Back-to-school schedules have a way of turning dinner into a race against homework, practices, and bedtime. Homework Helper Smoked Cheeseburger Mac takes everything good about a bacon cheeseburger and turns it into one big skillet of smoky, cheesy comfort food.
Seasoned ground beef gets combined with tender pasta and a creamy cheddar sauce before the whole skillet goes onto the smoker. A short smoke is all it needs to pick up another layer of flavor without drying out the pasta or making dinner an all-night project.
Bacon, extra cheddar, and chopped pickles bring home the cheeseburger flavor. The pickles may sound unusual in pasta, but their acidity cuts through the rich cheese sauce and makes the finished dish taste much more like an actual loaded burger.
This is also an easy one to customize for the family. Leave the pickles on the side, add jalapeños for heat, mix in leftover smoked brisket, or drizzle a little burger sauce over each bowl before serving.
Cheeseburger Mac
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 1.5 lb ground beef
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp BBQ rub or burger seasoning
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper, to taste