late so we ALL pitched in to help). I didn't know what it was called then, but"shipwrecked" is an accurate title. And yet, it's quite tasty. I still make it from time to time.

The ingredients looked like an unlikely combination, but the reviews were really positive, so I had to try it. It really is good and filling! My family enjoyed it, and said it’s a keeper recipe. I also liked how inexpensive it is, even when doubling the recipe. The only change to the recipe I made was adding Cholula sauce, because we add Cholula to everything.

Easy "go to" with easy ingredients, everyone enjoys, we dont like peas, so omit them, always put a big handful of shredded sharp cheddar on top to melt in. I sometimes sub out Rotel .

Turned out delicious. made a few alterations I didn't have frozen vegetables so I used a can of green beans, a can of baked beans instead of tomatoes, mushroom broth, and it was delicious.

Didn't make any changes and we'll make it again

Super good...i used ground turkey instead of beef cuz its what i had...yum yum yum!

I had great hopes for this but it fell flat. Not very tasty and will not make again.

we liked it a lot. Used 1/2 pound of Beyond Beef and used Velvetta Shells and Cheese - about 2/3 of the package of shells.

Honestly, I abhor recipes that begin with the word ‘dump’. I don’t and will never make ANYTHING that has that in the recipe’s name… that being said, shipwreck is kind of in the category but I like it much better. Creative. And I personally love to mix things in my Mac and cheese. Tuna, hamburger, hotdogs…. It’s all good. You can’t go wrong, but only three stars because it’s still box Mac and cheese.

I felt this was a good base recipe to start with and then customize to what your family likes. I used seasoned black beans instead of peas. Also, I used ground turkey and chicken broth to make it a little skinnier.

The first few times we did the Mexican version with the taco seasoning (whole packet) and Rotel and fajita veg. DELISH! Tonight we tried the original version. I think I would add more seasoned salt and some Worcestershire sauce but otherwise also good. Will likely go back to the Mexican version over and over!

I found a recipe very similar to this on the back of a box of macaroni and cheese back in the '70s and I've been making it ever since. I love this stuff so does my family.

Left out the peas because my husband hates them. Not fond of them myself. Used canned instead of frozen corn. Cup of elbow macaroni and Velveeta cheese sauce. Sprinkled with bacon bits because, well, bacon.

I didn't like it very much.

Very good. I used vegan gluten free Mac and cheese and plain unsweetened almond milk to fit my dairy free and gluten free needs. My husband loved it and said it reminded him of hamburger helper.

Omg this is amazing! It is delicious and makes great leftovers.

made it from scratch since GF mac n cheese is hard to find.... EW. We made the mac n cheese sauce wrong and it turned this meal in to 2020's first family disaster dinner

Followed directions exactly and it turned out GREAT!

I have made this kinda stuff for many years. My kids always loved it and still do. They call it "Mom slop", Haha. They are now both married with kids of their own. When they come over to my house for dinner, I ask them what they want to eat. They often reply, "I don't care. Just make some kinda Mom Slop". It's always the best!

meh. need a much bigger skillet and more liquid. probably better to put the beef in with onion. big portion.

This is almost the same as what we used to call pantry goulash when i was a kid decades ago, but we'd use celery and frozen broccoli because they go better with cheese. Just thaw the broccoli first or it makes the meal supper runny. Since then I've always liked to add the seasoned tomatoes, like the fire roasted with garlic, or with chilis. if i want it really spicy (spicy for me at least) the fire roasted salsa tomatoes with jalapeno bits are really good in this. Regardless what veggies and flavor of 'maters you use, this has always been a classic amazing recipe.

Easy and delicious

It’s pretty good, the only thing is that a lot stuck to the pan. I added 2 cups of milk instead of one and used a veggie patch bacsically- a thing filled with veggies

An oldie but a goodie. I learned to make this one fifty years ago when I was in high school. It was called Shipwreck Casserole, and I still have the original school mimeograph with that faded purple ink. This one is very similar, with a couple of exceptions. Mine calls for frozen mixed vegetables and a dash of Worcestershire sauce to give it a bit more flavour.

Not bad with a few modifications. I was concerned that this recipe had little seasonings so I added some grinds of black pepper and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (I like it spicy). Also, I used mixed vegetables and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning instead of the peas and corn and Lawry's. Nice alternative to Hamburger Helper.

I took Bcsgibson's suggestion and used the Velveeta Shells and Cheese version. I followed the instructions, but sauteed some chopped onions with the beef and added some garlic powder, pepper, and seasoned salt. I suppose you could just add the meat and veggies to prepared mac & cheese, but cooking the pasta in the milk seems like an improvement. Overall, pretty tasty.

Very good and fast.

My family loved it! I didn’t have frozen peas or corn. Threw in a bag of frozen veges. So yummy! Thanks

Very good!! Only change was small bag of mixed veggies instead on c/p’s. Will make again!

I've made this twice, both times using the store brand of 'deluxe' macaroni and cheese with the silvery pouch of prepared cheese sauce. It's a relief to have an easy all-in-one main dish that actually tastes good. I prefer to use canned whole tomatoes that I cut up myself, instead of the diced or petite diced tomatoes. Whole ones have a more appealing, natural texture than the diced or petite diced, in my opinion. I add about 1/3 cup water to the empty tomato can to get out all of the good stuff, then add that tomato water to the mixture. It adds a little bit more cooking liquid, and doesn't make the finished dish runny or soupy. I also prefer to add the seasoned salt to the beef, tomato, milk, pasta, sauce and vegetable mixture before it starts to simmer. That way the seasoned salt is better incorporated. One last tip: if you have only the 'no salt added' tomatoes, you can add an additional 1 or 1.25 teaspoons of the seasoned salt to compensate and give it good flavor.

This is so easy, and makes a wonderful dinner that tastes even better the second day. I would recommend this recipe to anyone. I made it with the powdered mac and cheese and it turned out well.

This one skillet dinner makes clean up almost as easy as making the dinner itself. I substituted Italian sausage and pepper jack cheese to kick up the spice factor.

This was a great and quick week night dish, I did replace the tomatoes with Rotel, and added a southwestern seasoning mix we have. This has become a new family favorite.

Delicious and simple will definitely do this again

sorry, but my family found this to be blah in flavor. Probably okay for a weeknight family dinner.

I have made something like this and like "griffensgramma" I too , cooked the boxed macoroni and cheese first then added together the other ingredients. Very good