One of the coziest and most comforting pasta dishes, Beefaroni is an iconic Italian-American dish. Originally developed as a canned product, it became so popular that many people have tried to recreate it at home. I’ve never actually eaten the canned version, but of course I jump all over any cooking trend! Here’s my Homemade Beefaroni recipe. I can’t tell you if it’s better than the original Beefaroni, but it’s certainly very good…
What is Beefaroni?
Beefaroni is a portmanteau word, taking its name from macaroni, the pasta shape, and beef. In the 1920s, Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi founded a brand of canned pasta products after being repeatedly asked by customers for bottled spaghetti sauce in his Ohio restaurant. The brand Chef Boyardee was born and Beefaroni became one of their signature products.
How to Make Homemade Beefaroni
One of the things I love about this recipe is how simple it is. You cook the pasta separately, to “al dente”, before mixing it into a blended sauce with ground beef and finishing it off with cheese under a hot grill. The classic recipe has elbow macaroni, but you can also use straight macaroni, like I did here, or any other medium tubular pasta, like penne or rigatoni.
While your pasta is cooking, brown the beef with the onions. Don’t be afraid to let it catch in places and turn dark; a lot of the flavor from the sauce will come from this. Once cooked, lift the beef out with a slotted spoon and drain off any excess fat.
Homemade Beefaroni Sauce
Simply place all the liquid ingredients for the sauce into a jug and blend until smooth. I use an immersion blender, but a jug blender would work just as well. By mixing in this way, you have a really smooth base which we use to thicken a roux.
A roux simply means a cooked blend of melted butter and flour. We use the same pan that we fried the beef in, to pick up extra flavor from there. Melt the butter, whisk in the flour, and cook until it is slightly browned and nutty smelling, just a few minutes.
The next step is to add the blended sauce, a little at a time. As it boils, we whisk constantly, distributing the roux throughout the mixture to thicken and stabilize the sauce. Once you’ve added it all, let it simmer for a few moments before returning the beef and onions to the pan along with the cooked pasta. At this point, transfer to an oven proof dish if your pan is not suitable to go under a broiler.
Then we have the best part of all – the cheese! I like to use a combination of buffalo mozzarella and cheddar, so we’re still referencing both Italy and the USA in the finished dish. After adding the grated cheese on top, you just transfer to the broiler and grill for a few minutes until melted.
Be warned – there is quite a lot of cheese in my homemade beefaroni. But I’ve tried making it with less cheese, and it’s really not as good. I think we just have to accept that this dinner is a rib-sticking comfort dish rather than a health food!
And it really is one of the most cozy dishes I know – a real family favorite. Young or old, everyone loves it. It’s not going to win any fancy chef awards, but when it comes to pleasing everyone on a busy weeknight, it’s definitely got my vote.
And more…
Looking for more comforting pasta dishes? I got you! Try out one of these:
- Pink Sauce Pasta
- Creamy Chicken and Prosciutto Pasta
- One Pan Cheesy Pasta Bolognese
- Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta
- Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
Conclusion
Next time you need to serve up a family feast to please everyone, I definitely recommend trying Homemade Beefaroni. It’s hearty and cheesy, filling and savory, and it’s ready to go in not much more time than it takes the pasta to cook. What comfort dish hits the right spot for you and your family? Let me know in the comments!
Homemade Beefaroni
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 12 oz ground beef
- 1 onion peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 8 oz macaroni cooked
- 3 oz mozzarella cheese grated
- 2 oz cheddar cheese grated
For the sauce
- 12 oz canned tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and the onions and fry for about 5-6 minutes until cooked. Lift out of the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Meanwhile, blend the sauce ingredients together.
- Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat and add the garlic, flour, oregano and tomato paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes until toasty smelling.
- Add about half the sauce, and cook for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Add the rest of the sauce, a little at a time, always waiting for it to boil and thicken before adding the next batch.
- Add the beef and onion mix and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Place under a hot grill for the cheese to melt and go crusty.
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