Leftover Brisket Mac and Cheese

This leftover brisket mac and cheese is one of our favorite recipes with leftover brisket ever. Creamy homemade macaroni and cheese with beef. A hearty meal that is out of this world flavorful.

Traeger Brisket Macaroni and Cheese

Maybe you made our air fryer brisket last night, smoked one or brought some home from your local bbq joint. You’re in for a treat with this one for sure. The base you can make several different ways. Below explains how to make homemade macaroni and cheese with brisket but you could make Ninja Foodi macaroni and cheese and add meat too.

Leftover Brisket Pasta

If you have only made Kraft mac and cheese in pressure cooker before this is so much better. Believe it or not it isn’t as difficult as you might initially think to make. The cheese sauce is made with just some cheeses, heavy cream, a bit of flour to thicken it up and seasonings. Just taste along the way so you don’t add too much salt and pepper.

Remember your protein may already be seasoned so you may not need much or any at all and you can’t take it out once added. Grab a pot and let’s get going with this homemade mac and cheese recipe….you’re going to need;

Ingredients

1. Elbow macaroni noodles that will be boiled and cooked to al dente separately
2. A variety of cheeses including parmesan is best for ultimate YUM
3. Heavy cream to make it really creamy
4. Seasonings
5. Then of course your leftover smoked brisket meat

You don’t really need to heat your fall apart brisket in the oven again. If you just leave it out on the countertop while you’re preparing everything else then when you add it to the hot cheese it will continue warming until just right. If you wanted to add another layer of cheese on top and brown under the broiler you’d want a baking dish too.

We have a printable recipe card at the bottom but let’s break it down real quick so you can see how this mac and cheese is made. The first thing you want to do is take out the meat from the fridge and set on the countertop to get the chill off. You’ll want something with high sides so a large skillet may not be large enough.

Just use a medium size stock pot instead so you can stir to combine without worrying about any spilling over the sides. If you wanted to make Instant Pot cheeseburger macaroni instead and add this meat that would be a faster option.

How to Make Macaroni and Cheese with Brisket

• Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions until al dente. Strain and set aside for a minute.
  • In large pot melt butter on medium heat and stir in flour until golden brown.
  • Stir in your heavy cream.
• Fold in all of your shredded cheeses and garlic powder until smooth and melted. Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust as desired. Gently fold in your drained and cooked noodles, stir to coat.
• Pour in your diced leftover brisket into the and stir gently together until coated.

Everyone loves mac and cheese but this is just over the top y’all. We love this as is but you could continue with a drizzle of barbecue sauce or hot sauce over the top too. If your meat already had a dry rub on it like our smoked brisket flat you wouldn’t need anything. Leave a comment below if you use something else that we should try on our next go around too!

What meat goes best with mac and cheese?

I typically will use whatever protein I need to use up, I hate wasting food. We have folded in diced up pork chops, ham and turkey after the holidays but beef we love best. Flat brisket can be cut into small pieces if initially cooked to fall apart tender

How to save leftovers

Now what if you don’t eat all of this and have to save for one more meal. Typically I am not a fan of reheating leftover leftovers if you know what I mean. However if I make this 24 hours after the initial meal I will save in the fridge for the next day and get one more go around out of it.

Best way to reheat

You want to treat this gently when heating again y’all. The best way is to transfer into a microwave safe dish and heat for 30 seconds, stirring consistently after every single heating 30 seconds at a time it will work out best. In total you might need 1.5 minutes or so to get it warmed thru to the middle and then enjoy.

If you feel like it isn’t as creamy when you take it out, spoon 2 tbsp of heavy cream or milk over the top to begin with. That will add back some moisture so it tastes almost like it were fresh once again. This is true when reheating pasta of any kind really whether you have meat inside or not.

Other Unique Macaroni and Cheese Recipes You’ll Love

You should go on and on from here. Think outside of the box like our pizza mac and cheese in a cast iron pan with diced pepperoni or even olives are always a fave. After the holidays you can use this same idea but with diced ham or turkey that needs to be used up. A great way to add texture and protein.

You could also add some more fresh shredded cheese on top during the last half minute go around for added wow. Cheddar is best if you ask me but whatever I have on hand is usually what I throw on there. My girls usually get to this before I do because it is a sought after meal in our house for sure.

We hope your family loves this mac n cheese as much as we have over the years and it becomes a day after meal of yours too. 😉