Groovy Recipe: Cheeseburger Macaroni

You see the title, and I know what you're thinking: "That sounds suspiciously like Hamburger Helper."  No way, dude.  Not in my kitchen.  Don't get me wrong - Hamburger Helper is delicious.  Salty, fatty, processed deliciousness.  In my late teens and early twenties, when I was starting out on my own, many a spoonful of Hamburger/ Tuna Helper made its way into my mouth.  But I'm a grown-up now and I have a child to feed as healthfully as I can.

This recipe was totally an experiment, the result of my missing two ingredients for meatloaf with macaroni and cheese.  It came out so unbelievably good, and my picky vegetarian toddler ate it all up, including the meat.  She even helped herself to my bowl, and then her Daddy's.  Then, she licked the serving spoon.

Mama wins!

Cheeseburger Macaroni

6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 package whole wheat elbow macaroni

3/4 lb grass-fed ground beef (the grass-fed isn't necessary, but that's what we do)

1 small yellow or white onion, petite dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup minced carrot

Several dashes Worcestershire Sauce

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2/3 cup butternut squash puree

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

1 tsp ground mustard powder

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Method

Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions, in a large pot.  Drain and return to the pot.

Drizzle olive oil in a frying pan and heat over medium.  Add onion and cook for five minutes.  Stir in the carrot and garlic, and cook another five minutes.  Shove the onion, garlic, and carrot to the side of the pan, then add the ground beef to the empty side.  Cook the beef until browned, then stir everything together and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Season with the Worcestershire, salt, and pepper, then cook for a few more minutes.  Drain the fat, then add the mixture to the pasta.

In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour to make a roux.  Cook the roux for a couple minutes, stirring constantly, until it is an almond color and smells like buttery toast.  Whisk in the milk; bring to a slight simmer.  Whisk in the squash puree and season with salt, pepper, and the mustard powder.  Let the sauce simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and whisk in the cheese.  When the cheese is melted, pour the sauce over the pasta and meat and stir well until everything is well-combined.  Serve in wide bowls.  Grub.