Garlic Butter Beef Macaroni Bake (Printable version)

Comforting cheesy beef and macaroni baked with rich garlic butter sauce

# What you'll need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz elbow macaroni

→ Meat

02 - 1 lb ground beef, 85% lean

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

03 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
04 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

→ Sauce

05 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
06 - 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
07 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
08 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
09 - 1 tsp Italian seasoning
10 - 1/2 tsp dried basil
11 - 1/2 tsp paprika
12 - 1/2 tsp salt
13 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

→ Cheese

14 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F.
02 - Cook macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
03 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter, then sauté diced onion until soft, about 3 minutes.
04 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through. Drain excess fat if needed.
06 - Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, basil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
07 - Add drained macaroni to the skillet and fold to combine.
08 - Stir in half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan until well mixed.
09 - Transfer mixture to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top.
10 - Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
11 - Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything happens in one skillet and one baking dish, meaning cleanup is almost suspiciously easy
  • The garlic butter base transforms ordinary canned tomatoes into something that tastes like it simmered all day
  • This feeds a crowd with minimal effort and somehow tastes better as leftovers the next day
02 -
  • The draining step with diced tomatoes is nonnegotiable unless you want soup instead of baked pasta
  • Pasta finishes cooking in the oven, so undercook it by 1 to 2 minutes during boiling
  • Letting the dish rest before serving seems unnecessary but prevents that first scoop from collapsing
03 -
  • Grate your own Parmesan instead of buying pregrated, the melting quality makes a huge difference
  • A pinch of crushed red pepper in the sauce adds gentle warmth that rounds out all the cheese

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