Revamping Recipes: Beef Macaroni Casserole with Sour Cream

Once again, I needed another hearty meal to pump more protein into my body and thus prepare myself for midterms next week.  This recipe is perfect because it uses just seven ingredients (all things most people have on hand) and it can feed one person for a whole week or a large family.  I got this recipe from Recipe Zaar.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 8 ounces sour cream (I used light sour cream which tasted the exact same for fewer calories)
• 4-6 slices Velveeta cheese (I used mild cheddar cheese slices and shredded mozzarella cheese – not pictured) 
• elbow macaroni noodles (use approximately 3/4 of a box)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I used garlic powder and just eyeballed the salt and pepper amounts)
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Start preparing the ingredients by chopping the onion.

  Then slap that meaty block of hamburger deliciousness into the pan.

Then throw the onions on top. Sprinkle a little garlic powder or salt.

Then more salt – it’s delicious!

Then the pepp-ah!

While that’s all cooking on about medium heat and you’ve broken it up and mashed it all together, add about 3/4 of your box of macaroni to some boiling water.  Follow the directions on the package.

A few minutes later, the hamburger should be fully cooked.

Add the can of tomato sauce and mix it all up.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain it and add the sour cream.  If you want, listen closely to the squishy sound of the noodles and sour cream mixing together – it’s a heavenly sound.  Trust me.  Try it.

The recipe says to use an 8”x10” baking dish, but all I have is a 9”x13” one, which worked fine, there were just some small gaps when I laid everything out, but layering everything fixed that.  Spread half of the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish.

Then lay out half of the pasta mixture.  Listen to the sound again.  Try to resist eating it all right now.

Then break up two slices of cheese and lay them on top.

Since I used a bigger casserole dish, I also added some mozzarella cheese to fill in the gaps.  Plus, I used light sour cream so I’m allowed to use those saved calories somewhere else, right?

Then repeat.  Slide it into the oven for twenty minutes… 

Take it out and then eat it all in one sitting!  I told you I needed protein – didn’t you believe me.  No, I’m kidding, it’s supposed to serve four to six.  I’m going to eat it for six days, so it works out perfectly.

Here it is on the plate.  MMM-mmm!  It’s good!  Seriously, this should be any parent’s go to recipe when they are limited on time and want to rely on whatever they have on hand.  It can be easily modified as well, with tomatoes, peppers, Mexican cheese, ricotta, you name it – you can add it!

What’s your go to recipe when you’re limited on time?

This post is a part of Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.