Homestyle Beef, Macaroni and Cheese

We had this last night, it was pretty good, not great. I did take the advice of many of the reviews and added 1tbsp italian seasoning, it could have used more; also added garlic & onion. I forgot to buy tomato juice so I added a can of diced tomatoes - I really liked them in the meal. I used 2c cheddar cheese, would like to try with sharp cheddar next time. I also used a whole pound of macaroni, it wasn't too much pasta for the liquid in the recipe, it just needs flavor. I probably will make it again some night when we need a quick meal. **UPDATE** I made this again and still used a can of diced tomato, the soup, and a small 5.5oz can of V8 because my husband thought it was slightly dry the first time - he prefers pasta "saucy" - and I added a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce too along with the onion & garlic. I added 1-1/2 tablespoons of italian seasoning this time and all else the same (still using a pound of pasta - whole wheat elbows) and I did try the sharp cheddar that I've been wanting to try - we all really loved the changes. This made it VERY GOOD when before it was just 'pretty good' :)

This recipe was a little bland so I added garlic, basil, italian seasoning and it was very tasty.

Was easy to fix and very tasty. I added sliced ripe olives and some cilantro to suit our taste and it was wonderful. Ended up putting in into a casserole dish toppping with some cheese and baking till bubbly to take to a family at church. Everyone in the family loved it! Will be a pot-luck regular.

We did not like this at all. Probably one of the worst recipes I have ever tried. Will not make again.

Pretty good base recipe just needs some extra spices to jazz it up and more cheese.

Kids loved it and so did I. Spiced it up a little bit but stuck to the basic recipe. Wonderful for those hectic week night dinners!

This is my favorite lunch dish. I only changed the pasta - I used tri-colored rotini (all that was in the pantry!) and used 3c instead of 2. This casserole made lunch for 10 days for me!! Thanks so much for a yummy addition to my lunch time :)

This was very tasty! I used a meatloaf seasoned tomato sauce and added green beans with the corn. It was delish, and reheated well.

this is a very easy and quick recipe! it needs a lot of additions to give it more flavor. i made the recipe as written except for the tomato juice. i added a can of diced tomatoes with the juice. i also spiced it with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and basil. it was sooo good!

Excellent recipe! Maybe add a bit more corn for an extra crunch. Twin five year old's ate seconds!!

Great base recipe. I added chilli, garlic, and itialian seasoning and used tomatoe sauce because I was out of tomatoe soup. I think I will play with the seasonings more next time but very good.

This is great! To reduce sodium content, I use no salt corn, "healthy choice" tomato soup, low sodium V-8, and use 3/4 of the cheese recipe calls for. Still turns out great!

I made a few changes in regard to ingredient amounts for our dietary needs but otherwise very good overal

Everyone should try recipes to there liking before making changes. As is we did not care for this, I added onion and green pepper to hamburger along with a little garlic and sauteed, and in place of the juice I added two cans of rotel tomatoes. Turned out pretty good, thanks for the post.

Buy two boxes of macaroni and cheese and prepare as box instructs. THEN add ground beef and tomato sauce...it's MUCH tastier this way.

Great recipe! I substituted thinly-sliced steak for the grnd. beef and used leftover pasta salad for the macaroni. I made my own tomato sauce out of diced tomatoes, a little tomato paste, cumin, garlic, onion, paprika powder and a little salt. Mixed it all together, sprinkled with mozzarella, and baked until hot and bubbly. Yuuuummy!

I run a home daycare, so when the clock strikes 5:30 and the kids leave for the day, I'm always looking for something easy and quick to fix for dinner. I have to say I was a little skeptical about this one. I was in a pinch and had all of the ingredients on hand so I tried it. I was surprised! YUM! That's all I can say. My husband and I both liked it! My kids weren't hungry so didn't eat much, but it's right up their alley too. AND Bonus! It is an excellent "all-in-one" meal to serve to my daycare kids for lunch! I added a little bit of Garlic powder and onion salt... next time I might try adding some fresh onion and maybe even diced tomatoes. Overall? Great recipe.

