This slow cooker beefy mac and cheese recipe is beyond amazing. It is filled with yummy macaroni, tomatoes, beef, and cheese. This one-pot meal is next-level delicious!
Recipe at a glance (TL;DR)
- Prep time: 15 min
- Cook time: 6-8 hours on low, 3-4 hours on high
- Main Ingredients: Ground beef, macaroni, cheese, and tomatoes
- Servings: 8
- Best for: Weeknight dinners, meal prep, picky eaters
Did someone say comfort food? This crockpot ground beef casserole is the ultimate comfort food/easy dinner. My family devours this hearty meal everytime I make it... especially my picky eaters!
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Ingredient shopping list
To make this delicious hamburger mac and cheese, , you will need these simple ingredients available in any grocery store. Full quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
- lean ground beef - browned
- diced tomatoes - with all liquid
- onion - diced
- garlic - minced
- adobo seasoning
- beef broth
- elbow macaroni - or other small pasta of choice
- sharp cheddar cheese* - shredded
- salt and black pepper - to taste
Preparing your slow cooker
- Coat your slow cooker with a non-stick spray or oil before cooking
- Oil works better than spray for some non-stick surfaces (check your slow cooker's manual)
- Olive oil and avocado oil are my go-to coatings.
- You can also use a slow cooker liner for even easier clean-up.
Cooking
🍲Start by browning your raw ground beef. Ground beef can be browned on the stove top in a large skillet. If you have a browning feature in your slow cooker, that works well too!
I like to brown beef in my traditional crock pot in bulk. I freeze it in recipe-sized portions so that I always have some on hand for various ground beef recipes. This prep step makes so many great slow cooker recipes a fraction of the work come assembly time. My kind of lazy!!
🍲Drain excess grease from cooked ground beef.
🍲Add all ingredients other than macaroni and cheese to your slow cooker.
🍲Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. Your dish will be very soupy at this stage.
🍲About 15 minutes prior to serving, stir uncooked elbow macaroni noodles into the cooked meat mixture. Make sure as much of the pasta is submerged in the liquid as possible. Cover and cook until noodles are the desired consistency. We like our pasta al dente. This takes 15 minutes in my slow cooker.
🍲Stir in cheese until it is fully melted and serve promptly!
Serving suggestions
This beefy mac and cheese recipe is pretty much a full meal on its own. All you need is a small veggie side dish, such as green beans, cauliflower, or glazed carrots, and you can consider dinner time - done!
Slow-cooker beefy mac is great served in bread bowls. Or with some crusty bread and garden salad on the side.
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🔁Substitution ideas
- Ground chicken and ground turkey both work well in place of beef.
- If you are a fan of spice, add hot diced green chiles or jalapeños.
- To make your final dish creamier, substitute cheddar cheese with Velveeta cheese. Just note that this will alter the taste.
- To add more vegetables to your dish, add chopped bell peppers along with the tomatoes, onion, and garlic.
- Swap vegetable or chicken broth with beef broth for an even beefier flavor.
Storing
Store leftovers of this easy macaroni recipe in an airtight container or zip-top bag. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or about 3-4 months in the freezer.
If you love this recipe...
Please let me know in the comment section below!
Tips from my kitchen
- To make the prep for this recipe and others containing ground beef, use your crockpot to cook ground beef in bulk ahead of time. Freeze your beef in recipe-sized portions for future easy ground beef slow-cooked creations!
- To prep this easy weeknight dinner in advance, mix all ingredients other than uncooked pasta and cheese. Store in an airtight container or zipper-top bag in the refrigerator until you are ready to slow cook.
- The best way to store leftovers of this easy weeknight dinner is in individual serving-sized containers. This makes for simple grab-and-go future meals. It is the best complete meal for a busy day.
- I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price.
- In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!
- Don't forget to plug your slow cooker in and turn it on! 😏
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Beefy Macaroni And Cheese
(Click on the stars to leave a rating)
Print Pin Rate SaveAll nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef browned
- 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes with all liquid
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
- 4 cups beef broth
- 16 oz macaroni or other small pasta of choice
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- brown 2 lbs ground beef in a skillet on the stove top or in your slow cooker*2 lbs ground beef
- add cooked beef to a greased slow cooker along with 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, ½ cup onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning, and 4 cups beef broth
- cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours
- about 15 minutes prior to serving, add 16 oz macaroni to slow cooker. cover and cook until pasta reaches desired consistency*
- add in 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (and salt and pepper to taste, if needed) and stir until cheese melts
- *optional - set aside a bit of cheese to melt on the top. Sprinkle over top of finished dish, cover and cook just long enough for cheese to melt.
- serve promptly!
Final Step
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Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
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Tom cieslak says
My family and I loved it. Made is last month and making again tonight.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
I am so glad your family loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it!