Quick & Easy Meal | Velvetta Beefaroni

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Velvetta Beefaroni

Velvetta Beefaroni

This quick and easy meal is perfect for a night when you just don’t have it in you to prepare a large meal. Now being in my last trimester of pregnancy, my energy level is even lower when it comes to cooking. I’m still working full time and that honestly takes a lot out of me. I just went grocery yesterday afternoon, after attending a prenatal class on base. Fortunately it was convenient, because the Commissary is right on the way out of base. I had already planned my visit there, because I knew the class would let out earlier than my usual workday. Thankfully, it only took me roughly an hour to shop, and that was with taking my sweet time and a bathroom break. The commissary has baggers who will pack your car, so I didn’t have to do too much heavy lifting…although my wallet did :-/

Anyhow, I made this meal last week and it was Hubs approved. I literally took what I had in the pantry and tried to be as creative as possible. My pantry always has its staples, like spaghetti sauce, pasta, soup, etc. So, I’m never too on the outs if I miss a week of grocery shopping…Thanks Mom! Plus, I did a lot of grocery earlier on, because well I love to shop, grocery shop, clothes shop, anything shop, but mostly I love food!

I knew I wanted to make Beefaroni, but didn’t feel like going to the grocery store to get cheese. The only kind of cheese I had in the fridge was mozzarella from when I made Beef & Cheese Shells. I did have some American sandwich slice cheese in the fridge (which I had totally forgotten about!), but I wouldn’t have used it anyways. What I did have was some nifty Velvetta (the block kind) in the pantry. I had everything else on hand too, so no trip to the grocery for this preggo.

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Here’s what I used:
1 lb of ground beef
1 can of tomato paste
1/4 of jar of tomato sauce
1/4 of Velvetta Cheese block. – The block is 36 oz, so about 9 oz or so should do it.  You can use less or more depending on your taste preference.
2 cups of elbow pasta
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder

Here’s how I did it:
Browned my ground beef, added my tomato paste and spaghetti sauce, seasonings, and simmered covered. Meanwhile, I had my pasta boiling in olive oil salted water. Once my meat sauce combination was nice and combined and simmered, I added in my Velvetta and covered. – Make sure you cover your skillet or pan, because the Velvetta will boil upon melting and pop. Let simmer until the Velvetta is completely melted in the meat and the mixture is milky orange/red color. Once your mixture looks like that Presto, your done and its ready to serve! I told you it was easy, didn’t I! I steamed up some frozen broccoli, seasoned with a bit of seasoning salt and indulged.

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Are there items you always keep on hand in your pantry? What are your staples for whipping up a quick & easy meal? – I’m always looking for new ideas!

Happy bumping!

xxoo,

41 thoughts on “Quick & Easy Meal | Velvetta Beefaroni

  1. That looks sooo good. I can never make it through the grocery store without using the bathroom either and I’m only 2nd trimester! Good luck with the rest of the your pregnancy!

  2. I don’t care what any one says there is something about Velveeta cheese that is so goooodddd!!
    It’s in my pantry right now waiting for some grits. Thank you for sharing it on our Four Seasons Blog Hop.

    • Your absolutely welcome! I look forward to linking up again! I have always loved Beefaroni too. I used to love it when they served it in school for lunch, lol! This recipe is kinda like my homage to that. :-)

  3. That looks so yummy! I love Velveta, but I can’t keep it in the house because my Mister likes to eat it plain & I never have any left to cook with. Haha.

    My staples to always have on hand are mostly carbs. Pasta, rice, beans & similar things. I make chicken fried rice quite a bit, since I buy 20lb bags of Jasmine rice when I am at Costco. The best part is, you can usually use whatever you have on hand. As long as you have rice, soy sauce, an egg & some sort of meat. You’re set! :)

    Found you on the North East Bloggers linkup. :) Hope you stop by & say hello!

    Krys @ The Mister & Me
    Krystal Lynn recently posted…Fast Faves: Italian Sausage & Peppers

    • Lol, you are so right! I’m not sure I’d trust my Dad to whip up this dish, but my husband (a soon to be dad) would knock it out of the park. I think anything with cheese makes kids happy! I’m an adult and it still has that affect on me. What would I do without cheese and chocolate! Thanks for dropping by!

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