Half-way done with my recipes, before I give away a Gooseberry Patch cookbook! This was a big hit in my house, and very easy and cheap to make…the only thing that I had problems with were my noodles, but that was because I didn’t read the directions close enough! Ugh…I need a proofreader for my recipe-following! But it was still absolutely delicious! Just be sure to use elbow macaroni (as instructed) and do NOT substitute egg noodles. They melt into the dish. Still delicious, but we ended up serving it on toast…which was amazing!

Here it is:

Creamy Macaroni & Beef

All together now!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
• 2 10-3/4 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of chicken)
• 8-oz. pkg. shredded Cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• 7-oz. pkg. elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 to 1 t. onion powder
• 1/2 to 1 t. salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 t. pepper

All mixed together, ready to cook.

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker; mix well. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 hours, or until macaroni is tender. Serves 8. (I cooked on high for 3 hours or so…just need to make sure macaroni is cooked, or in my case, dissolved. Oh, and when I realized that the noodles were going to be nonexistent, I added in a can of drained whole kernel corn, just to give it more substance…yummy!)

Costs:

• Beef – $2.98
• Soup – $1.75
• Cheese – $1.50
• Macaroni – $1.25
• Total – $7.48, which serves 8, making it about 94 cents a serving. Not too shabby!

It was quickly devoured by my tribe...definitely a seal of approval!