{ Cooking Thursday - Macaroni and Cheese Meatloaf Casserole }

 

 

Good morning everyone, welcome back to another Cooking Thursday.  

I have been enjoying sharing recipes every Thursday, and even if you don't join in on your own blogs, I'm hoping you're enjoying the ones I'm sharing, and maybe even finding one or two that sound good.

Today's recipe is one that I am sure all the mac and cheese and meatloaf fans, will enjoy.  It's not only easy to make but can be easily adapted to use your favorite meatloaf recipe, and to feed a large crowd.

It may seem a bit strange at first, but trust me, your family will love it.

 

Macaroni and Cheese Meatfloaf Casserole 

Source:This is NOT diet food  

 

 

 

Ingredients 

1 cup ketchup 

1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar barbecue sauce 

2 lbs lean ground beef 

30 Ritz Crackers 

2 oz Lipton onion soup mix 

2 eggs 

3 cups macaroni noodles 

2 cups milk 

10.5 oz condensed cheddar cheese soup 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

1 tbsp garlic powder 

1 tbsp onion powder 

4 cups shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend 

 

 

Instructions 

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Dump ketchup and barbecue sauce into a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside. Dump ground beef into a large mixing bowl. Place Ritz crackers in a large Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Pour the cracker crumbs into the bowl with the ground beef. 

 

Add the onion soup mix and eggs to the bowl with the ground beef. Add 1/2 cup of the ketchup and barbecue sauce mixture to the bowl with the ground beef. Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together until fully combined. 

 

Dump the meatloaf mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and press it out evenly. Spread the rest of the ketchup and barbecue sauce mixture on top of the meatloaf. Place the dish in the oven and bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes. 

 

While the meatloaf is in the oven, cook the macaroni noodles according to the directions on the package and then drain. Pour the milk and cheddar soup into a large mixing bowl. Whisk until no lumps remain. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to the bowl and whisk well again. 

 

Add the cooked macaroni noodles to the bowl and stir until all of the noodles are coated in the liquid. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese to the bowl and stir well again. Once the meatloaf has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven. 

 

Pour the macaroni mixture on top of the meatloaf and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of the meatloaf. Return the dish to the oven and bake until the cheese on top is completely melted and just starting to brown. 17-20 minutes. 

 

 Remove the casserole from the oven and leave it to sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving. 

 

 Enjoy!