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Dairy Free Cheeseburger Macaroni

October 23, 2019 by Jen Leave a Comment

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A dairy free cheeseburger macaroni that’s creamy, cheesy, gluten free, nightshade free and secretly loaded with vegetables, the whole family will love and ask for all the time. 

dairy free cheeseburger macaroni in white bowl with spoon on white marble counter

This dairy free cheeseburger macaroni is surprisingly authentic to the real thing. It is cheesy and not too spicy (but still a little spicy) without dairy or nightshades. Before being free of gluten, dairy and nightshades, we really enjoyed this cheeseburger macaroni recipe. It was so simple and easy to throw together. This dairy free cheeseburger macaroni recipe is also fast and simple. The longest part of the process is making the butternut cheese sauce, which actually only takes 20 minutes and can be prepped up to a few days in advance.

What is in dairy free cheeseburger macaroni?

  • cauliflower
  • mushrooms
  • onions
  • butternut squash via cheese sauce
  • ground beef
  • nightshade free taco seasoning (trust me, this seasoning is worth making ahead and using even if you aren’t nightshade free)
  • rice noodles

How to hide vegetables in dinner

The key is to always chop all vegetables as small and uniform as possible. With ground beef, it’s a little more forgiving, as things like cauli rice and mushrooms tend to blend in with the beef. Think as if you are blending the vegetables into the meat. A good seasoning and vegetables that take on seasoning flavors are good to use-think mushrooms and cauliflower. Onions give a lot of flavor and blend with most dishes.

Buy in veggies bulk, chop and freeze right away

Costco is the best. I usually buy vegetables in bulk and spend an hour on the weekend about once a month chopping and freezing vegetables. This makes throwing healthy meals together quick and painless on busy weeknights. Things like carrots, onions, mushrooms and broccoli freeze well. Make sure you have a sharp knife and chop ingredients small. I like to buy fresh or frozen cauliflower rice to have on hand to limit the butchering of a head of cauliflower.

How to make dairy free cheeseburger macaroni

If you haven’t made the butternut cheese sauce in advance, make that first and set aside.

Chop onion, mushrooms and cauliflower (unless using prepared cauli rice)

chopped onions, cauliflower and mushrooms on wood cutting board

Heat a pan and add ground beef and veggies to saute until meat is brown.

ground beef in stainless pan on white marble counter    ground beef, onions, cauliflower and mushrooms in stainless pan on white marble counter      

Remove from heat and drain excess liquid/fat from meat/veggie mixture.

Mix 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning (link) in 1/2 cup water and add to meat/veggie mixture.

nightshade free taco seasoning being scooped into cup of water over white marble counter   nightshade free taco seasoning mixed with water being poured into cooked ground beef

Stir until liquid seasoning coats all of the meat/veggie mixture.

nightshade free taco seasoning mixed into cooked ground beef in stainless pan

Cover meat/veggie mixture and let sit while you prepare noodles. Make noodles according to package and slightly al dente.

cooked noodles in stainless pot on white marble counter

Drain and rinse noodles. Add noodles and butternut cheese sauce to seasoned meat/veggie mixture. Note: if you don’t want a really meaty dish, you can also use half of this meat/veggie mixture. Save the other half for a taco lunch for one tomorrow!

dairy free cheeseburger macaroni ingredients in a stainless pan on white marble counter

If your sauce was in the refrigerator, turn burner to medium low to heat up the cheeseburger macaroni.

Stir mixture and you now have dairy free cheeseburger macaroni. Enjoy!

fresh made dairy free cheeseburger macaroni in stainless pan on white marble counter  fresh made dairy free cheeseburger macaroni in stainless pan on white marble counter

You can store in your refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat (or just eat cold-seriously) for lunch or dinner again.

Can you freeze cheeseburger macaroni?

You can definitely freeze cheeseburger macaroni! If you are freezing after you have already mixed the noodles in, just know that your noodles may not hold up very well. Though the flavor is still delicious, it’s more of a casserole vibe.

Serve this veggie stuffed, allergen friendly dinner the next time you need an all in one vegetable packed meal. The cheese sauce comes together quickly, but this meal is even faster if you make the sauce ahead of time.

Did you and your family enjoy this meal as much as my family and me?

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dairy free cheeseburger macaroni in white bowl with spoon on white marble counter

Dairy Free Cheeseburger Macaroni


  • Author: Jen
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
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Description

A dairy free cheeseburger macaroni that’s creamy, cheesy, gluten free, nightshade free and secretly loaded with vegetables, the whole family will love and ask for all the time.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2.5 cups butternut cheese sauce
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup cauliflower rice
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onions
  • 1 cup chopped white mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons nightshade free taco seasoning
  • 2 cups gluten free macaroni pasta of choice*

Instructions

  1. Make butternut cheese sauce if not already made.
  2. Add ground beef, cauliflower rice, onions and mushrooms to a pan and saute until meat is cooked all the way through.
  3. While meat is cooking, prepare pasta according to directions and slightly al dente.
  4. Mix taco seasoning with 1/2 cup water.
  5. Drain meat/veggie mixture and pasta and add pasta, taco seasoning mix and cheese sauce to meat/veggie mixture.
  6. Stir until well combined and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

*This Tinkyada rice pasta works great and doesn’t get soggy

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 157
  • Sugar: 3.5g
  • Sodium: 661.2mg
  • Fat: 3.6g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 31.4g
  • Fiber: 3.8g
  • Protein: 21g
  • Cholesterol: 45.2mg

Keywords: dairy free cheeseburger macaroni, nightshade free cheeseburger macaroni

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @CleanFamilyEats on Instagram and hashtag it #CleanFamilyEats

 

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Filed Under: Cleaner Junk Food, Dinner, Egg free, Kid Food, Nightshade free, Recipes, Veggie Loaded

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