Yield: 6 - 8 servings

My Best Friend's Mom's Cheesy Beef Macaroni Casserole

My Best Friend's Mom's Cheesy Beef Macaroni Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 6 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped (1 small to medium-sized onion, to taste)
  • 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, cut up
  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic, can sub 1 can stewed tomatoes, broken up / omit sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp. sugar
  • 2 cups uncooked macaroni, cooked and drained
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, or grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • In large frying pan, sauté hamburger, mushrooms, onions and garlic over medium heat until done, breaking up meat as you go along. Drain grease. Once drained, over low heat, stir in cream cheese until melted and everything is coated. Stir in soup, milk, tomatoes and seasonings until well combined and creamy.
  • In small pot or large saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions, drain and set aside.
  • Layer half of hamburger, then half of the macaroni, and sprinkle with half of the cheese in a lightly sprayed 2-quart casserole. Repeat layers.
  • Bake, covered, in preheated 350º oven for 40 minutes.