Taco Hamburger Skillet

 I saw this recipe for basically homemade Hamburger Helper, only this is like the taco version with pasta instead of rice. You could easily use rice if you preferred, but our family enjoyed the pasta just fine. I also thought that if I wanted to sneak more veggies or filler into my kids, some corn or beans might be a good addition to this dish. See the original recipe here:

https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/cheeseburger-macaroni-my-kids-favorite/

Taco Hamburger Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning or about 1 ounce
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis such as a 10 ounce can of Rotel
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• Optional- canned corn or beans
• Toppings- lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, taco chips, or any of your favorite taco-type toppings.

Cheese Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Directions:

• Brown ground beef and drain grease.
• Stir in taco seasoning, tomatoes, beef broth, and macaroni and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 12-14 minutes until macaroni is tender.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
• Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 2-3 minutes until it becomes fragrant and starts to turn a light brown color.
• Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and mixture starts to thicken. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce.
• Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture. Stir gently to combine.

Marsha's Notes:

It would be really easy to add just about anything to this that you thought would be good, like onion  or peppers when browning the meat, any kind of beans you like, corn or maybe peas and carrots. You can eat it as is, or top with any additional taco toppings once served. You can also swap the pasta for rice for a more authentic Taco Hamburger Helper feel, but it may require an adjustment to the liquids in the recipe.