Rating 2 stars as is- very bland. I doctored it up a little w/ others' suggestions like garlic powder, Italian seasoning etc. It was a 3 stars at best w/ added spices. I will not make it again, just not my type of food.

This was very simple to prepare. To me it could have used a little flavor but not sure what yet. Everything was fine until I added the cheese. I love cheese but I feel that half the amount would have been better. It changed the texture/consistancy of the meal. Made it a little too heavy. Maybe a sharper flavored cheese like parmesan would help. I will make this again with a few flavor adjustments. Overall (before the cheese) it kind of reminded me of goulash. Yummy.

I've never been a huge fan of goulash dishes, but I love this. My toddler boys love it, too! The mozzarella cheese is the golden ingredient!

I enjoyed this recipe. My 2 year old twins didn't like it but I'm sure they will as they get older.

This is a quick & easy weeknight dinner when things are hectic & you're pressed for time, but it's not something I'd serve to company. It's important to use a good cut of hamburger. I used "Laura's Lean Ground Beef" with 8% fat & I didn't like it; the dish had an overwhelming hamburger taste. I seasoned the hamburger with Accent, garlic powder, garlic salt, pepper, table salt & diced onion while browning it. I also added a generous amount of those same seasonings after all of the ingredients were combined in the pot & used both of cheddar & mozzarella cheeses. Serve it with a side of garlic bread & a salad and your family will have a hot supper on nights when you're just too busy or too tired to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

I thought this was one of the best Macaroni and cheese recepies I've tried in a long time. The cheese is my husband's and my favorite. Since making it for the first time a few months ago, it's a regular menu favorite. Real good and hearty.

This was pretty simple, yet it tasted great. My daughter especially liked it. When re-heating it the next day in micro, I found that I needed to add more cheeze to it.

I made it without the corn and added more mozzarella and some cheddar. My husband LOVED it. He said we should have a limitless supply!

This recipe taste a bit like cheap Spaghette O's. It was a waste of my money and time.

This was a very easy and quick meal. I did add a little more to it which was an onion,minced garlic clove, garlic powder, 3 dabs of tabasco, and topped it off with cheddar cheese.

This is a great recipe to make at the last minute. Quick, easy, and very delicious. It is definately going to be a regular at my table!

Easy, cheesy...but rather bland. A little like Hamburger Helper. I imagine kids would really like it.

This is a sweet tasting meal. Adding more savory seasonings would make this more appealing to me. Will probably make it again with changes because it was so easy.

It was very quick and easy to make, but very bland. If you added some other seasonings, such as garlic, or Italian Seasoning of some sort, this recipe would taste much better.

Overall, this tasted like a thinner, sweeter version of goulash. Kind of "goulash-light". ;o) It was good, we cleaned our plates. I did add onion and garlic to the beef and some oregano. It just sounded too plain otherwise. Used a whole 8oz. of mozz. and was glad, but we like cheese. I'll save the recipe, but won't be in a hurry to make again.

THIS RECIPE WAS VERY EASY TO MAKE AND THE KIDS LOVED IT THANKS.

My family & I are simple eaters and this is an excellent & fast recipe. It is great the day after too.

i used italian seasoned ground turkey my kids (2 & 1) flipped out they loved it ma and dad loved it and it was quick, its a new standby.

very yummy. I added some onions and a little extra cheese.

I have to agree with Kelly. The recipe the way it is printed is bad. I think with a little creative seasoning it will be a good quick meal the kids and adults both will like.

This was a very easy and good dinner to make. I added shredded zucchini, eggplant and onion for an added vegetable/vitamin explosion!

I added a few shakes of garlic powder and oregano. The cheese is what makes this a 4 and not a 3.

a little bland but very quick and easy.

I made changes, since I could tell just by looking at the recipe that it won't taste good as written. I added sautéed onion & garlic, onion powder, Red Robin seasoning, Italian seasoning and used Tomato Bisque soup instead of plain tomato because it has a richer flavor. I used cheddar because it has a stronger flavor than mozzarella. Still, this meal was very disappointing. My toddler and preschooler ate a few bites and were done. I made this only because I needed something fast and had the ingredients on hand. Won't make it again.

