Velveeta Cheeseburger Shells
Ground beef, pasta shells and melted Velveeta cooked in one pot with a little ketchup and mustard. Tastes like a cheeseburger in a bowl.
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup milk
- 12 oz medium pasta shells, about 4 cups dry
- 8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Toppings
- dill pickles, chopped, for topping
Steps
Step 1: In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the beef with the onion until no pink is left, about 7 minutes. Drain the grease.
Step 2: Stir in the garlic powder, broth, milk and dry shells. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a gentle simmer.
Step 3: Cover and simmer 12 to 14 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the pasta doesn't stick, until the shells are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Step 4: Turn the heat to low. Add the Velveeta, ketchup and mustard and stir until the cheese melts into a smooth sauce, about 2 minutes.
Step 5: Taste and add salt and pepper. Let it sit 3 minutes to thicken. Top with chopped pickles if you want the full cheeseburger effect.
Swaps
- Pasta: Elbow macaroni or rotini. Same cook time, roughly.
- Cheese: Use 2 cups shredded cheddar instead of Velveeta, stirred in off the heat a handful at a time.
- Broth: Water plus 1 bouillon cube works fine.
Tips
- If it gets too thick, splash in more milk.
- The pasta cooks in the broth and soaks up all that beef flavor, which is why this beats the boxed version.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Every kid in America grew up on some version of this out of a box with a cartoon glove on it. I’m a grown man and I still want it. The difference is now I make it myself and it tastes better.
The trick is cooking the pasta right in the broth and milk instead of boiling it separately. The starch the pasta lets off thickens the sauce, so when the Velveeta goes in it turns silky instead of greasy. Ketchup and mustard sound weird in pasta until you taste it. Then it’s just a cheeseburger that happens to be a casserole.
Top it with pickles. Trust me on the pickles.
HAM out.
Related recipes
AI illustrationCast iron / Dutch ovenOvenDinnerEasyJiffy Cornbread Tamale Pie
Seasoned beef, beans and corn baked under a sweet Jiffy cornbread crust in one skillet. Chili and cornbread without the second dish.
50 min · serves 6 · Beef
AI illustrationSlow cookerCast iron / Dutch ovenDinnerEasyOnion Soup Mix Pot Roast
Chuck roast slow-cooked with onion soup mix, potatoes and carrots until it falls apart. The packet does the seasoning; you take the credit.
495 min · serves 6 · Beef
AI illustrationCast iron / Dutch ovenDinnerEveryday ClassicsBeef and Bean Chili
A thick, hearty pot of beef and bean chili with bloomed spices, a little cocoa and a splash of beer, simmered until rich and topped any way you like.
105 min · serves 8 · Beef
Cooked this? Tell us how it went.
Loading reviews…