Description
Comfort classic mac and cheese meatloaf casserole brings hearty southern-style cooking to your dinner table. Creamy pasta and savory meat blend perfectly, promising a satisfying meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 1 pound (454 grams) ground beef
- 1 egg
Starch and Carbohydrates:
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) bread crumbs
- 2 cups (480 grams) cooked macaroni
Dairy and Seasoning:
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) milk
- 2 cups (226 grams) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can condensed tomato soup
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Blend ground beef with egg, milk, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper until thoroughly incorporated, ensuring uniform texture and seasoning.
- Transfer the meat mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish, pressing evenly across the bottom to create a compact base layer.
- Distribute cooked macaroni uniformly over the meat foundation, creating a consistent pasta coverage.
- Generously scatter shredded cheddar cheese across the macaroni layer, ensuring comprehensive cheese distribution.
- Gently cascade condensed tomato soup over the entire casserole surface, allowing it to seep between cheese and pasta layers.
- Shield the dish with aluminum foil, then slide into a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 45 minutes, which enables thorough internal cooking.
- Remove foil and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes, allowing cheese to melt completely and develop a golden, slightly crispy top.
- Allow casserole to rest for 5-7 minutes after removing from oven, enabling flavors to settle and making serving easier.
Notes
- Swap bread crumbs with gluten-free alternatives like almond flour or crushed gluten-free crackers for celiac or gluten-sensitive diets.
- Mix in diced vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini to boost nutritional value and add extra texture and flavor to the meat layer.
- Use lean ground beef or ground turkey to reduce overall fat content while maintaining the dish’s hearty character.
- Experiment with different cheese blends like sharp cheddar, monterey jack, or smoked gouda for more complex flavor profiles.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 474 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg