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This quick & creamy 15-minute Beefaroni Skillet recipe is the ultimate comfort food! Easy, cheesy, and better than store-bought. It’s the perfect meal for busy nights!
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Skip The Store Bought Stuff, This Is Way Better!
Honestly in (almost) the same amount of time you can open a can of Beefaroni and heat it on the stove, you can make this homemade version… but this is *so* much better! Our mom made this all. the. time. when we were growing up. It was an actual “rotation” meal in our home. It has that classic comfort food cheesiness and creaminess that brings back all the memories for me! In our family we call it “congooliami” but I have no idea where that name came from. My kids call it “beefaroni” and that definitely makes more sense. It was actually one of the first meals I prepared totally on my own as a kid, when I was 9 or 10 years old, that’s how easy this is. To this day my kids beg for this for dinner. It can literally be on the table in 15 minutes. It’s the perfect dinner for busy weeknights, big families, and hungry kids (and teens). I’m so excited for you to try this and get a taste of my 90s childhood!
🩷Erica
Ingredients for Homemade Beefaroni
- Macaroni noodles – I have made this a bajillion times and regular ol’ macaroni noodles just work best. Thicker, shaped noodles will still work great but I have found that they absorb too much of the sauce and can dry out faster.
- Ground beef – You can also use ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
- Onion – Use a yellow or white onion and chop it nice and fine. My kids don’t love big pieces of onion so I pretty much mince it when I make it for them.
- Condensed tomato soup – If you don’t want to use condensed soup, you can use spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, tomato sauce, or just a can of diced tomatoes. The tomato soup gives it a nice creamy consistency so if you use something different you can add some cream cheese to thicken it up and make it more creamy.
- Cream of mushroom soup – You can also use our Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe if you want to make it even more homemade. If you can convince your kids to eat mushrooms, I love sautéing up a whole pack of mushrooms (check out my post on how to sauté mushrooms) and adding it in addition to the mushroom soup. Seriously so good!
- Cheddar cheese – Get it pre-shredded or get a block and shred it yourself. I have found it comes out creamier when I shred it myself but use whatever you have on hand. You can also use shredded mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Mexican blend, or Pepper jack cheese, or a combination of several! I also love adding a handful of shredded parmesan cheese if I have it on hand.
- Salt and pepper – All you need is a little salt and pepper to season this Beefaroni. If you want something extra you can add garlic powder, oregano, or a little basil.
How to Make Beefaroni
- Cook the macaroni according to package directions to al dente. Drain (don’t rinse).
- While macaroni is cooking, brown the beef with the onions until completely cooked through and onions become soft and clear.
- Add the tomato and cream of mushroom soups and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked macaroni to the meat sauce and stir until well combined.
- Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Sprinkle a little extra cheese over the top (optional) and serve hot.
Pro Tips for Making Beefaroni
- Don’t overcook the pasta: It will cook a little more in the sauce so cooking the macaroni to al dente is usually just right.
- Try different pasta shapes: As I mentioned above, I like to keep it simple with macaroni noodles, but rotini, penne, bowtie, shells, or egg noodles all work great too!
- Boost the creaminess: Stir in 4-8 oz of cream cheese when adding the shredded cheese. A little extra creaminess never hurt anyone. You can also add a splash of heavy cream.
- Thin the sauce if needed: Add a splash of beef broth or milk to thin the sauce if it’s getting too thick.
- Sneak in veggies: Stir in peas, corn, green beans, diced tomatoes. I love adding shredded carrots and zucchini while I am browning the beef. It cooks down with the beef and my kids don’t even know it’s there!
What to Serve with Beefaroni
This dish is hearty enough to stand on its own, but you can never go wrong serving this with a simple green salad and some garlic bread (garlic bread is *so* good dipped in that creamy sauce FYI). You can also serve roasted or steamed veggies like broccoli, green beans, peas, or corn on the side or you can stir them right in. I really love making some sautéed mushrooms and putting them right over the top.
Storing the Leftovers
Store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of milk or cream or heat in 30-second increments in the microwave, adding milk or cream as needed. You can also make this ahead of time and freeze it! I like to portion it out in individual portions for freezing because it thaws easier. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Pasta absorbs sauce as it sits. If your Beefaroni seems dry, stir in a splash of milk, cream, beef broth, tomato sauce, or water while reheating to bring it back to the right consistency.
You sure can! It might not be as creamy but it will give it a nice Italian-style flavor you might like!
Elbow macaroni is my favorite (and the traditional) choice, but small shells, ditalini, rotini, or medium pasta shapes work great too. Just choose a pasta that holds onto the sauce well.
More Easy Dinner Skillet Recipes
This 15-minute Beefaroni skillet recipe is one of those recipes you’ll want to keep on repeat. It’s quick, easy, and totally gives those 90s comfort food vibes. Give it a try tonight, and let me know what you think! And don’t forget to take a pic and tag us on Instagram at @favoritefamilyrecipes 📸🧀
Homemade Beefaroni Skillet
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni noodles
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 10.5 ounces tomato soup , condensed , not prepared
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup , condensed, not prepared (see note above for substitutes)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Prepare noodles according to package directions to al dente, drain well.
- While noodles are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion together and cook until beef is browned and onions are soft and clear.
- Add condensed soups and salt and pepper.
- Add noodles to skillet and combine with sauce.
- Gently stir in cheese and serve!
- Optional: Sprinkle some extra cheese over the top and allow it to melt if you want it extra cheesy!
