Grownup Macaroni and Cheese with a Twist

After deciding one day that I absolutely wanted Cheeseburger Macaroni for brunch, I set out on a Google journey to find a grownup version of said recipe. Most of these recipes call for the basics of macaroni noodles, hamburger, and Velveeta cheese which might I add is NOT cheese at all. It doesn't even require refrigeration therefore it can't be cheese...can it? With the basic recipes eliminated that require just those three ingredients, I found a fabulous one that had a little bit of a grownup flair and at the end of cooking a grown up taste. It took all of about an hour to complete from start to finish so for busy moms this would be a great recipe to try.

Enjoy

Ingredients Needed:
1 box of Elbow Macaroni - Feel free to substitute a fun shape for the kids
1 medium onion
2-4 garlic cloves - fresh garlic tastes best....garlic salt/powder not so much
1 lb hamburger or lean ground turkey
3 cups finely shredded cheese - You can use cheddar, mexican blend, italian blend, whatever you prefer
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of milk
salt and pepper
1/8 tbsp basil - you can use dried if you wish
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp melted butter

Steps for Cooking

• Preheat oven to 375
  
• Finely chop your medium onion and garlic cloves
• Brown your hamburger/turkey, adding the onion and garlic to the pan. Salt and Pepper.
  
• Meanwhile boil water for your pasta. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, drop your pasta and cook.
• Once meat is cooked completely, drain and set aside. Do the same with the pasta.
  
• In a large bowl combine the cream of mushroom soup, basil, salt and pepper, milk and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix well.
• Gently fold in your hamburger/turkey meat and the elbow macaroni.
  
• When this is folded in, add the remaining cheese. Mixture will be thick.
  
• Transfer mixture to a buttered 13 x 9 casserole dish.
  
• Combine 1 tbsp of MELTED butter with 1/3 cup of dry bread crumbs and crumble on top of casserole.
  
• Cook on 375 until bubbly and browned on the top, 20-35 minutes.
  

WORDS OF WISDOM

1. Feel free to use ground turkey for a lighter version and taste. This will cut down on unnecessary fats.
   
2. Adjust the amount of garlic and onion to your liking.
   
3. Ground Turkey tends to need more help in the seasoning department.