MACARONI AND CHEESE HAMBURGER CASSEROLE RECIPES

Steps:

• In large dutch oven brown ground beef and drain. Sautee onion. Add jar of spaghetti sauce. Stir in garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt and black pepper.
• Simmer covered on very low heat for 30 minutes.
• Boil elbow macaroni noodles in salted water until done. Drain noodles.
• In a 9 x 9 casserole dish layer noodles, sauce and cheese. Repeat, ending with cheese on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until hot throughout and cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

Steps:

• I use a 2 1/2 quart covered casserole dish for this. This will stick unless you have a great non-stick baking dish - I never grease the pan though because of all the fat that's already in this.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Brown hamburger and onion.
• Place a layer of sliced potatoes in casserole dish, top with half of hamburger/onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste (kind of depends on how salty your cheese sauce is - you can always salt it later if it needs it).
• Repeat layering of potato slices and hamburger mixture (and salt and pepper if desired).
• Make Cheese sauce:.
• Melt 3 T butter in saucepan over med-high heat.
• Add 3 T flour, and the salt and pepper. Stir quickly to blend.
• Add 2 cups milk; stir with whisk to incorporate butter/flour mixture.
• Reduce heat, stir till thickened and bubbly.
• Remove from heat and add shredded cheddar. Stir until cheese melts.
• Pour cheese sauce over hamburger and potatoes in baking dish. Push potatoes around to let cheese sauce into all of the crevices so it's well coated.
• Cover and place in oven. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, till potatoes are tender and top is browned. I like to take off the lid for the last 20 minutes or so to brown the top a bit.
• Even with the leanest ground beef, this can get little pools of grease on top - I just spoon these off. It doesn't mean the whole thing is greasy - just cheesy.
• My family members consider generous amounts of ketchup a necessary addition to this dish. I like it fine by itself (ok, maybe a spot of ketchup on the side).