• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Pretty Little Apron

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram

elbow macaroni

Beef and Veggie Macaroni

August 27, 2015 by Dana

beefaroni5 (1 of 1)

The school year is officially in full swing! I have to say, getting my son ready on the first day was a tad stressful…thanks to a meltdown in the morning by my usually happy 2 year old. Boy, did he ever decide to throw a wrench in all picture plans by flipping out, throwing himself down into some rocks, and refusing to let me strap him into his car seat! Sound familiar to anyone? Good, I’m not alone!! I thought for sure my neighbors were going to call the cops on me for child abuse because he was screaming at the top of his lungs. They surely think I’m insane by now because it seems that someone is always screaming. I promise, we are “normal,” whatever that means. 🙂


Beef and Veggie Macaroni || www.3boysunprocessed.com

Now that I’ve vented about the terrible twos, let’s talk about this delicious and lunchbox-friendly meal! This one is perfect for sending a hot lunch to school that your kids will actually eat, or just getting dinner on the table relatively quickly after school. There is not much for your kids not to love about this one…. and if they are on the fence about the carrots/peppers I would suggest dicing them super small and pretending they aren’t even there. I’m not a fan of “hiding” veggies in food, however I do have a slightly picky 3rd grader who changes his mind on a weekly basis about what is acceptable to put in his lunchbox. I feel you, I do!

Just because I have a blog about food does not mean all of my boys will eat everything I make without complaining.  Every week last school year my son would complain about certain foods that I sent in his lunchbox that he previously loved to take. Eventually I just ran out of ideas and started making meals like this one so I could send the leftovers in his LunchBots thermos and be done with it! Most of his hot lunches would come home eaten, so I had to settle for putting veggies in creations like this one instead of sending them raw. You win some, you loose some!

Beef and Veggie Macaroni || www.3boysunprocessed.com

Recipe Tips
  • I used a colander to drain the grease from the meat/veggies. I tried draining the way I normally do and realized it was going to be an epic disaster if I proceeded, so I placed a colander in the sink (or over a bowl if you do it that way) and it was so much easier!
  • You can absolutely switch up the veggies here, and get creative! I can see peas and green beans working really well!
  • I didn’t know whether to call this a soup or a stew because it is kind of in between. At first it was thinner but the pasta will continue to soak up the broth and it becomes thicker. I really enjoyed the consistency because it was right in the middle.
  • Yes, this recipe contains cheese because cheese is my friend, and has really never failed me. You can certainly omit the cheese if you would like, however I really loved it with just a slight hint of cheddar. It isn’t overpowering at all, just bumps up the taste a bit.
  • I always use no salt added Bionaturae strained tomatoes when cooking a dish like this. If you substitute a product that contains salt, you will have to adjust how much additional salt you add. I prefer this product over canned because I feel it is safer and has a better taste.

 

Filed Under: Entrees, Recipes

Primary Sidebar

logo
Food Advertisements by

Hey There!

I'm Dana! Foodie + Photographer. Momma of 5. Baby lover. Coffee addict. Cooking through the chaos one recipe at a time! I've built this food blog out of a desire to create and share. My time spend around the table with my family and friends means the world to me. My hope is that you get to feel that too!

Take an Insta-Peek!
Something is wrong.
Instagram token error.
Follow
logo
Food Advertisements by

Popular Posts

  • Brown Gravy Meatballs
    Brown Gravy Meatballs
  • Planetbox Vs Lunchbots Lunchbox Review
    Planetbox Vs Lunchbots Lunchbox Review
  • Parma Rosa Shrimp Pasta
    Parma Rosa Shrimp Pasta
  • Black Bean and Corn Fritters
    Black Bean and Corn Fritters
  • The Reasons Why Your Non-Dairy Creamer is Killing You
    The Reasons Why Your Non-Dairy Creamer is Killing You

logo
Food Advertisements by

Footer

Instagram

Take an Insta-Peek

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Foodie + Photographer. Momma of 5. I've built this food blog out of a desire to create and share. I feel most alive when I'm talking with family and friends around the table. My hope is that you get to feel that too!

My Favorites

Party Shrimp
Meatloaf with brown gravy

Copyright © 2025 · Cravings Pro