Cheeseburger Mac And Cheese

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 lb cavatappi pasta
• 1 lb ground sirloin
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/4 cups yellow cheddar cheese, grated and divided
• 1 1/4 cups swiss cheese, grated and divided
• 3 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 1 deli-style pickle, chopped (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400ºf.
• 2 place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.
• 3 add pasta to boiling water and cook just shy of al dente, according to package directions.
• 4 drain the cooked pasta and reserve.
• 5 in a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the ground sirloin with the grill seasoning, ketchup and yellow mustard.
• 6 grab about a tablespoon of meat in your hand and roll it into a small ball. place the mini meatballs onto a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• 7 turn off the oven and turn on the broiler.
• 8 while the mini meatballs are in the oven, heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the butter.
• 9 cook the red onion with some salt and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes.
• 10 sprinkle flour over top and cook for about 1 minute.
• 11 whisk in the milk, season with salt and pepper, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• 12 remove sauce from heat and whisk in 1 cup of each cheese.
• 13 add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce along with the baked meatballs and toss to combine.
• 14 pour everything out into a casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar and swiss cheeses.
• 15 if serving immediately, toss the mac under the broiler until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
• 16 top with the chopped tomatoes and pickles, if desired, and serve.