One Pot Chipotle Cheeseburger Mac

One Pot Chipotle Cheeseburger Mac is creamy, cheesy and slightly spicy. Best of all, this quick and easy pasta dinner takes just 30 minutes to make!

The kids have been in school for less than a month, and already, they’ve been taking turns being sick. Seriously, what’s up with that? It seems to happen every year about this time. Anyway, I’ve been taking care of the sick kiddos, and that makes things even crazier around here.

So, this week has definitely been all about one-pot meals. They’re easy to make, easy to clean up and very comforting to eat. Whenever I have a week like this one, I just crave comfort food. And in all honesty, they really do make life easier.

This particular one-pot wonder is a delicious twist on the classic cheeseburger mac. I grew up on the boxed kind, and it was one of my favorite dinners. Of course, the boxes are also filled with loads of sodium and other stuff, so I started making my own. And it’s such a simple and easy meal dinner to make.

Basically all you need is ground beef, cream, cheese, pasta and a few spices. You just mix them all together in a skillet, and in about 30 minutes, dinner is ready.

Even though this pasta dish has chipotle pepper in it, it’s not overly spicy. In fact, the pepper adds just a little bit of smoky heat and color to the pasta, which I think is necessary. I love me some spice! I also used some Dijon mustard and plenty of paprika for extra flavor.

How To Make One Pot Chipotle Cheeseburger Mac

One Pot Chipotle Cheeseburger Mac

One Pot Chipotle Cheeseburger Mac is creamy, cheesy and slightly spicy. Best of all, this quick and easy pasta dinner takes just 30 minutes to make!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheeseburger mac, spicy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 604kcal

Author: Dee

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups mini penne
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Diced tomatoes and chopped parsley for garnish optional

Instructions

• Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, and drain any excess fat
• Stir in the salt, pepper, onions and garlic powder
• Add the pasta and water
• Cover and cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the water is absorbed and pasta is almost cooked
• Reduce heat to low and stir in the mustard, cream, chipotle seasoning, paprika and cheese
• Let simmer until sauce thickens, and add the tomatoes and parsley, if using
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 662mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 35% | Vitamin C: 1% | Calcium: 36.4% | Iron: 16.1%

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My family, gave this easy one pot chipotle cheeseburger mac a huge thumbs up. These people are definitely my harshest critics, so if they like it, you know it’s halfway decent! Actually, it’s more than halfway decent, if I do say so myself. It’s creamy, slightly spicy and smoky, and cheesy — good stuff!

I also  have to say that I usually serve these one dish meals with a fresh green salad, and the servings are about a cup or maybe one half cup each. It’s a little less for the kiddos. These cheesy dinners are filling, so a little goes a long way.

And the leftovers are awesome!

Happy cooking, and have a great day, friends!

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