Good base recipe, like the others, I added some things to suit my taste, I had some mild italian sausage, italian seasoning, chopped onion, chopped garlic, I didn't have tomato juice, so I used a can of grape tomatoes with juice along with the tomato soup and it turned out very good. Will make again for sure.

Great Recipe, the whole family loves it!!!! Quick n easy, i would recommend trying it!!!!!

We love this, although I omit the corn because my family is picky (I like it better with the corn, though.) Fast, easy, and economical alternative to the boxed "Helpers" on busy days.

Since all the reviews said this was bland I added a can of Ro-tel tomatoes and peppers along with dried cilantro, basil and oregano. Delicious!

I'm in the minority here--but we didn't care for this--pretty bland--but I think younger kids might enjoy.

Great comfort food! Very cheesy...I used lean ground turkey and added some spices. My husband loved it!!

Very good. I dressed it up with extra marinara sauce that I had on hand. Also, big tomato fan so I added a can of diced tomatoes. Added garlic powder.

This was ok. The only modification that I made is that I added about a cup of cheddar on top of what the recipe called for. Even with that, we could hardly taste the cheese. My kids didn't really like it, which surprised me as this is kind of a kid friendly dish. My husband was indifferent. I think I'll only make it again if in a pinch as it was rather fast and easy to put together with staple ingredients.

This was like a homemade hamburger helper except a lot less salty and tastier. It was really easy to make.

For those who like things to taste lighter and a little fresher for lack of a better word (and simpler) mix your cooked ground beef and onion mixture with 1/2 lb or so cooked macaroni and a couple of cans of petite diced tomatoes with oregano and red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Season to taste and add as much grated cheese as you like. I like Monterey or pepper jack. I had a hard time stopping eating it. My kind of comfort food. I always buy a big pack of ground beef from Costco and cook it up with very small julienne diced vegetables like carrots, celery, red or orange peppers and onion and freeze it on baking sheets to put in freezer bags so I’m able to use as much as I like for easy quick dishes like this. I do a very small dice for children and my husband who doesn’t like vegetables and hardly notices them when cooked like this. The mixture goes great in spaghetti sauce, enchiladas, etc.

Came across this recipe when I was looking for something simple to cook with ingredients I already had on hand. Loved it, but I didn't have tomato soup or tomato juice, so I ended up using a 3/4 of a jar of Newman's own marinara sauce instead. Which is my fave. I also used a cup of Sargento six blend Italian shredded cheese. Came out great! I'll definitely be making this again.

This is one of my favorite recipe....quick & easy! My husband hates pasta and he request for me to make this every now & then. I've also made this for my friends and they all love it & request for it whenever we have potluck dinners. I do marinate the beef with some seasoning for more taste & add chilli paste for a bit of a kick!

I really liked this simple yet great recipe!

This was a good recipe to feed picky kids. They ate it up - to my surprise! The adults in my house found it rather bland and boring, though.

My family loved this recipe. It is very cheesy and makes great leftovers.

Really easy and quite tasty! Will make it again

Everyone in my family loved this and it was a great fast fix for a busy night.

This is a great weeknight recipe and it's perfect as it is! The only thing I didn't add was the can of corn because I didn't have any and truthfully this recipe does not need the corn! Excellent leftovers too!

Thank you for this recipe. It was very quick. I left out the corn and I added onions, oregano, garlic, and italian seasoning with the beef while browning. After browning in a large frying pan I added the tomato soup and tomato juice to the hamburger and let simmer uncovered until the noodles were done. Mix all together, add cheese, and you have a great meal that even my kids enjoyed. Very good recipe.

I added a half onion and garlic to the ground beef but it turned out great!! Quick and easy, tasty meal!!

My two children and I loved this meal in a pan. I did add some taco seasoning as my children love Mexican food. It was great! Definately a keeper.

Bland... Not much taste. Maybe it would be better with some spices, or with cheddar cheese, but made exactly as the recipe stated it was bland. My 5 yr old ate it though.....

Good but a bit bland. Added pepper and onion to give it some extra flavor which improved it.