Remember Hamburger Helper? If you ever cooked in college, that was a Godsend. Open the box, dump some ground beef in a pan, and instant meal. Well, Bertinelli has fond memories of it, too and devised a version of it that does not come in a box. I tried it and the flavors are terrific because it's got a bit of a kick to it. Plus if you've got a cast iron skillet that can go into the oven, you can pretty much cook this all in one pan.
Here's how you start. First turn on the broiler mechanism on your oven and let that warm up.
Put two tablespoons of unsalted butter and melt them in preferably a cast iron pan like above. Brown about one pound of ground beef. While I always say that a 80% blend has more flavor, you will want the 90% mix here. In this case, the less fat, the better. Add about a quarter teaspoon of black pepper and a whole teaspoon of kosher salt.
When it's all nice and brown, add the following:
8 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni.
2 cups of whole milk.
1 1/4 cups warm water.
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard.
1/4 teaspoon paprika.
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Yep, this gets the meal a little heat.
Mix this all together well, cover, and let it simmer for about twelve minutes.
Add some cheese now. Valerie suggests shredded Cheddar and shredded American. I didn't have the latter in the house, but I did have some leftover Asiago from the holidays. That worked fine. You'll want 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar and 1/2-3/4 cup of the other. Stir it and let the cheese melt. Add some chopped chives...a few tablespoons.
Top the skillet thoroughly panko breadcrumbs. Throw into the oven underneath the broiler for a few minutes. Let it all come to a golden brown.
The meal is delicious and the leftovers can be parceled out in Tupperware for freezing.
Thanks again, Valerie. And you're welcome.
Dinner last night: Leftover chicken noodle soup.
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