Our easy mac and cheese meatloaf casserole is the most fun family dinner idea your kids are going to love! Made with seasoned ground beef and either homemade or Kraft boxed macaroni and cheese, it will be a winner either way.
We have talked all about both of these dishes, now we are combining them. I mean talk about fun right??!! I will talk all about the tips and tricks to making this meal perfect including how long to cook meatloaf so it is still moist, and the many ways of making the pasta on top.
If you have a family recipe for the base then by all means use that one. I have one below that is super basic, similar to our bbq meatloaf recipe to follow if you don’t though. Once that has all the flavor you will move to the cheesiness…..
You have the choice of using boxed but in general I will make a pot of Ninja Foodi macaroni and cheese which is from scratch but made so fast. I have done it both ways depending on how much time I have and it is always a hit no matter which direction I go. 😉
Ingredient Notes
You will want to start off with a pound of lean ground beef as your meat. Now you could use half spicy ground sausage to add some heat but I feel like ground beef in oven gets less greasy so I stick with that in this case.
Italian breadcrumbs are used as a binder of sorts because if not with the egg it will be too wet and not be able to mold into the pan and cook all the way thru properly. With that said you could use alternatives like we did with our stovetop stuffing meatloaf.
Seasonings added would be some salt, onion powder with a bit of garlic powder too. If you wanted some pepper that would work too.
Macaroni and cheese will be precooked to tender before adding to the top after the meat cooks for a bit initially. During the last bit you will want to add even more cheesiness with shredded cheddar cheese too.
Variations
As I stated above there are TONS of recipes for meatloaf, you could use any one for the bottom layer. If you wanted spicy meatloaf you can add chili powder, dry Sriracha or diced jalapenos into the mix. And then there is the topping. I will discuss several ways to make that below….
How to Make the Mac and Cheese
Our mac and cheese with heavy cream is the bomb, homemade, but would need to be baked in a dish before starting this one. Boxed is easy enough and can be prepped while the meat is baking. Here you can see the third option which is to microwave a frozen dish that is at least 11 oz. in size and use that!
How Long to Cook Meatloaf Casserole
You need two steps for the best texture and result. In total you will need 45 minutes to bake this dish in the oven. During that time you can prep the cheesy noodles but that takes maybe 20 minutes if you use boxed or 10 minutes for frozen.
Mac and Cheese Meatloaf Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×9 pan
- 1 Bowl
- 1 pot if cooking mac and cheese on stove
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup ketchup, or bbq sauce
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 box macaroni and cheese, Kraft, prepared, or use large frozen and cook in microwave according to directions
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together all ingredients to make meatloaf mixture, leave shredded cheese aside for later.
- Spray 9×9 pan with non stick spray and press your meatloaf mixture inside, bake for 30 minutes. While this is baking make your macaroni and cheese.
- Remove meatloaf out of oven and top with cooked mac and cheese on the top, spread out to cover the entire top. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of that and bake another 15 minutes or until hot in the center and cheese is melted and lightly browned.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