Notes
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- If you don’t prefer canned condensed cream of mushroom soup, try our delicious (and easy!) homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe!
- Sometimes, if we are looking to add more to this Beef and Noodles Skillet, we will stir in corn, peas, a can of diced tomatoes (drained), extra sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach.
- Many times when we make this, we try to hide in extra veggies, so we add shredded zucchini and carrots to the ground beef mixture. Really, our kids NEVER know there are any added vegetables. We use a LOT too. We have used 1-2 of EACH vegetable added in and they don’t ever catch on.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love this recipe? Try these other comforting classics:
Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
Instant Pot Goulash
Easy Meatball Stroganoff
Steak Stir Fry
Authentic Italian Spaghetti
Enchilada Casserole
Has anyone tried making this in an instant pot?
I just made this and it came out great! I sautéed my ground beef added garlic salt, then added the onion, some minced garlic and a full container of baby portabella mushroom sliced, I also added one knorr beef bouillon cube, then I added my pasta, I used tri colored rotini, 1 1/4 boxes barilla, and let that cook together for a bit, then added the soup cans, and two cans of water from each. I let that cook till the noodles were done and then we added our own shredded cheese. (Triple cheddar)
Oooh yum! I love the idea of adding sliced mushrooms! Thanks for sharing how you made this a success for you and your family!
I bought everything I needed, except the tomato soup, which I forgot, I realized it when I got home from the store, I didn’t feel like going back, so, I substituted salsa in place of the tomato soup, omg, my family loved it!
I love it when a substitution works out! This is great to know. Thank you!
Can I use tomatoe sauce instead of tomato soup?
Yes, you can but it won’t be as creamy– you can add some cream cheese to correct this if you would like. You may need to adjust the seasoning as well. I would say taste as you go and make adjustments based on your liking. Hope this helps!
Just made this for the kids and it was definitely NOT a hit with them. I tried it as well and was not at all impressed. This recipe is a no-go for us.
Oh no! What was the problem? How come it was a fail for you?
This was DELICIOUS!! So simple to make, and I even made the cream of mushroom soup which was also super easy! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I’m so glad you liked it! This recipe is requested often by my family. It’s such a great comfort food. 🙂
I made this last night and it was surpringly delicious!! I had leftovers for lunch today. Yum!
So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for coming back to let us know!
Thanks for the recipe! I made this last night but instead of boiling the noodles separately, I added about 2 cups of water and the uncooked noodles after stirring in the soups. Cooked over medium-low heat until the noodles were done. Turned out perfectly. I just had to share in case anyone else despised boiling noodles like me! 😉
Just wondering if you use milk or water to water down the soups like directed on can or just empty them in with no add fluids?
Just the contents of the can– no added water or milk. Hope this helps!
If tomato soup is the only thing I can’t find in my overly crowded pantry, could I use canned tomatoes and maybe purée them? Or do you have any suggestions for a substitute?
Yes, absolutely! You can use what you have on hand 🙂 You can use canned tomatoes and maybe mix with a little cream to get the creamy texture.
How about pasta sauce? That’s the only tomato I have in the house right now.
I haven’t tried it that way, so I can’t speak to how it would affect the taste or texture. Sorry!
Thanks for such a great dinner!
Made this 3 days ago. Followed it exactly, it was absolutely wounderful!! Everyone gobbled it down and licked the bowl clean. Definitely a keeper!
Why can’t I pin the receipe? The links don’t work.
It should be working now… our site was having issues the other day
I made this tonight for dinner, everyone loved it! This is so going to be on the rotation. My son says it’s a keeper!
So glad you (and your son) liked it! 😀
Can you use spaghetti sauce and cream of chicken instead of tomato sauce. I have everything else just not the tomato sauce. I’m out of that.
We haven’t tried it that way before, so I can’t definitively say how it will affect the recipe. Let us know how it turns out if you do try it, though!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I made a couple small changes. I sautéed garlic and spinach with meat and onions (adding the extra stuff after the meat/onions were almost entirely cooked). Then after mixing in the pasta and cheese. I transfered the mix to a casserole dish and sprinkled panko breadcrumbs on top. Finally a quick broil to brown the top. My boyfriend and I loved it! This is a family sized meal and a great value.
Thank you, Caitlin! So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adaptations of the recipe. It is always so helpful to our readers.
Would this freeze well?
Hmmm… I’m not so sure that it would but we haven’t done it before so I can’t tell you for certain. If you try it let us know how it goes!
I am going to be trying this dish tonight, but was saddened to see there is no nutritional or serving size information.
It serves 4-6 but we don’t provide nutritional information, sorry! You will have to input the recipe on a nutritional calculator like FitBit or Livestrong.
Do you drain the fat from the meat?
It depends on what fat content of meat I use. If there is excess fat, then yes I will drain it off. If there is only a little, I usually don’t worry about it.
I’m now 57 years old and have been making this since my teen years – with 2 differences: I omit the cheese and use spaghetti pasta. Absolutely delish and filling as a real quick dinner! 😀
You use the spaghetti sauce as well as both soups??
Shirleen
I’m super excited to make this! Question, though…When I go to print out the recipe, why do I get ads instead of a photo of the dish?
That definitely shouldn’t be happening. I will look into that…
We made this Monday night and it was so yummy! Finishing off the leftovers today for lunch.
So glad you liked it! It re-heats great, too!
do you heat up the soup?
Nope, just add it in straight from the can!