One Pot Stove Top Creamy Cheeseburger Mac and Refreshing Watermelon Drink

Today I’m making my one pot stove top creamy cheeseburger mac and I’m going to show you a refreshing freshwater drink to keep you hydrated all summer long. This is going to be good.

Why You’ll Love This

This is going to be good.

This is pretty much inspired by that box of hamburger helper that we probably all grew up on, but you know, like homemade sort of.

It’s very simple to make.

This is a pretty budget-friendly meal that goes a long way.

I have been on this like one-postable meal kick lately where I don’t even add sides.

I grew up on this and it’s so hot outside. So make some of this and stay hydrated.

Ingredients

For the One Pot Stove Top Creamy Cheeseburger Mac

• one pound of lean ground beef
• 12 ounces of elbow macaroni
• four ounces of Velveeta cheese
• an eight ounce bag of pre-shredded mild cheddar cheese
• a cup or so of half and half
• two teaspoons of beef bouillon powder
• granulated onion powder
• granulated garlic powder
• a half teaspoon of smoked paprika
• cracked black pepper
• salt
• three cups of water

For the Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Drink)

• half of a watermelon
• a couple tablespoons (or half of a third cup) of sugar
• a cup of water
• one pound of ice

Instructions

1. In a preheated pot I’m adding my lean ground beef.
2. Break that apart and start to cook it.
3. I’m going with two teaspoons of beef bouillon powder.
4. I’m going to add some granulated onion powder.
5. I’m also going to add some granulated garlic powder.
6. Here I’m adding like a half teaspoon of smoked paprika into the mix.
7. I’m going to add some cracked black pepper.
8. Continue breaking apart the meat and cooking.
9. Add my 12 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni.
10. Combine this well.
11. Add three cups of water.
12. Give it a mix.
13. Cover with a lid and bring that up to a boil.
14. Once it’s boiling like this, uncover it.
15. Cook this for nine to 10 minutes or until you reach the desired doneness of your pasta or elbow macaroni.
16. For the agua de sandia, scoop everything out and any juice left in this watermelon is going in the bowl.
17. Place everything in my blender cup.
18. Add half of a third cup of sugar.
19. Add a cup of water.
20. Blend and puree.
21. Add it to a pitcher with one pound of ice.
22. After about nine to 10 minutes of boiling, now it’s time to add the cheese.
23. Go in with all of my cheeses right into the pot.
24. Turn down the heat to a low heat.
25. Give it a really good mix and let the cheese melt before adding the half and half.
26. Add a cup of half and half.
27. Mix, let it kind of simmer just slightly, and then add more if need be.
28. Once the cheese is melted and the half and half is combined, everything is melty, gooey, and cooked, shut off the heat.

Cooking Tips

If you’re using something like 80-20 meat to fat ratio, you’ll probably have to drain out a lot of that rendered fat, but this is lean so I’m not going to have to do that.

You can do like a half teaspoon of each and you know, adjust.

Things like salt and pepper ratios of these dry spices and seasonings, it’s really to your preference, so adjust accordingly.

You want to taste it for salt and seasoning at this point.

In all, somewhere like two and a half to three cups of water works for this recipe.

If it’s super sweet or you don’t want sugar, don’t add it.

You could strain it if it has seeds.

I don’t want to burn the cheese.

If you don’t have half and half, I’ve done this with whole milk. It definitely works. Just add maybe three quarters of a cup of milk, mix, let it kind of simmer just slightly, and then add more if need be.

Serving Suggestions

This is going along with my cheeseburger mac.

I have tons of like cucumber and carrots in the fridge. Sometimes my son will eat that on the side with meals, but this is it.

Make some of this and stay hydrated.

Dinner is ready. We’ve got our drinks, time to eat. So I hope you give this recipe a try. I hope you like it.